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VERGE 21 Program

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VERGE Mobility Program

VERGE Infrastructure Program

VERGE Food Program

VERGE Energy Program

ALL TIMES ARE IN PACIFIC TIME (PT). SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. REGISTER FOR AN ALL-ACCESS PASS TO ACCESS ALL SESSIONS AND THE SESSION RECORDINGS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER THE EVENT.

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See the Full VERGE 21 Program

VERGE Infrastructure

Monday, October 25th, 2021
10:30am to 11:15am
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Water Cycles and the Future of Food

Breakout

How do we balance the needs of humans, agriculture and energy production against one another in a world of growing water stress? Climate change is drastically shifting water cycles across the globe, with significant impacts on the future of agriculture. Food and ag companies are now tasked with adapting to these climatic changes as part of their business models. In this session, industry leaders will discuss the strategies, technologies and techniques they are using to adapt the food value chain to this new reality, including what else will be needed in the coming years.

Tracks

  • Water and Green Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Mike Zelkind
  • Gyan de Silva
  • Robyn O'Brien
  • David Grant

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Reimagining Equitable City Mobility

Breakout

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted public transportation patterns in 2020 in a way never seen before. It exacerbated and exposed the inequalities that already exist in urban centers across America. As cities begin to imagine and implement new modes of mobility, how can we ensure the evolution is equitable? This panel features three cities that are piloting innovative new programs to decrease emissions and increase equitable access to transportation. Leaders of mobility innovation in three major metropolitan areas will discuss a range of topics such as micro-mobility, alternative transportation infrastructure developments, and zero-emissions zones.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Andrea Pratt
  • Julia Thayne DeMordaunt
  • Alisyn Malek
  • Kelly Ferguson

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11:30am to 12:15pm
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Reaching 24/7 Clean Energy

Breakout

The next frontier of corporate clean energy goals will require matching the supply of carbon-free energy with the actual energy demands of a business. Join leaders working on this puzzle and hear how they plan to move this concept from theory to reality.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Bob Keefe
  • Chris Pennington
  • Avi Allison
  • Kanika Chawla
  • Devon Swezey

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Infrastructure and Environmental Justice

Breakout

The combined focus on infrastructure and social justice is bringing to light new challenges and opportunities, including what it means to “build back better.”
Facilities such as coal-fired power plants and incinerators emit mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic contaminants and climate pollution into the air, water and soil. Even highways can play a role in how cities can unwittingly separate races and classes. How do we change this dynamic? This conversation looks at how race and class play a role in siting, building and operating infrastructural projects.

Tracks

  • Energy Grid
  • Transportation
  • Materials Management
  • Water and Green Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Dr. Sanjiv K. Sinha
  • Gabrielle Brazzil
  • Jane English
  • Ambreen Afshan

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12:45pm to 1:30pm
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VERGE Accelerate: Water Infrastructure Pitch Session

Breakout

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building solutions for water infrastructure. Hear expert reactions to each pitch and then cast your vote to help determine the winner, who will get to pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 28.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Leigh Madeira
  • Temple Fennell
  • Joel Makower
  • Orianna Bretschger
  • David Lloyd
  • Seyi Fabode
  • Ian Doromal
  • Aaron Tartakovsky

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The Role of Private Investment in Sustainable Infrastructure

Breakout

How much private funding will it take to supplement the federal dollars needed to fully address aging infrastructure concerns?

Biden’s landmark infrastructure bill could provide billions of much-needed funding for projects, but it’s just a fraction of what’s needed. What role can private investments play in financing infrastructure that is sustainable and climate resilient? This session looks at emerging options to finance infrastructure replacement, repair and maintenance as well as new infrastructure

Tracks

  • Energy Grid
  • Transportation
  • Materials Management
  • Water and Green Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Shilpi Kumar
  • David Naftzger
  • Emily Chasan
  • Neal Rickner
  • Melanie Nakagawa

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1:45pm to 2:15pm
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Ask an Expert: Climate Lobbying with Victoria Mills

Ask An Expert

The U.S. is in a critical moment for the adoption of climate policy. Corporates should step into their power now to support policymakers.

Climate policy and regulation is an essential component of getting the U.S. on the path toward a net-zero future in line with the Paris Agreement. Corporate lobbying has an important role to play in blocking or enabling policy efforts but this opportunity too often gets left on the table. Now is the time for every company to make climate a top advocacy priority – on par with tax or trade or any other core business issue – and drive that advocacy from the C-suite. This Q&A will dive into the importance of climate lobbying and outline strategies to influence your company’s stance.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Jim Giles
  • Victoria Mills

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Tuesday, October 26th, 2021
10:30am to 11:15am
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How to Build a Resilient Grid for the 21st Century

Breakout

As climate chaos makes weather and energy demands less predictable, and the existing energy infrastructure less stable, what will it take to ensure power keeps flowing to communities and companies? How can the grid become more resilient as it becomes cleaner? Join experts to hear how digital technologies, policies and new infrastructure must work together to prepare us for an uncertain and volatile future.

Tracks

  • Energy Grid
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Gomathi Sadhasivan
  • Frank Koza
  • Nathan Bengtsson
  • Kristin Tremain Davis

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11:30am to 12:15pm
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Green Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions 101

Breakout

What if we could harness nature’s services to replace traditional concrete-and-steel infrastructure?
Humanity has historically accessed and managed water through the design and construction of “grey infrastructure” — dams, seawalls, pipes, water treatment plants and other structures to manage water. While grey infrastructure historically has revolutionized cities and the world, it has significant environmental and social costs, as well as financial ones. It is also vulnerable to the ravages of a changing climate. Green infrastructure, in contrast, harnesses natural systems such as forests, floodplains, wetlands and soils to provide the same protection in a way that is more sustainable and resilient with potentially lower costs and environmental impacts. This session presents alternatives and case studies of next-gen green infrastructure projects.

Tracks

  • Water and Green Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Val Fishman
  • Stuart Orr
  • Kari Vigerstol
  • Gregg Brill
  • Diego Rodriguez

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12:45pm to 1:30pm
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Using Data to Build Smarter Cities

Breakout

The UN predicts that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050. So, how do we make cities smarter, more sustainable and more resilient? A “smart city” is one that leverages technology to increase efficiencies and improve the quality of services for its residents. Several data-driven smart city initiatives have been launched globally, transforming the management of everything from street lights to waste collection. During this session, we’ll speak with leaders who have implemented such programs on a local level and discuss possibilities for their application to cities around the world.

Tracks

  • Transportation
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Evan Costagliola
  • Gunnar Edwin Crawford
  • Joel Alexander Mills
  • Trygve Meyer

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Extreme Weather Planning: Building for the Future

Breakout

How are companies planning for and mitigating climate risk in the built environment? In this session, experts will cover how to understand the impact climate chaos may have on your facilities and how to keep the lights on through the unpredictable.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Kelly Hereid
  • Michael Kilpatrick
  • Marta Schantz
  • Megan Saunders

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1:45pm to 2:30pm
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Ask an Expert: Circular Economy Technologies with Rubicon

Ask An Expert

What technologies will help drive the transition from a linear to circular economy? And what will it take to bring these new innovations, tools and business models to the companies, cities and communities that need them? In this session, participants will learn how circular economy technologies and innovations are shaping sustainable communities. Join Rubicon Chief Sustainability Officer David Rachelson for an interactive Ask an Expert session to find out how to turn businesses into more sustainable enterprises, and neighborhoods into greener and smarter places to live and work.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • David Rachelson
  • Lacey Reddix

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Wednesday, October 27th, 2021
10:30am to 11:15am
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The New Approach That Makes Hydropower Work for Everyone

Breakout

Hydropower has the potential to provide clean, baseload energy and electricity storage. But it’s also been a point of tension between energy producers and conservationists — until now. Come hear about an unlikely partnership that has aligned unlikely bedfellows to support rehabilitating, repowering and removing of dams across the country.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Dan Reicher
  • Gia Schneider
  • Malcolm Woolf
  • Tom Kiernan

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Localized and Off-Grid Water Solutions for the 21st Century

Breakout

How can innovative technologies help us meet the water demands of a growing population?
The U.S. Congress’ $35 billion Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act would allow communities with aging water lines to make long-needed upgrades. But this investment would also allow us to reimagine where our drinking water could be sourced. In this session, we explore new water trends such as atmospheric water generation, also known as zero-source water, and micro-desalination, that are helping to secure water access for future generations and allow for more remote communities to access water.

Tracks

  • Water and Green Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Newsha Ajami
  • Sally Gutierrez
  • Austin Alexander
  • Cody Friesen

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11:30am to 12:15pm
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Green Concrete, Steel, and Timber: Next-Gen Infrastructure Materials

Breakout

A net-zero, climate-resilient future means we must rethink the materials with which we build our infrastructure. Today, so-called green steel and concrete are coming out of the laboratory and into increasing use, lowering the carbon footprint of buildings, streets, and other facilities. And yet these materials can be expensive and hard to source, and local codes may even prohibit their use. What will it take to bring these materials to scale? What are the finance, technology and policy innovations that will enable them to replace their carbon-intensive incumbents?

Tracks

  • Materials Management
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Robert Niven
  • Katie Ross
  • Adam Rauwerdink
  • Wes Sullens

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Green Hydrogen: So Close, Yet So Far

Breakout

There is so much excitement surrounding the green hydrogen market and its potential to support the deep decarbonization of industry, transportation and electricity. But getting there is complex and many technical and economic challenges remain. Join experts to hear about the latest green hydrogen developments and opportunities.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Anja Benz
  • Janice Lin
  • Sara Gersen

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12:45pm to 1:15pm
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California's Clean Energy and Decarbonization Path Forward

Breakout

The climate challenges in California are a microcosm for the US and world. This conversation with the head of the California Air Resources Board will cover California's path forward, and how it will tackle its ambitious clean energy and decarbonization goals, while ensuring energy resilience and affordability.

Tracks

  • Energy Grid
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Liane Randolph
  • Sarah Golden

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1:45pm to 2:15pm
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Ask an Expert: Climate Anxiety & Action with Renée Lertzman

Ask An Expert

How do we navigate the emotional rollercoaster of leading on climate, when the stakes are so high and the challenges so immense?

Many of us on the front lines of climate change, from senior leaders to entry-level employees, confront an array of emotional ups and downs. From feeling hopeful and energized, to moments of overwhelm and frustration, we’ve all been there (sometimes all on the same day). How can we stay effective, grounded and sane? How can we avoid the pitfalls of “toxic positivity” or falling into despair?

Join renowned researcher, writer and speaker Renée Lertzman for an interactive Ask an Expert session to explore how successful leaders can balance anxiety and action during this decisive decade.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Renee Lertzman
  • Lauren Phipps

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Thursday, October 28th, 2021
10:30am to 11:15am
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Efficiency, Reuse and Digital Tools for Managed Water Demand

Breakout

A sustainable and resilient water infrastructure requires demand-side solutions alongside innovative supply-side technologies.
The megadroughts facing the American West and other parts of the world are driving dramatic reductions in water supplies for urban, industrial and agricultural uses. As a result, technologies to reduce demand are emerging as a viable strategy to do more with less water and to ensure access to drinking water and for commercial purposes. These demand-side solutions include traditional water conservation measures alongside innovative water reuse technologies such as solar desalination and the use of digital technologies to provide real time water quantity and quality data. Water security in a world of rapidly changing climate will be achieved only through integrating the supply- and demand-side management strategies of public policy and technology innovation.

Tracks

  • Water and Green Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Chris Spain
  • Emilio Tenuta
  • Kim Wu
  • Vetrivel Dhagumudi

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10:30am to 11:15pm
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Coming Soon: Hubs for Capturing, Storing and Using Carbon

Breakout

How will the new generation of carbon campuses impact your organization?

The carbon economy of the future may center on hubs where emissions from industry — think steel or cement production, for example — are captured and transformed into useful products, or stored safely underground. With the billions of dollars needed to create the first generation of these hubs soon starting to flow, experts from the public and private sectors will outline the business opportunities emerging from these new carbon campuses and explain how your company can get involved.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Volker Sick
  • Amishi Kumar
  • Kim Bruun

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11:30am to 12:15pm
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Reclaiming Streets for People

Breakout

Over the past 18 months, cities have responded to the COVID crisis by experimenting with a variety of measures and programs that repurpose streets, including expanding bike lanes and bike share programs, activating open streets, permitting outdoor dining and parklets, partnering with mobility providers, cutting waste, and beautifying public spaces. Now, many of those changes are becoming permanent as cities find that their popularity (coupled with federal stimulus money) has created a once-in-a-century opportunity to rethink streets, transit, mobility and city life in general. This session will feature programs that have been successful in reducing car use and increasing pedestrian use.

Tracks

  • Transportation
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Warren Logan
  • James Decker
  • Radcliffe Dacanay

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Microgrids for Resilience

Breakout

With extreme weather like the polar vortex and the heat dome stretching electrical grids to their breaking points, companies and communities are turning to microgrids to increase reliability of their power supply. Hear from companies that are prioritizing distributed energy resources and microgrids to keep energy flowing when the grid isn’t.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Nirupama Prakash Kumar
  • Tim Hade
  • HG Chissell
  • Mark Feasel

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12:45pm to 1:30pm
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Building the Equitable EV Workforce of Tomorrow

Breakout

Many people are worried about autonomous vehicles displacing taxi drivers and gig economy workers alike, as we race towards automation. However, the massive increase in the production of electric cars presents an enormous opportunity for new jobs — ones providing expanded benefits and transferable skills. How are successful public-private partnerships figuring out a new model of work, and what does that look like? This session will explore different pathways to a new type of workforce environment — where people don't just service and maintain EVs, but also get skilled up for the operational jobs of tomorrow.

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Daniel Ferguson
  • Evette Ellis
  • JoAnne Golden

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Circular Economy in the Built Environment

Breakout

The circular economy is an elegant alternative to prevailing siloed, short-sighted and waste-ridden practices across the built environment. It’s about more than zero-waste programs and diverting construction and demolition waste from landfills. Circularity offers a compelling opportunity to rethink the ecosystem and value chain around the design, construction, operation, renewal and repurposing of buildings. It takes a longer-term view of the lifecycle of a building, considering the past, present and future use of materials and components within the wider economic ecosystem. Accordingly, a circular built environment reimagines use periods, ownership models and supply chain interactions. However, this new framework is still in its early days, and will require broad engagement and buy-in from all stakeholders: designers, architects and contractors to investors, tenants and local governments.

Join this panel discussion for an introduction to the circular economy in the built environment, and gain actionable insights about what it will take to bring theory into practice. Learn from leading industry experts about real-world examples of a circular built environment — from sourcing reclaimed materials to implementing adaptive reuse projects to designing buildings as material banks — and how these strategies can help address climate change and achieve your company or city’s net zero ambitions. Attendees will also learn about resources and tools to help you unlock new opportunities and apply these principles wherever you sit in the building industry.

Tracks

  • Materials Management
  • Water and Green Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Lauren Phipps
  • Eden Brukman
  • Frances Yang

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1:45pm to 2:15pm
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Ask an Expert: Hydrogen and Environmental Justice with Bloom

Ask An Expert

Industry experts unpack the links between green hydrogen and social and environmental equity.

Green hydrogen looks likely to play a critical role in the decarbonization of transport and heavy industry. As the technology begins to scale, how can the public and private sectors work together to ensure that green hydrogen supports social as well as environmental goals?

  • All-Access Pass Required

Speakers

  • Carlos Garcia
  • Benjamin Gallagher
  • Deonna Anderson

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