An international conference and dialogue between leaders in the Hudson Valley and the Netherlands, to address shared challenges in sustainability, social integration and cultivating the next generation of professionals.

"As the City of Poughkeepsie Chair for the Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentennial, I cannot think of a more appropriate way of promoting the themes of this year's celebration, "exploration and innovation," than the conference that was held at Vassar College.  The City of Poughkeepsie Quadricentennial Committee, and my family personally, were delighted to have been part of this presentation.  We look forward to seeing you in Holland."  -- Nancy Cozean, former mayor of Poughkeepsie

Two productive days brought together expertise and commitment from the Dutch regions of Amstel and Fryslan, with Hudson Valley entrepreneurs, educators and civic leaders to forge an ongoing "Partnership for the Next 100 Years." Participants came from the New York Department of State, the State University of New York at Albany School of Social Welfare, Historic Hudson River Towns, the Independent Dutchess Energy Alliance, the US Green Building Council, small businesses in the energy and water sectors, landscape architecture, farm innovation, housing, planning and more. Students (our guests as voices of the next generation) represented institutions from Vassar to Green Mountain College. The discussion showed promising synergies in product design, district energy systems, water management strategies, and models for developing peak performance in organizations. Going forward, we will focus on technology, trade, and social strategies for building up industries in clean renewable energy, sustainable water management and "cradle to cradle" (zero waste) materials strategies. With Hudson Valley partners including Gateway to Entrepreneurial Tomorrows, we will develop joint training and technical assistance programming with the goal of internationally consistent standards for key professional certifications, allowing the next generation of clean energy and water professionals to be internationally cross-trained for mobility and competitiveness. Virtual followup will give these visions more form, leading up to a delegation to the Netherlands in the spring of 2009. We thank the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their generous support of this partnership. Watch this space for updates, details, resources and invitations!