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Conference Panels
'Buildings and Landscape: Climate Change and the Built Environment': This panel will consider the implications of climate change for the city’s physical fabric. Panelists will also explore human and community responses to climate change, citing concrete examples of how communities have responded. Finally, the panel will look forward toward possible future trends in climate change and how we might best respond to them.
'People and Communities: Climate Change and Issues of Justice': Turning from impact of climate change on the built environment, this panel will focus on its social impact. Which communities have been disproportionately affected, and why?How might climate change exacerbate social inequalities and health disparities? In addition to addressing issues of environmental justice and climate change, the panel will also explore alternative policy directions.
'Moving Towards the Green Collar Economy': A panel of five experts will engage in a lively debate on the green collar economy. What does it actually mean to “go green?” and how are we going to get there? Is the green economy necessarily all that green?This discussion will highlight ‘notes from the field’ – or what is happening on the ground. It will be a wide-ranging discussion on green technology, green business, workforce development, and the significant social changes that may be required to support the new green economy. |
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Conference Participants
--- Morning Keynote Address by Dr. Philip Duffy, Scientific Director of Climate Central, Director of the University of California Institute for Research on Climate Change and its Societal Impacts, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, UC Merced
Dr. Duffy is Scientific Director of Climate Central, Inc. and the founding Director of the University of California Institute for Research on Climate Change and its Societal Impacts, as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor at UC Merced. Previously, Dr. Duffy conducted research in atmospheric science and climate change at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he was a physicist for 22 years. Dr. Duffy holds a Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford University. As a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) he shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers on many aspects of climate science. His recent work has focused on improving climate projections to make them more suitable for assessing regional-scale climate change and its effects on society.
--- Lunchtime Keynote Address by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Chief Executive Officer of Green for All
Prior to arriving at Green For All, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins headed the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council and Working Partnerships USA, where she worked to expand training for roofers on solar panel installation, create retrofit programs, expand the living wage, and create one of the country's first Community Benefit Agreements. She also launched the Partnership for Working Families, a national coalition to bring the principles of good jobs and community benefits to local economic development. San Jose Magazine named Ms. Ellis-Lamkins one of the 100 most powerful people in Silicon Valley, while the Silicon Valley Business Journal called her one of "40 to watch under 40". She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal online, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, America at Work, NBC News and ABC News. An alumna of American Leadership Forum, she has served on the boards of the Progressive Technology Project, New World Foundation, the Women's Fund of Silicon Valley, the City of San Jose General Plan Update Task Force and the Central Labor Council Advisory Committee. She serves on the board of the Leadership Council of California Forward and is Chair and Co-Founder of the Partnership for Working Families.
Other conference participants include David Abel (VerdeXchange), Elsa Barbosa (SCOPE/Apollo Alliance), Andrew Curtis (USC), Steve Done (ARUP), Cecilia Estolano (CRA-LA), Denise Fairchild (LA Trade Tech), Bill Gallegos (CBE), Steve Gillette (Capstone Turbine), Richard Jackson (UCLA), Kip Lipper (CA State Senate), Eli Moore (Pacific Institute), Josh Newell (USC), Bart Ostro (CA Office of Environmental Health Assessment), Manuel Pastor (USC), Blaine Pope (USC), Nia Robinson (Redefining Progress), Justin Scoggins (USC), Kemba Shakur (Urban-ReLeaf), Robert Vos (USC), and Jennifer Wolch (USC).
Also featured will be James Rojas'
piece, "Live, Work, and Play: An Interactive Model of Downtown LA". |
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Sustainability Champion Award Ceremony and Video Presentation of Van Jones' Acceptance Speech
USC College and the Center for Sustainable Cities honors Van Jones as the Second Annual Sustainability Champion. The Sustainability Champion Award is presented to an individual or organization whose efforts illuminate the path toward greater sustainability. By highlighting major challenges that imperil our common future - be they environmental, economic or social - or by offering innovative ways to address them. Sustainability Champions help transform knowledge into action on behalf of our planet and its plants, animals, and people.
Van Jones is founding president of Green For All Green For All, a U.S. organization that promotes green-collar jobs and opportunities for the disadvantaged. Its mission is to build an inclusive, green economy - strong enough to resolve the ecological crisis and lift millions of people out of poverty. He now serves as Special Advisor to the White House Council of Environmental Quality for Green Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation. Mr. Jones is also a TIME Magazine 2008 Environmental Hero, one of Fast Company’s 12 Most Creative Minds of 2008, and the New York Times Bestselling author of The Green Collar Economy (Harper One 2008). |
