By KAREN CHEN, U.S. Green Building Council, Washington DC
The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will be delivered in an all-virtual format in 2020 and includes three virtual summits leading up to the three-day capstone event taking place Nov. 10–12.
Each summit will be a deep dive into specific topics, and on-demand content will be available to registrants after each live event. You can gain access to Greenbuild summits by purchasing a full conference pass or a pass for an individual summit.
Resilience Summit | Oct. 1
The green building movement is scaling up from buildings to communities to cities, and on Oct. 1, the Resilience Summit will convene attendees who are ready to meet community challenges and focus on resilient and equitable outcomes in our changing world.
Environmental, social and economic shocks and stressors have the biggest systemic impacts on the most vulnerable of communities, and severe weather events are more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. During this summit, speakers will discuss how communities and leaders are adapting to these issues.
Opening keynote: Municipalities plan for resilience
Hear from two leaders in resilience planning and strategy, from the state and local levels, to understand how they are proactively planning for equitable resilience while reacting to ongoing events and active threats. Kate Gordon, California’s Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, is an expert in the intersection of climate change, energy policy and economic development whose approach centers around bringing diverse groups together to work toward collaborative solutions for a more sustainable, inclusive economy. Gordon will be joined by the Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer of Orange County, Florida, Jeff Benavides, who will discuss his experiences with resilience at the local level. Jeff’s focus is on programs that address risks associated with climate change, while conserving resources and improving quality of life.
Breakout sessions: Dive deeper into resilience topics and case studies
- From Concept to Action: Climate Risk and Resilience Strategies | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
- Resilience: How to Have “The Talk” with Your Clients | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
- Resiliency at the Port of San Diego | 12:30 p.m –1:30 p.m.
- Gaming for Equity and Resilience: Raising the Living Standard | 12:30 p.m –1:30 p.m.
Afternoon salon: Equity and resilience in action
End the day by attending afternoon sessions that connect resilience to health, equitable development, and the application of new technologies and paradigms. Then, attend a rapid-fire session that brings speakers from USGBC’s Social Equity Summit into a lively session about creating resilient and equitable communities.
Closing remarks: Kimberly Lewis and Cornelius Griggs
The Resilience Summit’s closing remarks will be delivered by USGBC’s Senior Vice President for Market Transformation and Development, North America, Kimberly Lewis. She will be in conversation with distinguished guest Cornelius Griggs, President of GMA Construction Group. Griggs is a leader in the construction industry and an expert in supporting and empowering disadvantaged communities.
For all things Greenbuild Virtual, go to: https://www.greenbuildexpo.com/en/home.html