May 8, 2008. Lead Time Reduction for Competitive Advantage. Dakota County Technical College. 7:30-9:30 a.m. We can all use help in reducing our costs. See how three companies have made great strides in efficiency improvement and cost savings by using common Lean tools and methods. $30.00 at door for non-MA members, members are free. Register

May 8, 2008. Minnesota Ground Water Association (MGWA) Spring 2008 Conference. University of Minnesota, Continuing Education and Conference Center, St. Paul, MN. 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. This conference will explore the relationship between biofuels and ground water and how we should best use and conserve our resources. Nancy Kelly, MnTAP, will present Energy and Water Efficiency in Biofuel Production Sponsored by the Minnesota Ground Water Association. For more information call 651.276.8208

May 13, 2008. Fundamentals of Compressed Air. Doubletree Hotel Minneapolis-Park Place, St. Louis Park, MN. 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This one-day introductory course is designed to teach facility engineers, operators and maintenance staff how to achieve 15% to 25% cost savings through more effective production and use of compressed air. Sponsored by Xcel Energy. $236 by April 29; $295 after. For more information go to contact Jon Packer at 612.337.2278, email.

May 13, 2008. Green Practices for the Hotel & Restaurant Industry. Crowne Plaza, St. Paul, Minnesota. 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. In preparation for the Republican National Convention this fall, the Minnesota Restaurant and Lodging & the Resort and Campground Associations are teaming up with Green Gatherings to put on a one day interactive workshop geared towards maximizing efforts on being a more environmentally conscious property. For more information visit the event's schedule.

May 14-16, 2008. Minnesota Safety & Health Conference. Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN. Regional safety and health conference. Sponsored by the Minnesota Safety Council. Call 800.444.9150.

May 16 , 2008. Hennepin County Hazardous Waste Management Training. Eden Prairie Library, Eden Prairie, MN. 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Topics include waste evaluation, licensing requirements, proper labeling and storage, selecting transportation and disposal companies, emergency planning, record keeping, waste minimization, and pollution prevention. Sponsored by Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services. Free.

May 21, 2008. Lean Workshop: Lean 101. U.S. Bank Building, Duluth, MN. 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. This workshop will provide solutions to reducing manufacturing cycle times, improving on-time shipments, reducing work in progress, improving quality and reducing floor space. Sponsored by Minnesota Technology, Inc. $350; lunch provided.

May 19-22, 2008. National Environmental Partnership Summit. Sheraton Baltimore City Center, Baltimore, MD. This year’s theme - "Accelerating Environmental Performance: Pathways to Action" - reflects the commitment to provide concrete examples of environmental leadership attained by businesses and government programs. Most importantly, these case studies will show how your business or program can do the same. Sponsored by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR), the Compliance Assistance Providers’ Forum and the Performance Track Participants Association.


May 21-22, 2008. CleanMed 2008. Hilton Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. This conference aims to accelerate the development, use, and diffusion of environmentally preferable products and practices, and the construction of green buildings in health care by disseminating examples of best practices and convening health care professionals, university researchers, designers of professional buildings, and vendors of cleaner and safer products and services. Catherine Zimmer, MnTAP, will present on pharmaceutical waste and green cleaning.

May 28, 2008. Green for Good: How & Why Wilder Built Green. 8:00 – 10:15 a.m. (Registration begins at 7:30). Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Parkway N
Saint Paul, MN 55104. The Wilder Center was built to LEED Gold standards. Join Wilder staff, project architect, Perkins + Will, and project contractor, Duke Construction, for a discussion of the reasons and the way Wilder built green. Register at events@wilder.org or 651-280-2445

June 19th, 2008. Green Business Practices. Plymouth, MN. 9:00 a.m.-noon. Balancing environmental and business concerns presents a complex and dynamic challenge. This workshop focuses on addressing issues such as advantages of going green, water conservation, waste reduction, plus much more. Each participant will receive a three-ring binder packed with information on a variety of green business practices with energy savings and cost comparisons along with contact information for green vendors and their products.
Member $155, non-member $212.