Sustainability Summit Agenda

Please note: the PA Sustainability Summit is free to attend but registration is required.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2022

WELCOME

9:00 AM
Cindy Adams Dunn – Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)
Sam Robinson - Deputy Chief of Staff, Governor Tom Wolf

Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation of Natural Resources

Governor Tom Wolf

GETTING STARTED ON SUSTAINABILITY: THE BASICS OF OUR CHANGING CLIMATE
9:20 AM - 10:00 AM

Moderator: A. Stevens Krug, AIA, PE, LEEDap, AEE Fellow, Principal, Krug Architects, Chair PA Climate Change Advisory Committee
Presenter: Greg Czarnecki - Director of Applied Climate Science, PA DCNR
Presenter: Lindsay Byron, P.G., CC-P, Environmental Group Manager, PA Department of Environmental (DEP) Energy Programs Office

Start off Sustainability Week with Pennsylvania’s own climate experts. Learn about causes and impacts of our changing climate, and what it means for our future.

HOW OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERS ARE RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
10:05 AM - 11:00 AM

Moderator: Chris Nafe - Energy Program Specialist, PA DEP
Presenter: Brandi Robinson - Assistant Teaching Professor, The Pennsylvania State University
Presenter: Ashley McIlvaine – Assistant Township Manager, Abington Township, Montgomery County PA
Presenter: Kirk Stoner - Director of Planning, Cumberland County
Presenter: Don Holderman – Assistant Borough Manager, Bellefonte Borough

Presenter: Peter Buck — Co-Director, Local Climate Action Program and Academic Programs Manager, Penn State’s Sustainability Institute

What can we do to prepare for climate change? The Local Climate Action Program (LCAP) supports local governments in developing greenhouse gas inventories and climate action plans. Hear from new management team at Penn State University and local governments who are participating in LCAP.

SAVING ENERGY AND LOWERING COSTS WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE GREEN BUILDINGS
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Moderator: Mark Hand – Director of Pennsylvania GreenGov Council, Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS)
Presenter: Jenna Cramer – President & CEO, Green Building Alliance
Presenter: John R. Bechtel - P.E. Assistant Director, Design and Construction
Division, Office of Physical Plant, Penn State University
Presenter: Todd Reed - Energy Program Specialist, Infrastructure and Energy Asset Management, Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran’s Affairs

Buildings are major expenses and multi-decade investments. High-performance green buildings save energy, money, reduce emissions and add climate resilience. Learn how to get a project off to a good start, green building options, and considerations for making smart investments in high-performance buildings.

INNOVATIVE PROJECT DELIVERY TOOLS: GESA AND C-PACE
12:05 PM - 1:00 PM
Moderator: Jason Snyder, Acting Deputy Secretary, PA Property and Asset Management, PA DGS
Presenter: Doug Hatcher - Director of Energy and Resource Management, PA DGS
Presenter: Jarod West, RA, NCARB, LEED AP - Architectural Consultant, PA
DCNR
Presenter: Kelly Sanders - Director of Special Projects, Sustainable Energy Fund

Learn the ‘Ins and Outs’ of the Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA) for the public sector, and the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) for everyone else. Both programs utilize low-cost, long-term financing to make significant improvements for your facilities. Learn about these tools and the best practices that can be transferred to projects you are considering.

JOIN THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE REVOLUTION
1:15 PM - 2:00 PM

Moderator: Matt Reis – Deputy Director, Pennsylvania GreenGov Council
Presenter: Colton Brown - Energy Program Specialist, PA DEP
Presenter: Shane Rice – Executive Policy Specialist, Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation
Presenter: Jake Newton - Executive Energy Project Coordinator, PA DCNR

What incentives are available and investments are being planned and made now to make driving electric vehicles more convenient to Pennsylvanians in the future? What are the best strategies for installing electric vehicle charging stations? What procurement options are available through the state for purchasing these vehicles and charging stations?

PENNSYLVANIA’S SOLAR FUTURE
2:05 PM - 3:00 PM

Moderator: Geoff Bristow – Regional Energy Program Manager, PA DEP’s Energy
Program Office
Presenter: Robert Young - Energy Program Specialist, PA DEP
Presenter: Mike Roth - Director of Policy and Planning, PA Department of Agriculture
Presenter: Nicole Faraguna - Director of Policy and Planning, PA DCNR
Presenter: Greg Knerr – Commodity Manager, PA DGS

Learn how state agencies are collaborating and how you can participate to ensure grid-scale projects are developed in a responsible and sustainable fashion that minimizes impacts to the natural environment, maintain production on prime agricultural lands, safeguard cultural and historical resources, and achieve net reduction in carbon emissions for communities and businesses across the Commonwealth.

BIG OPPORTUNITIES: INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT (IIJA) & INFLATION REDUCTION ACT (IRA)

3:05 PM - 3:25 PM
Moderator: Dave Althoff – Director of Energy Programs Office, PA DEP
Presenter: Jessica Shirley – Infrastructure Coordinator, PA DEP

There are hundreds of millions in available funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Funds will be for innovative transportation investment, water infrastructure, well plugging and implementation of decarbonization or resilience programs. The new opportunities will help to grow renewable energy infrastructure in the US by kickstarting clean energy manufacturing such as solar, wind and batteries, while making homes more efficient via tax credits and rebates for individuals.

WRAP UP AND PREVIEW OF THE WEEK AHEAD
3:35 PM – 4:00 PM

Mike Walsh – Deputy Secretary for Administration, PA DCNR

Wrap Up and preview of the week ahead.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2022

2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Opening Remarks: Peter Boger – Assistant Director for Community Engagement, Penn State Sustainability Institute
Presenter: Lara Fowler - Interim Chief Sustainability Officer, Penn State University, and Interim Director of the Sustainability Institute

In 2015, 192 nations adopted the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, a framework of 17 goals with 169 definable targets to ensure a sustainable future for all by 2030. The goals identify both social, environmental, and economic aspects of sustainability that must be achieved. In a national ranking of the U.S. states on their progress towards these goals, Pennsylvania ranks 29^th and is making no progress or getting worse in its progress on all but one of the goals. Learn about the importance of this vision of sustainability and how we can turn around Pennsylvania’s progress towards a sustainable future for all.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2022

OUR PURCHASING POWER CAN EXPAND DIVERSITY & SMALL BUSINESS IN PA
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Opening Remarks: Joseph Lee – Acting Secretary, PA Department of General Services
Presenter: Lisa Sanford, ECMCA - Director of the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion,
and Small Business Opportunities, PA Department of General Services

Sustainable Development Goal ^#8 involves inclusive and sustainable economic growth involving productive employment and decent work for all. Learn how the Commonwealth is tackling these challenges through the implementation of Executive Order 2015-11 on “Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities in Commonwealth Procurement and in Pennsylvania’s Economy.” And learn how you can partner with the state to make a difference in your communities through better and more sustainable procurements.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022

PARTNERING TO CREATE CLIMATE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Opening Remarks: Ramez Ziadeh, Acting Secretary, PA Department of Environmental Protection
Presenter: Ned Brockmeyer - Community Forester, Bureau of Forestry, DCNR
Presenter: Lori Yeich - Recreation and Conservation Manager, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, PA DCNR

Sustainable Development Goal ^#17 involves leveraging partnerships to support our continued efforts on sustainability. Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) has a great model of this through its recreation and conservation programs. Parks, trails, and other public amenities can be ideal places to install natural climate solutions. These areas are publicly owned, and they can often easily be designed or retrofitted to incorporate green stormwater infrastructure - helping communities meet state and federal regulatory requirements for stormwater management, water pollution reduction, and sediment control. In the era of climate change, public parks and open spaces are no longer a “nice thing to have,” they’re critical infrastructure — as much a
part of a borough’s water and sewer system as underground pipes. Learn how state and federal grant programs focused on public land improvement projects can reward communities for thinking about natural climate solutions in the design of their parks.

This session will provide information on DCNR ‘s TreeVitalize and Watershed Forestry programs, which provide financial support to communities like yours for planting trees, forests, and meadows on private and public lands across Pennsylvania, as well as DCNR’s Community Conservation and Partnership Program which provides funding for the acquisition, planning and development public parks, trails and waterways. The session will also highlight how communities successfully utilized these programs mitigate the impacts of climate change resulting in numerous other benefits.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2022

CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES AND PENN STATE PROVIDE TRAINING & EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE NEEDING A SECOND CHANCE: LEARN HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Opening Remarks: John Norbeck - Deputy Secretary for Parks and Forestry, PA DCNR
Presenter: Troy Vanatta - Sales and Marketing Supervisor, Correctional Industries

U.N. Sustainability Goal ^#16 promotes peaceful and inclusive societies by providing access to justice for all and building inclusive institutions. Through programs like PA Correctional Industries and Penn State's Restorative Justice Initiative the commonwealth is working to make a difference. Learn about these programs and how you and your community can support critical inmate training, education, and reentry through your purchase decisions — and how some of the best PA sustainably harvested hardwood furniture is being made through corrections.