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Buildings

Tuesday, October 25th, 2022

3:30pm to 4:30pm

Why and How to Lead on Climate Policy Advocacy

Case Study

211A-B

Many companies have climate goals, but far fewer advocate for the policies necessary to achieve them. This disconnect is dangerous, because the net-zero targets that are increasingly being set in the private sector can’t be met without supportive public policies. What’s more, companies face growing pressure from investors, employees and customers to put their lobbying muscle behind their public commitments on climate.

Join us to explore what’s driving corporate engagement in climate policy and what leadership looks like today. Our experts will discuss why climate policy advocacy is a strategic business imperative, how companies can engage effectively and what climate policies are top priorities in the coming year. You’ll come away with a framework for action, real-world examples and insight into how you can elevate climate as an advocacy priority within your company.

Today's Tech that's Catalyzing Tomorrow's Buildings

Panel

210 D

What should the next-gen building environment look, feel, and sound like? What are the biggest barriers preventing us from getting there? Today’s existing technology can drastically reduce the climate impact of buildings, improve occupant health and well-being, and better prepare for an unpredictable climate. However, the benefits of sustainable buildings have been inequitably distributed and are not being adopted quickly enough. Learn about the innovations that will define tomorrow’s buildings and retrofits, and what it will take to accelerate the scale, scope and speed of change.

Training the Facilities Workforce of the Future

Panel

210 C

Facilities management (FM), a $1.2 trillion global industry, is undergoing a drastic demographic shift, as over 50 percent of facilities managers will retire within the next decade. How will building owners and operators attract a new generation of facilities managers to occupy the vacant positions? Furthermore, how will incoming staff balance the diverging needs of modern and legacy technology systems in their building portfolios?

The built environment is changing rapidly due to tenants' sustainability, public health and occupancy demands. Fortunately, public, private and nonprofit innovators are rising to this challenge by experimenting with new models to attract and train FM talent for the demands of buildings of the future.

Join us to explore challenges and opportunities in attracting and training FM staff to take buildings into the next decade of sustainable operations and how organizations can get ahead of their attrition struggles.

Wednesday, October 26th, 2022

9:00am to 10:00am

Anatomy of a Healthy Building: Trends to Follow

Panel

210 C

What makes a building healthy, and how do we measure its benefits? Americans spend over 90 percent of their time indoors on average, and as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, the built environment has major effects on our physical and mental health. Moreover, healthy buildings can provide major financial benefits to owners.

Attendees will discuss the importance of Indoor Air Quality for the well-being and productivity of building occupants, and how this can be continuously monitored and improved to help deliver a healthier environment. Explore how simple design tweaks can drastically improve the health and performance of building occupants.

Building Adobe’s Next-Gen Corporate Campus

Case Study

210 D

Corporate campuses are leading the charge in sustainable, healthy buildings. However, as more companies are shifting to hybrid work, they face the added challenges of enticing employees to return to the office, fostering new ways of working, and achieving carbon and waste-free growth across its operations through energy efficiency and renewable energy.

In this session, Adobe will share its journey in building its North Tower headquarters – Silicon Valley’s first all-electric building of its scale powered by 100% renewable energy (scheduled to open in early 2023 in downtown San Jose).

Speakers will discuss design and workplace experience considerations, how the team navigated decisions, and how this initiative fits into Adobe's operational sustainability goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the negative impacts of climate change.

Attendees will learn best practices from this groundbreaking project on how to design and build more sustainable, innovative and healthy workspaces for employees, while reducing operational costs and increasing productivity through sustainability initiatives.

12:15pm to 1:15pm

Roundtable Lunches

Roundtable Lunch

Hall 2, San Jose Convention Center

Roundtable Lunches are interactive lunch discussions, moderated 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. All roundtable lunches are first-come, first-served. Below are the roundtable lunches being held at this time.

What’s Your Organization’s Superpower, and How Are You Using It for the Planet? - Table Host: Patrick Flynn, Salesforce

Stepping Stones Towards Sustainable Business Strategies - Table Host: Mohammad Hoda, Honeywell PMT

Solving for Net Zero: Climate Tech Innovation - Table Host: Rick Azer, Black & Veatch

Scaling Climate Tech Adoption by Corporations - Table Host: Emily Menz, Nasdaq

The Importance of Technology in Driving 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy - Table Host: Devrim Celal, Kraken

The Intersection of Renewables, Grid Modernization and Environmental Justice - Table Host: Ross Dillon, WSP

Water Is the New Carbon, What Are You Doing About It? - Table Host: Andy Bastien, FigBytes

Will Capitalism Kill Us, Save Us, or Both? - Table Host: Molly Wood, Launch

How Climate Tech and Corporate Sustainability Can Leverage a New Era of Emissions Intelligence - Table Host: Gavin McCormick, WattTime

The Critical Importance of Envisioning Alternate Climate Futures - Table Hosts: Jared Krause and Brendan Kiernan, Alternate Futures

The Role of Art and Tech in Ecological Regeneration and Cultural Transformation - Table Host: Angeline Chen, Global Coralition

Strategies and Pathways to Center Frontline Voices for a Just Transition - Table Host: Charisma Acey, UC Berkeley

Return to Office: A Golden Opportunity to Enhance Performance - Table Host: Joe Fullerton, Prospect Silicon Valley

Urban Resilience: How Chief Resilience Officers are Using Technology to Build Community Resilience - Table Host: Laurian Farrell, Resilient Cities Network

How Web 3.0 Will Impact Supply Chains - Table Host: Dail St. Claire, Amalgamated Bank

De-risking Long-term Investments in Nature - Table Host: Josh Parrish, Pachama

What’s Agricultural Resiliency, and How Does it Advance Your Climate Goals? - Table Hosts: Philippa Lockwood and Carolina Leonhardt, Clif Bar & Company

How Advanced Indoor Farming Can Spur Climate Adaptation - Table Host: Rebekah Moses, Iron Ox

Bridging the Gap between Talent and Hiring Companies - Table Host: Remy Lannelongue, Terra.do

How to Create Economic Opportunities for Frontline Communities - Table Host: Anthony Oni, Energy Impact Partners

Embodying DEI (as a White Male Founder) - Table Host: Andy Ruben, Trove

What Does Sustainability Look Like for Autonomous Vehicles? - Table Host: Tracy Cheung, Cruise

Fleet Electrification: The Vehicle Is Just the Start of the Journey - Table Host: Josh Green, Inspiration Mobility

EV Charging: How Do We Provide Reliable and High-quality Charging Experiences? - Table Host: Asaf Nagler, ABB

The Evolving World of Product-Level Supply Chain Emissions - Table Host: Dexter Galvin, CDP

How to Catalyze Your Climate Influence on Social Platforms - Table Host: Andrea Learned, LearnedOn

Speakers

Patrick Flynn
Mohammad Hoda
Rick Azer
Emily Menz
Devrim Celal
Ross Dillon
Andy Bastien
Molly Wood
Gavin McCormick
Jared Krause
Brendan Kiernan
Angeline Chen
Charisma Acey
Joe Fullerton
Laurian Farrell
Dail St. Claire
Josh Parrish
Philippa Lockwood
Carolina Leonhardt
Rebekah Moses
Remy Lannelongue
Anthony Oni
Andy Ruben
Tracy Cheung
Josh Green
Asaf Nagler
Dexter Galvin
Andrea Learned

1:30pm to 2:15pm

Future Forward Film Premiere: The Future of Buildings

Panel

The Climate Pledge Stage

The cement industry is responsible for seven percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and demand for concrete is constant. Yet one company has a blueprint for a future buildings sector that produces far less carbon. The second documentary premiere on The Climate Pledge Stage tells the story of the vision behind CarbonCure, a fast-growing startup with a solution to the world’s cement emissions. Following the screening, CarbonCure’s CEO will discuss his company’s progress and take your questions. For more on Future Forward, watch the series trailer.

1:30pm to 2:30pm

Pathways to Net-Zero Carbon Commercial Buildings

Panel

210D

Decarbonizing your portfolio can be a daunting prospect, especially when accounting for both embodied and operational carbon. This session will help practitioners understand the various playbooks and planning tools available to help turn their decarbonization goals into reality across their portfolios. Referencing real-world examples, we will explore the critical elements to incorporate into your decarbonization planning process to get buy-in from the boardroom and the boiler room to ensure goals translate to measurable outcomes.

Green Leasing: Aligning Landlords and Tenants in Decarbonization

Panel

210C

Sustainability has become a corporate priority and commercial renters are looking to real estate service providers to help them reach their climate goals. Green leases can help landlords and tenants navigate the challenge of split incentives for decarbonization efforts. How do we convert growing interest in green leases into tangible action among both landlords and tenants?

This session will help attendees understand how to capture, quantify and communicate return on sustainability and the value tenants are sacrificing by opting for the “brown discount.”

2:45pm to 3:45pm

The Promise of Advanced Building Controls

Panel

210C

The capabilities of building control systems are advancing rapidly. Systems integration, fault detection, diagnostics and the proliferation of IoT devices are empowering buildings to become more efficient, healthy and comfortable. How can your organization leverage the suite of control technologies and services available to reach its sustainability goals?

Learn from top experts who will share real-world examples about smart devices that are saving building operators time, money and emissions.

The Future of Advanced Construction: Lightning Rounds

Lightning Talks

210D

Building construction has historically been a slow and dirty process. What innovations will allow us to leapfrog the entrenched processes and technologies we currently use to construct buildings? Speakers in this session will showcase promising new construction materials and processes that offer novel ways to reduce waste, embodied carbon emissions and construction timelines.

Attendees will leave with an understanding of the applications, strengths and weaknesses of different building materials. Practitioners will leave better equipped to see around corners when communicating the value of these materials to decision-makers in their organizations.

VERGE Accelerate: Buildings Pitch Competition

Panel

210H

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building cutting-edge solutions for buildings, followed by industry expert reactions to each pitch. Help determine the winner by casting your vote live at the event! The winner will pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 27.

4:15pm to 5:15pm

The Magic of Digital Twins

Panel

210D

The ability to create a multidimensional digital model of a building and its components is revolutionizing how buildings are operated, breathing life into analog design. Along the way, these models are unlocking new levels of operational efficiency, including energy use and occupant well-being, making buildings more adaptive, resilient and comfortable. While the benefits of digital twins are undeniable, they are uncommon in the built environment.

This session will explore the how and why of digital twins, opportunities to apply them in the context of your own buildings.

Speakers will showcase demos of real-world digital twins, and share the story of how they came to fruition and what impacts they are currently having.

Why Sustainable Ports Hold the Key to Decarbonizing Maritime

Case Study

212 A-B

Shipping ports must decarbonize for maritime shipping to decarbonize. What’s happening across the space and who’s leading the charge?

Autonomous electric vehicles, all-electric mobile harbor cranes, LEED buildings and renewable energy-powered facilities are just some of the new technologies and solutions ports and terminals are deploying to help decarbonize the shipping industry and reach net zero emissions. However, the journey ahead is just beginning for some. The Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Terminal was named the best green seaport worldwide in 2018 and has since been innovating on the road to net zero. In 2021, Long Beach Terminal completed its new terminal, one of the most technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable cargo facilities in the world, capable of handling 3.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units annually. Join this session to learn more about decarbonizing shipping ports, the innovative solutions Long Beach Terminal has deployed and the policy support needed to fully decarbonize ports and terminals.

Climate Resilient Buildings Through Regenerative Design

Panel

210C

What if instead of designing buildings to minimize negative impacts in a changing climate, we leveraged them to actually improve the communities and environments they inhabit? This is the ethos and promise of regenerative design. While a growing number of buildings are being designed using these principles, trade-offs between resilience, efficiency and sustainability arise when employing regenerative design techniques.

In this session, regenerative building practitioners will unpack and describe how they navigate these tensions and reframe problems as opportunities. Those working directly on regenerative design projects will explore several real-world projects. They will unpack the benefits, challenges and possibilities of regenerative building design and construction using real-life examples.

Learn how this approach to design can reduce utility costs, improve tenant satisfaction and reduce downtime during extreme weather events.

Thursday, October 27th, 2022

9:00am to 10:00am

How Policy is Shaping the Built Environment

Panel

210D

Ambitious policies at all levels of government are crucial levers in catalyzing change in the built environment. However, each jurisdiction faces unique regulatory, climate, technical and workforce challenges. What’s more, ensuring a just and equitable transition to decarbonized, healthy buildings requires frequent and deep collaboration between utilities, nonprofits, government agencies and the private sector.

The Inflation Reduction Act could drive retrofits, upgrades and clean technology installations on top of the projects being driven by policies at the local and state levels in hundreds of millions of square feet of commercial real estate. However, deriving the full intended benefits of these incentives will require careful alignment and coordination.

Attendees will leave this cross-sector panel with a better understanding of how to navigate this exciting new policy environment.

Cooling in a Warming World: The State of Refrigerants

Panel

210C

As the world heats up, cooling isn’t a luxury — it’s a needed form of climate adaptation. Moreover, as we decarbonize and electrify heat, the primary technology solution is heat pumps which are scaling rapidly and globally. More cooling, and more heat pumps, mean more refrigerants in use. The irony is that these heating/cooling technologies are, in turn, driving climate change, with global AC stock expected to triple by 2050. To meet this demand we will need to rethink the refrigerants, appliances, and design norms to meet our climate and comfort demands. Suffering from undeserved neglect, refrigerants are shifting from obscurity to significance, as a GHG emission.

This session will look at the growing challenge of cooling, heat pumps and refrigerants, the innovators crafting the future, and how our buildings can adapt without cooking the planet.

Roundtable Lunches

Roundtable Lunch

Hall 2, San Jose Convention Center

Accelerating to Net Zero: The Innovation Imperative for Business - Table Host: Elizabeth Sturcken, Environmental Defense Fund

Achieving Scope 3 Decarbonization Through Sustainable Sourcing - Table Host: Brandon Owens, Insight Energy

When Is the Best Time to Secure a PPA? - Table Host: Michael Prince, LevelTen Energy

Financing Climate Justice: How Can We Invest in Dignified Lives Everywhere? - Table Hosts: Ajaita Shah, Frontier Markets and Danny Kennedy, New Energy Nexus

Sustainable You: Thriving on the Other Side of Burnout - Table Host: Chris Gaither, Chris Gaither Consulting

How to Humanize Your Brand: Making Climate Tech Accessible for All - Table Host: Carrie Maultsby-Lute, Center for Transformative Action at Mills College, Presidio Graduate School

Integrating Your Facilities Systems: Searching for the Mythical Single Pane of Glass - Table Host: James Dice, Nexus Labs

Green Leasing and Beyond: Working With your Landlords and Tenants Toward Win-Win Solutions - Table Host: Cliff Majersik, Institute for Market Transformation

How to Identify High-Integrity Tropical Forest Credits: Joint Guidance from Leading NGOs - Table Host: Mark Moroge, Environmental Defense Fund

The State of Play in Climate Tech VC: Trends in Funding and Innovation - Table Host: Sophie Purdom, Climate Tech VC

Must We Wait for Industry to Change, or Can Product Labeling Enable Consumers to Lead on Climate? - Table Host: Nathan Sedlander, Evergrade

An Overlooked Ingredient: Sowing Biodiversity Into Food Value Chains - Table Host: Rebecca Chesney, IDEO Food Design

Investing in Regional Food Systems as a Cornerstone of Regenerative Agriculture - Table Host: Adrian Rodrigues, Provenance Capital Group

Climate on the Chain: The Intersection of Crypto and Climate - Table Host: Andrew Beebe, Obvious Ventures

Data and Trends in Climate Tech- Table Host: Mick Liubinskas, Climate Salad

Building Climate Tech Solutions with Community Stakeholders - Table Host: Julia Kumari Drapkin, ISeeChange

Scope 3, Supply Change and Net Zero by 2030: Discussing Marine Terminals, Ships, Trucks and Trains - Table Host: Bonnie Nixon, Long Beach Container Terminal

Prioritizing Vehicle-to-Grid Applications: Where to Start? - Table Host: Katherine Stainken, Electrification Coalition

Sustainability in Commercial Outer Space: Launching a New Future - Table Host: Paul Holdredge, BSR

Charge Up your Sustainability Strategy Through Outsourced Energy Management - Table Host: Al Subbloie, Budderfly

The Challenges & Opportunities Ahead for Next-Gen Batteries - Table Host: Asim Hussain, QuantumScape

Your EV Fleet: The Role of Strategic Partnerships in Creating Access to Reliable EV Charging - Table Hosts: Simon Lonsdale, Head of Sales and Strategy, Co-founder, & Heena Mariyam, Senior Customer Success Manager, bp pulse fleets

USDA’s Approach to Catalyzing Climate Smart Agriculture: What’s Next? - Table Host: Anna Madalinska, USDA

Clean Technologies: Understanding Corporate Demand, Private Investment & Public Support - Table Host: Misti Groves

Speakers

Elizabeth Sturcken
Brandon Owens
Michael Prince
Ajaita Shah
Danny Kennedy
Chris Gaither
Carrie Maultsby-Lute
James Dice
Cliff Majersik
Mark Moroge
Sophie Purdom
Nathan Sedlander
Rebecca Chesney
Adrian Rodrigues
Andrew Beebe
Mick Liubinskas
Julia Kumari Drapkin
Bonnie Nixon
Katherine Stainken
Paul Holdredge
Al Subbloie
Asim Hussain
Simon Lonsdale
Heena Mariyam
Anna Madalinska
Misti Groves

1:30pm to 2:30pm

Reports to Results: ESG for Commercial Real Estate

Panel

210C

Driven by regulatory and stakeholder pressures, the commercial real estate sector is increasingly devoting resources to ESG reporting. Unfortunately, making sense of the jargon, myriad reporting frameworks, and hype surrounding the topic can make it challenging for practitioners to understand how to make sense of ESG and go beyond “checking the box.”

This session will help real estate professionals manage all of the steps of ESG reporting including collection, managing implementation, and reporting of data. Gain a deeper understanding of each component of “ESG,” as well as how regulations are impacting the real estate investment market. Attendees will gain a better understanding of how their current sustainability efforts fit into ESG reporting and where they may need to turn their attention next.

Develop the Global Strategies Needed to Avert the Climate Crisis — in One Hour

Workshop

211C-D

Discover the trade-offs and synergies within different sets of climate strategies.

Global leaders have a multitude of levers they can pull to rein in climate change. But which combinations, from energy efficiency and carbon pricing to reduced deforestation and carbon dioxide removal, will keep global temperatures well below 2°C?

In this interactive workshop, the audience will work together to evaluate different approaches using the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator. Co-developed by MIT, the simulator is based on the best available science and has been calibrated against a wide range of existing integrated assessment, climate and energy models. The aim is to create a scenario that limits global warming to well below 2°C and aims for 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the international goals formally recognized in the Paris climate agreement.

Buildings as a Grid Resource: Unlocking the Value of DER’s

Workshop

210D

As more of us install distributed energy assets, how might connecting them to each other and the grid unlock carbon, resilience, equity, and financial benefits impossible otherwise? Sharing live international examples, this session dives into practical solutions and explores technological innovations such as blockchain that enable them. Understand why the transition to the clean-energy future requires building owners and operators to evolve from a passive, one-way mindset to a multi-directional and active mindset, in how their buildings interact with the grid.

3:00pm to 4:00pm

Look Inside: Quantifying the Impacts of Your Building Materials

Panel

210C

New technology has unlocked the ability for companies to track and monitor the contents and impacts of building products on an increasingly granular scale. With this has come increased awareness of their environmental and health impacts.

Life cycle assessments (LCAs), Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and chemical inventory programs provide us with new insights into the impacts individual products and materials have on humans and the environment. Unfortunately, accurately quantifying and comparing these impacts is a formidable challenge. In this session, you will learn the differences between these tools. Attendees will also have an understanding of how professionals throughout the buildings value chain are using them, how they are transforming to fit our needs, and how innovators are telling richer stories about the materials that comprise the built environment.

What the New SEC Disclosure Rules Mean for Your Company

Panel

211C-D

The Securities and Exchange Commission is about to mandate disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions. Are you ready?

Experts agree that the SEC’s plan is a critical component of climate strategy, but the consensus is less clear on exactly how the process should work. Which companies have to disclose, for example? Should all categories of Scope 3 emissions be included, from the production of raw materials right through to product use? And who, if anybody, should audit these disclosures?

As the SEC consultation moves toward a conclusion, experts who have been tracking the process will share their thinking on the likely shape of the final rule and the implications for your company.

Revisiting the Retrofit: Fresh Approaches to a Classic Measure

Panel

210D

In 2040, two-thirds of buildings will be ones that are in operation today. So how can we overcome the inconveniences and headaches associated with energy retrofits to ensure our building stock is operating more efficiently in 2040 than it is now?

Retrofitting buildings has historically been expensive and time-consuming — a process with a reputation for being fraught with headaches, hiccups and red tape. However, energy efficiency technology bundles are being employed in existing buildings to fit retrofit projects into regularly scheduled real estate life cycle events, saving time and capital.

In this deep dive on retrofits, attendees will explore the most common adaptive reuse events in commercial real estate events and hear about real-world case studies of their implementation. Attendees will leave with a new perspective on retrofit projects and will have a well-developed sense of the optimal time to propose and implement an energy retrofit.

(CANCELED) Moby: From Rock Star to Change Maker. An Interview with Elysabeth Alfano

Interview

210B

How can collaborations with artists help bridge the gap between climate tech and consumers?

Moby is known around the globe for his down-tempo, ambient music. He has famously created soundtracks for huge blockbuster movies and shows such as the Bourne Legacy, the Simpsons and Stranger Things, and prolifically produced his indistinguishable sound. But music isn’t his life’s work. In an interview with investor Elysabeth Alfano, Moby will discuss how he uses his musical success as a starting point for education, impacting the climate crisis and animal welfare. Join this conversation to understand how your company can build alliances with unusual change-makers such as musicians and other artists, bringing new audiences to the climate community.

Program

Buildings Program

Carbon Program

Energy Program

Food Program

Transport Program

Startup Program

Buildings

Sponsored: How Google Is Bringing Biodiversity to Its Campuses

Why and How to Lead on Climate Policy Advocacy

Today's Tech that's Catalyzing Tomorrow's Buildings

Training the Facilities Workforce of the Future

Anatomy of a Healthy Building: Trends to Follow

Building Adobe’s Next-Gen Corporate Campus

Roundtable Lunches

Future Forward Film Premiere: The Future of Buildings

Pathways to Net-Zero Carbon Commercial Buildings

Green Leasing: Aligning Landlords and Tenants in Decarbonization

The Promise of Advanced Building Controls

The Future of Advanced Construction: Lightning Rounds

VERGE Accelerate: Buildings Pitch Competition

The Magic of Digital Twins

Why Sustainable Ports Hold the Key to Decarbonizing Maritime

Climate Resilient Buildings Through Regenerative Design

How Policy is Shaping the Built Environment

Cooling in a Warming World: The State of Refrigerants

Sponsored: Tapping the Power of Tech to Build Equitable Climate Resilience

Roundtable Lunches

Reports to Results: ESG for Commercial Real Estate

Develop the Global Strategies Needed to Avert the Climate Crisis — in One Hour

Buildings as a Grid Resource: Unlocking the Value of DER’s

Look Inside: Quantifying the Impacts of Your Building Materials

What the New SEC Disclosure Rules Mean for Your Company

Revisiting the Retrofit: Fresh Approaches to a Classic Measure

(CANCELED) Moby: From Rock Star to Change Maker. An Interview with Elysabeth Alfano