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VERGE 18 Program

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Food & Water Systems

Tuesday, October 16th, 2018
8:30am to 12:15pm
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Circular Economy 101

Tutorial

This tutorial is now full. Space may become available, so please plan to arrive early on Tuesday, October 16, to join a queue for available seats. In the meantime, we recommend pre-registering for your second-choice tutorial.

This half-day tutorial, designed for attendees from all sectors and backgrounds and presented by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, will provide a foundational understanding of the circular economy — a model that fundamentally reimagines the traditional “take-make-waste” linear industrial model in favor of a system that designs out waste and pollution, decouples economic growth from natural resource consumption, increases resource productivity and regenerates natural systems. 

The first part of the tutorial session will tour through our circular economy journey to date. From theory through to action, The Foundation team will start by explaining the guiding principles and then take participants through a series of case study examples which illustrate circular design spanning products, business models, and system level innovations.

To some, the circular economy concept can feel academic and detached from reality. The second part of the session will take a more in depth look at how we can 'sell in' and convince stakeholders to invest in circular economy initiatives. Much of the work concentrating on the circular economy to date has centred on deep analysis of the broader economic opportunity. Translating the theory into practical opportunities for colleagues working at the coal-face of operations, or executives faced with competing priorities, can present a critical challenge.

Fortunately,  the circular economy is a big idea with many entry points. Significant work has already been completed by many diverse organisations of all sizes to demonstrate that the theoretical upside can be translated to real commercial opportunities today. Some of these organisations are already taking giant leaps towards circular economy models. 

Dragon Rouge, an award-winning global creative agency and CE100 member, spoke with several of those leading organisations to understand what is working, and launched a report on the topic. During the second part of the session, The Foundation Team and Dragon Rouge representatives will distil insight on how you can effectively 'sell' the circular economy into different parts of your organisation.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Food & Water Systems
  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required
  • Sign-up Required

Speakers

  • James George
  • Joe Murphy
  • Joe Iles
  • Dorothy Mackenzie

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Regenerative Futures Lab: Imagining the Unimaginable

Tutorial

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. 

Pre-register to ensure access to your first choice of tutorial. Select “Already Registered?” here and enter your email address and confirmation number to log in. Then, click the “Modify” button to add a tutorial to your registration.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Food & Water Systems
  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required
  • Sign-up Required

Speakers

  • Dawn Danby
  • David McConville
  • Nicole Boyer
  • Adam Flynn

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Wednesday, October 17th, 2018
8:30am to 9:30am
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Composting at Scale

Breakout

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.

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems

Speakers

  • Nikki Silvestri
  • Michael Martinez
  • Stacy Hettmansperger
  • Matan Friedman

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9:45am to 10:45am
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Circular Water: Strategies for a Resource-Constrained World

Breakout

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. 

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems

Speakers

  • Emilio Tenuta
  • Jason Morrison
  • Libby Bernick
  • Michele Whyle

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The Blockchain-Food Nexus

Breakout

Does this emerging technology have real-world potential to transform the global food and agriculture system? This session will explore blockchain applications aimed at enriching soil health, encouraging regenerative agricultural practices and improving supply chain transparency and food safety from farm to fork.

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems
  • Logistics & Infrastructure

Speakers

  • Gregory Landua
  • Heather Clancy
  • Tejas Bhatt

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11:15am to 12:15pm
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Optimizing Water Infrastructure in the Built Environment

Breakout

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. 

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems
  • Logistics & Infrastructure

Speakers

  • Paul Kephart
  • Megan White
  • Brook Mebrahtu

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12:30pm to 1:15pm
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Guru Lunch: Reducing Food Waste Through Packaging

Lunch
In the U.S., we waste 63 million tons of food annually at a cost of $218 billion. Join ReFED to explore emerging packaging solutions designed to reduce food waste by prolonging product freshness and slowing spoilage of perishable foods. Collectively, these solutions have the potential to prevent 72,000 tons of food waste annually while creating $167 million in economic value, sparking significant interst from food manufacturers, retailers, entrepreneurs, and investors.
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.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Food & Water Systems

Speakers

  • Chris Cochran

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Guru Lunch: Stacking Benefits — Innovation in Solar and Agriculture

Lunch

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.

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems

Speakers

  • Rob Davis

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Guru Lunch: Creating More Sustainable Products with Bio-Based Feedstocks

Lunch

Join Anellotech’s Chief Science Officer Chuck Sorensen for a thought-provoking discussion about the challenges that renewable bio-based materials face to displace today’s petroleum-based plastics supply chain. To reduce product’s carbon footprints as much as possible, brand owners and technology innovators need to work together to develop creative approaches to change the paradigm and compete effectively against the massive scale of the petrochemical industry. Chuck brings an interesting perspective to the conversation, having spent a significant amount of time in his career developing process technologies for one of the world’s largest oil companies, then with one of the world’s most innovative materials companies developing material and product solutions. He now works for Anellotech, a sustainable technology company focused on commercializing innovative production of cost-competitive renewable chemicals and fuels from non-food biomass.    


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.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Food & Water Systems

Speakers

  • Dr. Charles Sorensen

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Thursday, October 18th, 2018
8:30am to 9:30am
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Cultivating and Scaling a Market for Regenerative Agriculture

Breakout

Regenerative agriculture — a system of farming principles that rebuilds natural ecosystems, draws down carbon dioxide emissions and provides long-term economic stability for farmers and ranchers — has the potential to sequester 23.2 gigatons of CO2 by 2050 and to harvest an estimated $1.9 trillion in operational savings. It's a question of disrupting the conventional practices that dominate the food and fiber industries. In this session, we'll hear about the investments regenerative ag pioneers are making to cultivate this promising approach. 

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems

Speakers

  • Erin Axelrod
  • Rebecca Burgess
  • Shauna Sadowski
  • Rebecca Hamilton

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1:30pm to 2:30pm
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Getting your Company to Zero Waste

Breakout

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. 

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems
  • Business Model Innovation

Speakers

  • Jason Wadsworth
  • David Rachelson
  • Lauren Phipps
  • Mary Curtiss

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3:00pm to 4:00pm
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Designing a Circular Food System

Breakout

How might we eliminate packaging from food delivery? How might we make the global impacts of food products clear and meaningful to people? How might we get excess fresh and healthy food to people who need it?


These are just a few of the challenges being addressed through the IDEO circular economy CoLab. Designed as a collaboration platform for solving complex global issues, CoLab invites major stakeholders across a given value system to come together and co-design new pathways forward. Through a series of intensive design and prototyping sprints; the circular economy CoLab takes a human lens on business opportunities aimed to have positive systemic impact. Please join IDEO, McDonald’s Corporation and Danone North America as they discuss what was tried, learned, designed… and where things are headed.

 

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems

Speakers

  • Lauren Yarmuth
  • Merijn Dols
  • Elaine Strunk

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