Pac-12 Sustainability Conference

2023 Conference Program

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

1:00 PM	Pac-12 Team Green Annual Working Group Meeting ▾ Denning House Annapurna Conference Room 103 - 580 Lomita Dr, Stanford, CA 94305
3:15 - 5:15 PM	TOURS Must be registered for conference to attend tours
3:15 - 4:15 PM	Stanford Central Energy Facility ▾ The new Central Energy Facility (CEF) is a key component of Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) and features an innovative heat recovery system that takes advantage of Stanford’s overlap in heating and cooling needs. The facility also includes three large water tanks for thermal energy storage, a high-voltage substation that receives electricity from the grid, and backup hot water generators and chillers. Unlike the previous fossil-fuel-fired combined heat and power plant, the CEF is powered completely by electricity, which is 100% renewable. In addition to the mechanical operations, the facility also includes administrative, classroom and meeting space that contribute to the educational component of the plant. Learn more about the Stanford Central Energy Facility here. Hard hats required and provided for this tour Tour Leader: Dan Arellano-Davis \| Associate Director of Energy Operations Maintenance, Stanford Tour Leader: Susan Vargas \| Senior Energy Management Specialist, Stanford
4:15 - 5:15 PM	The Barn & Farm Walking Tour ▾ Two stops on this walking tour: The Stanford Red Barn is home to the Stanford Equestrian Team, the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, and their affiliated programs. We invite you to learn more about our student-athletes, the internationally renowned trainers who call Stanford their home base, and the many opportunities we provide for community members of all ages and ability to enjoy horses. The O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm is Stanford's living laboratory for hands-on learning in sustainable agriculture. We utilize agroecological relationships and natural diversity to grow over 200 varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs, field crops and fruit. Students come to the farm to test new ideas about the biological, social and environmental aspects of farming and gain experience in the practice of sustainable agriculture. On-farm research spaces also provide faculty and students with hands-on learning opportunities in agroecology, engineering, and more. Tour Leader of the Farm: Patrick Archie \| Director, O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm Tour Leader of the Barn: Vanessa Bartsch \| Executive Director/Head Coach Equestrian, Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center
3:15 - 4:15 PM	Stanford Recycling Center ▾ In 2022, Stanford University diverted 65% of its waste from landfill through a comprehensive program of source reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting. Our goal is to reduce waste, reuse what we can, and divert all recyclables and compostables away from landfill. With proper sorting, we can achieve a Zero Waste Stanford! For over 50 years, Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc. (PSSI) and the Stanford Recycling Center has partnered with the University to provide the greater Stanford University community with recycling, composting, and solid waste management services. Visit us to learn more about how recylables disposed of across the Stanford campus are transported, sorted and ultimately recycled into new products. Tour Leader: Katherine Cheso \| Special Projects/Stanford Lead, Peninsula Sanitary Service
5:30 PM	Welcome Reception Stanford Stadium Press Box Rooftop - 625 Nelson Rd, Stanford, CA 94305
6:00 PM	Keynote Address Marc Tessier-Lavigne \| President, Stanford University

Thursday, June 22, 2023

8:00 - 9:00 AM	Registration and Breakfast Denning House Dining Room 210 - 580 Lomita Dr, Stanford, CA 94305
9:00 AM	Introduction and Opening Remarks Ted Robinson \| Pac-12 Networks and Hall of Fame Broadcaster
9:10 AM	Pac-12 Team Green Annual Report Introduction by: Angela Hersil \| Vice President – Sustainability, Communications, and Community Affairs, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Cheryl Wong \| Associate Commissioner, Sports Management and Championships, Pac-12 Conference
9:20 AM	Welcome Address Dr. Suki Hoagland \| Lecturer, Earth Systems Program, Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM	Leadership Plenary \| Departmental Intersectionality: Working Together ▾ The field of sustainability is inherently intersectional. It can be viewed through the lens of human wellness and resiliency, the nitty gritty of operations, or broad, scalable impact. Much like the definition of sustainability can take many forms, the work of executing it can too, especially within the confines of higher education institutions. Join leaders representing many different sectors at Stanford to hear more about how sustainability is being implemented in their work and how are they collaborating and with one another to drive sustainability forward.
10:30 AM	Break
	Standardizing Composting: A Systems Approach to Contamination Mitigation ▾ Jenny Slepian \| Product and Zero Waste Specialist- PNW & Central Pacific, Eco-Products
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM	Mega Events the Right Way: Take Event Sustainability to the Next Level ▾ Explore innovative and comprehensive event sustainability strategies with Green Sports Alliance, Blue Strike Environmental, and WM. This stage brings together key environmental and social initiatives to develop a successful sustainability strategy for the College Football Playoffs National Championship, the WM Phoenix Open, and other mega-events. Highlighting efforts from load-in to load-out across multiple venues, events offer an opportunity to showcase an anti-greenwashing, transparent, and authentic action to not only lower event environmental impact but to inspire fans and foster positive community engagement. Introduction by: Raymond Fyler, Equipment Specialist, Brady Industries Kristin Cushman \| Founder and CEO, Blue Strike Environmental Michael Kraus \| Director of Sustainable Events and Analytics, Green Sports Alliance Monica Rowand \| Sports & Entertainment Associate, Sustainability Advisory Services, WM	Pivotal Collaboration Between Sustainability & Athletics to Achieve Every Day Zero Waste ▾ Join this session to learn from four Pac-12 campuses about best practices for not only preparing for but implementing a zero waste transition in athletic spaces and every day on campus. We will highlight how to develop a partnership between sustainability staff and athletics facilities, discuss infrastructure best practices, share outreach and communication plans and look at how to develop surveys focused on motivation to achieve success. Lane Marchetti \| Facilities Director, Stanford University Cypress Wessberg \| Zero Waste & Communications Specialist, Stanford University Bonny Bentzin \| Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA Lin King \| Zero Waste Manager, University of California, Berkeley Angie Gilbert \| Zero Waste Program Manager, Environmental Center, University of Colorado Boulder
12:00 PM	Lunch
12:30 PM	Video Highlight \| Stanford Sustainability in Athletics Course: Sustainability Action Projects ▾ The Stanford student initiated course, “Sustainability in Athletics”, has expanded it’s curriculum to include a “Sustainability Action Project.” This allows students to apply concepts and frameworks learned in the class to a quarter long individual or team project within the Stanford community and campus. The purpose of including a project component is to encourage students to plug into existing sustainability focused groups, initiatives and actions within our athletics sphere, to pursue long lasting change. This video will present the results of this expansion in a montage of clips from student’s final presentations of their projects and highlight the most successful projects. Annika Khouri \| Women's Lightweight Rowing, Student-Athletes for Sustainability, Stanford University; Teaching Assistant, Sustainability in Athletics Course
12:45 PM	Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge Awards Ceremony Introduction by: Cindy Chin \| Director of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola
1:00 - 1:30 PM	Keynote Address Jessica R. Murfree, PhD \| Sport Ecology Researcher and Professor
1:30 - 2:30 PM	Sustainability from the Pros ▾ The Bay Area is home to a great lineup of professional sports teams and venues, all working in their own ways to minimize waste, green their operations, and give back to the community they are in. Join us for this lively conversation about how the Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco 49ers, San Jose Earthquakes and San Jose Sharks all these teams prioritize sustainability at their respective venues and learn best practices that can be replicated in the collegiate space.
2:30 - 3:00 PM	Break
	Beyond the Buzzword: What AI Means Today and Tomorrow for Your Zero Waste Programs Nik Balachandran \| Founder and CEO, Zabble Inc. Daniel Chau \| Recycling Program Manager, University of California, San Francisco Julie Muir \| Zero Waste Systems Manager, Stanford Andrew Pellegrini \| Vice President and General Manager, Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc.
3:00 - 4:00 PM	Climate Pledge Arena Leads the Way: The Path to Net Zero for Collegiate Sports Venues ▾ Climate Pledge Arena represents the future of sports and live entertainment venue design and is set to be the world’s first arena to earn a net zero carbon certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The ILFI Zero Carbon Certification is the first worldwide zero carbon third-party certified standard. This is granted to highly energy efficient buildings that are designed and operated to fully account for their carbon emissions impacts. Zero carbon buildings typically operate efficiently, phasing out combustion resources and utilizing renewables, ultimately boosting the resiliency of the venue, particularly when weather or energy markets shift. The commitment to strive for net zero carbon certification demanded planning across every part of the venue, from design and construction to transportation and food considerations. Climate Pledge Arena was designed so it could effectively integrate the necessary range of sustainable solutions. This approach began with an epic example of recycling that put the 44-million-pound historic roof from the 1962 World’s Fair on stilts while a new arena was built underneath. This move to save the roof and expand the arena space underground reduced the embodied energy use typical of new construction. The arena is also designed to employ numerous sustainable practices and operations. The facility is powered solely on renewable energy sources, including on-site solar energy on the atrium roof. The site design builds strong connections with the monorail and provides space for electric vehicle charging stations and bike valet services. The design also supports water conservation systems — such as harvesting rainwater from the roof to turn it into the greenest ice in the NHL — and zero waste initiatives. Brianna Treat \| Director of Sustainability, Seattle Kraken Mohit Mehta \| Global Head of Sustainability, POPULOUS Scott Gibson \| Associate Principal, Architect, POPULOUS	Student-Athletes for Sustainability: Collaborating for the Well-being of Our Local Community ▾ This session brings together student-athletes from Pac-12 campuses in diverse academic disciplines and athletic programs who share an interest in and passion for sustainability. They are working to enhance sustainability initiatives, awareness and education across their campuses and throughout their athletics communities to create positive, sustainable transformation on campus and beyond. Join to hear more about the inspiring work of these student athletes. Sophie Wallace \| Women’s Water Polo, All Vote No Play, Stanford University Jordan Spradlin \| President, Beaver Athlete Sustainability Team, Oregon State University Chloe Shewell \| Women's Track Runner and Student Government Representative, University of Utah Annika Khouri \| Women's Lightweight Rowing, Student-Athletes for Sustainability, Stanford University
4:00 - 4:15 PM	Break
4:15 - 4:45 PM	Keynote Address - Playing for the Planet: The Incomparable Power of Athletes Chris Dickerson \| Former Major League Baseball outfielder; Co-Founder, Players for the Planet
4:45 - 5:00 PM	Closing Remarks Cheryl Wong \| Associate Commissioner, Sports Management and Championships, Pac-12 Conference Heather Vaughan \| Senior Vice President of Marketing, Pac-12 Conference
5:00 - 6:00 PM	Networking Reception