Understanding regeneration requires moving beyond fragmented problem-solving and towards realizing new potentials within whole, complex systems. 

The more we understand planetary life cycles of birth, growth, death, decay, and regeneration, the clearer it becomes that human civilization is dependent on and inseparable from them. Given the countless unintended consequences and existential threats we face, it’s easy to catastrophize the future.

Is it possible to reverse the impacts of these threats? For many of us, this is an unthinkable thought. Yet the role of foresight tools are to help us radically reimagine the future. Which begs the question: What paradigms and assumptions are informing foresight processes and our understanding of sustainability? 

To date, the field of sustainability has been largely dominated by a mechanistic interpretations of natural resources, assets, and the commons, tacitly informed by models of competition and scarcity. How might we re-envision these - and explore potential futures - from a regenerative perspective?

This interactive workshop reframes how shared assets are imagined. Are they perpetually scarce (fixed and diminishing) or potentially abundant (living and regenerative)?  How can we invest in assets - and communities - to increase their capacities and capabilities over time?

Featuring aerial photography of Oakland by Stephen Loewinsohn. 

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In urban areas, disposing of food scraps is often the only touchpoint that residents have with resource management — a tactile, visceral experience of environmental engagement. However, organic waste in landfills contributes to 5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, so industrial-scale composting is crucial. This session will explore the shifting flow of biological materials in cities to regenerate soil and community while scaling the industrial management of organic waste.

The impacts of drought, population growth, aging infrastructure, climate change, and other challenges threaten the long-term availability of water and by 2030, the world’s demand for fresh water is projected to outstrip supply by 40 percent. For companies, it's increasingly difficult to access the water they need to meet growing customer demands, local governments are finding they’ve under-invested in water strategies or allowed existing structures to deteriorate. These stakeholders also often find themselves competing for access to water. 

In this context, businesses continue to set targets at the corporate level but most have not yet been able to operationalize those goals at the local-level. A 2017 survey by GreenBiz and Ecolab showed that although 75 percent of companies have water-related targets, most do not integrate water into their planning processes, and 82 percent lack the tools and strategies to turn water data into action. 

In this session, hear from companies and cities tackling their water management with a circular approach. Learn about the tools and tactics they use to establish and operationalize circular water strategies that are economically beneficial, environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. 

The concept of the circular economy offers a framework through which city governments and policymakers, urban planners and designers, businesses and individuals can rethink urban systems — and begin to close the loop on the flow of materials. As cities embark on the transition towards a circular economy, information and digital technology will play a crucial role in helping them address these challenges. Data forms part of the “connective tissue” linking urban systems together — from the movement of traffic, to the health of buildings, to how citizens can produce and consume energy. This session will explore the role of data in transforming urban life and building long-term prosperity, resource sufficiency, economic viability and well-being in a circular city. 

To efficiently manage water in the built environment, we must think beyond the boundaries of buildings. This session will discuss some of the most innovative and regenerative water infrastructure projects that design for abundance, take the burden off of aging infrastructure and reimagine the flow of water in cities. 

Join Billy Grayson, Executive Director, Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance at The Urban Land Institute (ULI) for a discussion of emerging technologies that leading real estate companies are piloting TODAY that will likely be rolled out across portfolios soon. We will discuss some of the most promising near-term technologies in smart buildings, on-site energy production and storage, and advanced building materials.

About VERGE Guru Lunches: Join like minded attendees for interactive moderated lunch discussions around a particular topic. Each table discussion will be led by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants.

Learn about the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s InSPIRE study into low-impact solar development and pollinator-friendly solar from two leaders involved in the work. Meet previous VERGE presenter Rob Davis of the Center for Pollinators in Energy at Fresh Energy and Organic Valley’s Stanley Minnick and discuss the NREL study’s results to date and opportunities for new partners.

About VERGE Guru Lunches: Join like minded attendees for interactive moderated lunch discussions around a particular topic. Each table discussion will be led by an expert or thought leader, held at roundtables of up to 10 participants. These are freeform discussions, so bring your own challenges, questions, and ideas to talk through and get to know your fellow conference participants.

As product lifespans shrink across industries, some companies are exploring innovative approaches to capitalizing on a product's embedded quality through reuse cycles. From partnerships and industry-wide collaboration, to reimagining the end of a product's life as the start of a new one, to leveraging connectivity and technology to bridge the essential communication gap between stakeholders— this panel will provide a prototype for powering circularity at scale, with triple-bottom line impact. 

What will it take to achieve "zero waste" for your company, and what does it mean to get there? This session will explore differing approaches, pathways and tactics to curbing waste production. Hear from experts at Wegmans, HP Inc. and Rubicon Global on how they have defined, navigated and achieved their zero waste goals.