Events

As the global climate crisis continues to worsen, the number of people displaced due to climate change is rapidly increasing. “The Future of Climate Refugees” webinar will aim to address the issue of climate refugees and discuss the future challenges and opportunities for NGOs and governments in providing support to those who are most vulnerable.

The webinar also aims to foster a meaningful exchange of knowledge on how non-governmental organizations promote climate refugee-related projects. NGOs have a critical role in leading humanitarian and climate challenges, and we want your organization’s perspective and participation highlighted in the discussion session. The webinar is structured in two parts: a panel of the guest speakers from various NGOs and their organizations followed by a Q&A and collaborative discussion with attendees.

Speakers:

Angela Eifert

After 10 years of working in the financial services industry, Angela reinvented herself and found her true north of mission-driven work serving international communities. At the start of her journey, it was Rotary International that opened her mind and heart to possibilities beyond her imagination. After finding her place at Alight (Formerly American Refugee Committee), Angela has been building relationships with Alight’s donor communities for over 10 years to raise critical funds for the organization’s short and long-term response efforts for the displaced across the globe. Her belief in people and the unique gifts of every person to change the life of one that ripples to the lives of many, keeps her motivated to connect more and more people across the globe. Similarly, her philosophy of human connection stems from the earth’s natural balance. In a world where more and more people are becoming displaced each year due to climate change, Angela speaks about the harsh realities of climate migration and how Alight is responding. Alight’s mission is to unleash abundance in the face of scarcity across refugee communities around the world.

Gail Woon

Gail hails from Grand Bahama Island. She is a Climate Reality Leader with Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. She has survived being made homeless three times by climate changed hurricanes. She lived through the most intense and strongest climate changed hurricane ever to hit the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Dorian in 2019. She is currently working on a Mangrove Restoration Project to plant 30,000 mangrove seedlings in Dover Sound to restore a mangrove forest that was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian. In her off time, she founded an environmental NGO dedicated to Environmental Education called EARTHCARE in 1988. The organization is active in many aspects of environmental issues affecting the nation and was instrumental in effecting a ban on longline fishing in 1993. She has appeared on our local and international TV and radio channels speaking on environmental and fisheries issues regularly.

Zero waste and true circularity are important efforts on higher education campuses that college students care more and more about. However, very few campuses are meeting the mark, and research plays an important role in comparing progress between institutions across the world. Learn from two leading experts about what these two concepts look like in practice, and what their research has found in these areas.

Ashpreet Kaur will present on: “Toward a better understanding of Zero-Waste program success on campus“

Ashpreet Kaur is a final year Ph.D. student at University of Florida. She did her Master’s in Environmental Science from India in 2018 and came to the US to learn about better waste management. She has been researching in the field of ZW for the past 5 years and has worked on various projects in the same realm. She is a certified Zero Waste Expert and waste management expert. She will be talking about her research on ZW programs in higher education institutions.

Kelsie Imus will present on: “Circular Business Models: Research, Stakeholders, and Action“

In this presentation, students will learn about the basics of university research, circular business models, and how circularity can be driven at a university level through identifying stakeholders. More in depth we will explore:
1) The value and practical steps to begin University-driven research
2) An overview of the sliding scale of circularity, six different circular business models, and an example of a successful circular organization
3) An overview of my research findings thus far and different levers of change based on organizational types
4) How to drive circularity at a University level through identifying stakeholders and resources to get started

Kelsie Imus is a young professional born in Michigan, currently working remotely full-time as a Circular Business Model Research Assistant at the University of Michigan (U-M). She graduated in August 2022 from U-M with a Bachelors in Organizational Theory and Environmental Studies with minors in Business and Spanish. During college, she was involved with creating a professional sustainability fraternity, business & DEI research, supporting social impact entrepreneurial projects, playing ultimate frisbee, and learning how to navigate on a scooter when she broke her ankle (which has since healed). She has many interests in agriculture, circularity, sustainable supply chains, and exploring how to create more local economies.

Too often, both corporate leaders and young professionals believe sustainability can only be carried out by those higher in the organization with official sustainability titles. This couldn’t be further from the truth and we have proof from more than 100 college students in one elective course who started green teams in their workplaces and implemented a wide range of sustainability initiatives, including convincing decision makers to invest in new equipment. These young leaders were able to spread awareness and drive positive culture change among their work peers. In this webinar, you’ll hear about the course approach and examples of the students’ career-changing experiences. 

Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton is Founder and Chief Change Maker of Astrapto LLC, which she founded in 2016 to offer strategic insights and practical pathways to sustainability. Her passion is making sustainability approachable and she is driven by a belief that all desire dignity in their work. Dr. Benton adamantly insists her clients include all levels and all departments of an organization in sustainability programs so that the most robust outcomes and lasting change are possible. She has developed expertise in and spoken on topics ranging from supplier diversity and sustainable procurement to food and materials waste reduction. Dr. Benton has led three World Wildlife Fund food waste initiatives, most recently as the hospitality subject matter expert for the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment sector pilots. She has also been a thought leader in industry initiatives such as the Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Sustainable Events Standards and she was the curriculum designer for the EIC Sustainable Event Professional Certificate course. She is a sought after speaker on sustainability at industry events including annual conferences and regional chapters for IMEX, PCMA, NACE, MPI, SITE, and GBTA. 

Astrapto means to illuminate and our mission is to shed light on social and environmental issues in hospitality, travel, and events. Astrapto also works with other industries such as healthcare and technology to drive positive impact. Astrapto’s methodology is to help organizations gain traction in social and environmental initiatives through its PEACE Framework. Astrapto makes sustainability Practical, Economical, Approachable, Celebrated and Enjoyable. Through this methodology, Astrapto has helped more than 130 young professionals launch green teams in their place of work, trained more than 400 professionals globally on sustainable procurement, and led organizational transformations in the fight against food waste. In addition to its focus on training and development, Astrapto provides services such as assessing sustainability practices, creating sustainability strategies and plans, generating ESG reports, conducting emissions inventories and waste audits, and building business cases for social and environmental impact projects. Astrapto’s clients include World Wildlife Fund, Sodexo Live, Direct Travel, Hard Rock International, The Baltimore Convention Center, Accor, Hilton, and other tourism and hospitality companies. 

Learn to critique climate goals and get comfortable with the language around them in this online presentation from Amanda Smith, PhD, Project Drawdown’s Senior Scientist for the Built Environment. She will start by clarifying the big picture: how we can support life on Earth by implementing climate solutions quickly, efficiently, and equitably. Clear and actionable climate goals help campuses figure out how to play their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and they shape decisions related to the prioritization and implementation of climate solutions. You will learn the lingo that’s used to talk about climate solutions — decarbonization, net zero, and electrification — and understand how these terms relate to each other and to the big picture goal. You’ll see what a well-defined campus climate plan or net zero target should look like, and you’ll get a step-by-step procedure for evaluating each element that should be included. Then we’ll have a short breakout session where you will look at a climate plan published by your campus using this procedure. Finally, we’ll all come together to share our discoveries and critiques, and wrap up with discussion and Q&A.

Upstream aims to reduce waste before it’s even produced (i.e., upstream of the consumer cycle) so that consumers are only left with the right choice being the easy choice. Upstream’s vision is for 30% of consumable goods to be sold in reusable formats in the U.S. and Canada by 2030. Upstream sees their role as: conveners, facilitators, bridge builders; content creators & knowledge curators; solutions ideators & catalysts.

The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) supports students in reimagining systems beyond the Linear Consumption Economy. We equip students with the resources and tools necessary to holistically understand the Global Waste Crisis and lead solutions on their campuses. Collectively, we can build a world beyond waste.

Macy Zander (Reuse Communities Policy and Engagement Officer at Upstream) has worked on expanding green opportunities for over ten years. Her passion lies in engaging the public with issues such as zero waste, reuse, and circular economy. Macy’s talk is titled “Making Throw Away Go-Away: Prioritizing Reuse as a Solution.”

Alex Freid (Director of Atlas Zero Waste at PLAN) is determined that zero waste is possible, and loves working with students and staff on college campuses to envision what it will take to get them there. He has been involved in zero waste programs since 2010, when he and his friends started the UNH Trash 2 Treasure program. At PLAN, Alex enjoys training and inspiring students to use systems thinking and anti-oppressive facilitation strategies to move their campuses beyond the roadblocks that prevent them from achieving zero waste.

Ramiro Murguia (Director of Events at PLAN) studied Marketing and Environmental Studies at the University of South Carolina, where he led an on campus organic permaculture farm. He takes the concepts of permaculture not only as a way of farming and growing food but as a way of living our daily lives. In his spare time Ramiro likes to play soccer, learn something new, or try new foods.

TNF’s focuses are youth, women, education, and environmentally sustainable projects. TNF creates urban farms, micro farms, traditional farms, green spaces, mitigate air quality degradation, empower youth entrepreneurship, commission women projects, construct food access programs, mitigate food waste, expand clean energy initiatives, and connect the needs of local communities. TNF are women, educators, and dedicated citizens who love their planet, animals, and humans that are dedicated to the development and growth of its local communities. TNF furnishes free programs and designs sustainable environmental projects. TNF empowers its citizens, especially those who are underserved, underrepresented, disadvantaged and communities of color.

BAM leaders ….

A safe climate with no more than 1.5°C warming will require “net-zero emissions” by 2050. More and more nations, states, cities, companies, and universities are embracing this target. This presentation will address the vigorous debates over questions such as:

• Can renewables supply 100% of electricity? 100% of all energy?
• What role should carbon capture and storage (CCS) play? In the power sector? In reducing industrial emissions? In “negative emission” technologies such as bioenergy with CCS or direct air capture?

Analysis and modeling of pathways to net-zero can help answer these questions. Understanding how assumptions regarding the availability, performance, and integration of various technologies shape the answers, and illuminate the implications for policy choices and for priorities for research and development.