Green Initiative Conference
3rd Annual
3rd Annual
Formerly the Green Business Conference
Northeastern Illinois University
Alumni Hall, Student Union
Tuesday April 3, 2018
FILM AND DISCUSSION:
10:50 - 12:05 -- The Burden: Fossil Fuel, the Military, and National Security
SPEAKERS (see detailed schedule below):
12:15 - 1:30 pm -- Seven Generations Ahead
1:40 - 2:55 pm -- Wespath Investment Management
3:05 - 4:05 pm -- Chicago Region Trees Initiative
DISCUSSION PANEL (see details below):
4:15 - 5:30 pm --
Wespath Investment Management
Chicago Region Trees Initiative
Sierra Club Ready for 100 Campaign
Environmentalists of Color and Slow Roll Chicago
5:40 - 6:55 pm -- Keynote speaker:
Aaron Durnbaugh, NEIU Alum
Director of Sustainability
Loyola University Chicago
TABLING ORGANIZATIONS AND VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNTIES:
DETAILED SPEAKER SCHEDULE:
12:15- 1:30 pm--
Gary Cuneen, Seven Generations Ahead
"Building Sustainable Communities and Thinking Seven Generations Ahead"
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Speaker bio: Gary Cuneen is the founder and executive director of Seven Generations Ahead. Seven
Generations Ahead (SGA) is in its 17th year of promoting sustainable
and healthy communities. SGA's name is borrowed from the Native American
principle which states, "In every deliberation, we must consider the
impact on the seventh generation." SGA supports local government,
community and private sector leaders in making the changes they need to
create healthy and sustainable communities, and is a catalyst for local
solutions to global environmental issues. SGA's work covers energy
efficiency and renewable energy; transportation; community development;
waste reduction; water conservation; green business development; local,
sustainable food; open space and ecosystem enhancement; and education.
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1:40 - 2:55 pm --
Anita Green
Director, Sustainable Investment Strategies
Wespath Investment Management
"Megatrends to Microgrids: How investors are supporting climate solutions"
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Speaker bio: Anita
joined Wespath in December 2008. As the Director of Sustainable
Investment Strategies, she is responsible for strategic development and
implementation of Wespath’s corporate
engagement program. In this role she regularly communicates with
corporate management about policies and practices related to
environmental, social and governance issues.
About Wespath
Wespath
Investment Management (Wespath) is a division of Wespath Benefits and
Investments, a general agency of The United Methodist Church. Wespath
provides investment solutions
for the endowment and retirement plan portfolios of United
Methodist-affiliated investors through a broadly diversified family of
daily-priced funds.
Wespath’s
investment process proactively incorporates the consideration of
environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investments
across asset classes and in
the selection of external asset managers. Wespath's activities
promoting sustainability include proxy voting, corporate and public
policy engagement, and positive impact investing.
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3:05 - 4:05 pm --
Melissa Custic, Chicago Region Trees Initiative
"State of the Urban Forest: Challenges and Opportunities"
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| Speaker bio: The Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) was established in 2013 as a collaboration of regional partners to develop and implement a strategy that builds a healthier and more diverse urban forest that will provide the region improved environmental, economic, and social benefits- by 2050. To make a significant, measurable improvement to the regional forest and the lives of its inhabitants, CRTI is setting actionable goals for canopy cover, species and age class diversity, and management expertise. My role as coordinator of CRTI is to support the works groups is developing solutions to regional challenges and track the impacts and progress of our efforts. |
DISCUSSION PANEL
4:15 - 5:30 pm --
Anita Green, Melissa Custic, Kyra Woods (bio below), and Melanie L. Moore (bio below)
"What Does "Sustainability" Mean to You?: Multiple Perspectives of Sustainability and Development"
Kyra Woods, Sierra Club Ready for 100 Campaign
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Discussant bio: Kyra Woods is a Chicago native working with the Sierra Club as an
organizer with the Ready for 100 campaign in Chicago. Kyra's initial
interest in environmental advocacy and international development grew
from her involvement in the Model United Nations in high school and led
her to earn her Environmental Engineering degree from Northwestern
University. Upon graduation, Kyra began volunteering with the Sierra
Club and in 2016 was invited to join the U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer
with the World Food Programme in Guinea, West Africa. After watching
the 2016 presidential election from abroad, she was eager to return to
the US and work to engage diverse, interdisciplinary, and
multi-generational voices in discussions around environmental and public
health.
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Melanie L. Moore, Advisory Council of the Environmentalists of Color and volunteer with Slow Roll Chicago
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Discussant Bio: Melanie L. Moore is an
accomplished environmental consultant that helped shape the largest
energy bill to be passed in the state of Illinois. Melanie has led
projects with the Union of Concerned Scientists, Chicago Botanic Garden,
Friends of the Parks, Environmental Design International, Peoples Gas
and Cook County Clerk of Court’s Office. Her areas of expertise are
sustainability, environmental science, climate change, LEED, urban
planning, marketing and public policy.
Ms.
Moore currently sits on the Advisory Council of the Environmentalists
of Color and is the Director of Legislative affairs for BK Environmental
Industries. Additionally, she holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from
Hampton University and an M.S. in Environmental Science Policy from the
University of Chicago.
A
native Chicagoan, Melanie enjoys gardening, baking, cycling, yoga,
whitewater rafting, hosting events and is a wine connoisseur. In
addition to being a classically trained dancer, Melanie serves on the
Auxiliary Board the Auditorium Theater and volunteers with Slow Roll
Chicago.
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER
5:40 - 6:55 pm --
Aaron Durnbaugh, Director of Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago
"Making a Green Career: Sustainability as a Journey, not a Destination"
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Speaker bio: Aaron Durnbaugh, Loyola University Chicago Director of Sustainability,
supports the students, faculty, and staff across the university in creating the
most sustainable and transformative education experience possible. Working
across the curriculum, culture, and campuses of Loyola, Durnbaugh builds
innovation and efficiency into the University’s programs and student experience
focusing on water protection, energy conservation, and mission-driven climate
action. He currently serves on the Executive Council of the Chicago Wilderness
Alliance, is on the Steering Committee of the Illinois Green Alliance, and is
on the Advisory Committee for the Association for the Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and
Rating System (STARS).
Previously, he served as the Deputy Commissioner leading Chicago Department
of Environment's Natural Resources and Water Quality Division (NRWQ). The
Department of Environment was the lead agency developing and implementing the
Chicago Climate Action Plan. NRWQ educated the public on climate change issues
through the Chicago Center for Green Technology, Chicago Conservation Corps,
and Greencorps Chicago. NRWQ created mitigation opportunities through open
space protection in the Calumet region, green infrastructure financing, and
various urban forestry projects. Most recently, Durnbaugh oversaw the City of
Chicago’s climate adaptation strategy engaging stakeholders in built
environment, public health, and the natural environment.
He holds a Master's Degree in Geography and Environmental Studies and is a
LEED™ accredited professional.
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