CONFERENCE DAY ONE | TUESDAY JULY 16

Download the Full Event Guide to see the expert speakers, a full in-depth 3-day agenda, the hours of networking opportunities, and how you can get involved in the discussion - all in one document!

8:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Inspiring Jobsite Sustainability

8:10 am Maximizing Project Sustainability: From Cradle to Grave, How Did We Maintain Commitment to Sustainable Decisions at Every Stage?

Synopsis

  •  Evaluating the strategies utilized to gain full team buy-in and maintain commitment to sustainable project execution
  • Discussing the challenges faced during project acquisition, through field implementation and project closeout, highlighting the hurdles overcome and lessons learned by every project partner
  • Demonstrating the process of monitoring and reporting to assess project success: What were the metrics achieved that demonstrated overall project sustainability?

8:50 am Driving Cultural Change: Ensuring Commitment to Implementing Sustainability in the Field

  • Jasmin Rajak Senior Global Sustainability Specialist, Fluor

Synopsis

  • Articulating the importance of sustainability in a way that engages and inspires field workers
  • Aligning program activities with existing operational workflows for process simplicity and seamless execution
  • Enforcing compliance with owner’s sustainability standards on-site, utilizing mechanisms like submittals and site verifications to ensure contractors adhere to specified sustainability practices

10:00 am Morning Refreshments & Speed Networking

Track 1
Reducing Embodied Carbon in Design

Integrating Sustainability into Early Design Decision Making

10:40 am Discover: Building the Business Case for Clients to Prioritize Sustainability & Overcome Cost Premium Pushback

Synopsis

  • Evaluating the cost savings over the asset’s lifecycle to help build momentum with sustainability initiatives
  • Emphasizing the risk reduction associated with sustainability practices in safeguarding against future uncertainties and unforeseen costs
  • Understanding and directly addressing owner concerns by presenting compelling arguments, reinforced by data 

11:40 am Develop: Encouraging Early Designer-Contractor Collaboration to Find Lower-Cost, Sustainable Alternatives

Synopsis

  • Exploring the advantages of early contractor Involvement to unlock new opportunities
  • Initiating early contractor engagement strategies at the project outset: What are the hurdles and challenges we have managed to overcome?
  • Leveraging contractual frameworks as a pivotal tool to drive more sustainable outcomes

12:10 pm Action: Elevating the Benefits of Strategic Partnerships in Design to Empower Emissions Reduction with Clients

Synopsis

  • Conducting life cycle analysis and carbon footprint assessments to identify emissions hotspots and opportunities for reduction
  • Working with clients to develop innovative design approaches that minimize emissions portfolio wide

Track 2
Tackling Jobsite Emissions & Sustainability

Comprehensive Emission Tracking

10:40 am Discover: Establishing Project Carbon Performance Management Frameworks to Align Responsibilities & Accountability Across all Project Partners

  • Joe Rozza Chief Sustainability Officer, Ryan Co. US, Inc.

Synopsis

  • Outlining a systematic approach for capturing data across all project phases to ensure clarity and uniformity across stakeholders
  • Allocating clear responsibilities for data capture to each project partner to establish clear ownership and accountability
  • Monitoring adherence to established data capture frameworks to ensure compliance

11:40 am Develop: Improve the Quality of Data Collected in the Field to Improve Accuracy of Carbon Tracking

  • Eden Axelrad Manager, Climate Change and Decarbonization, Clayco Construction Company
  • Joe Rozza Chief Sustainability Officer, Ryan Co. US, Inc.
  • Katya Balakhovsky Senior Project Manager, Sustainability & ESG, Cumming Corporation
  • Ian Pope Director, Sustainability, McCarthy Building Companies Inc

Synopsis

  • Educating teams on what embodied carbon is produced in the field to ensure stakeholders comprehend and differentiate between scope one, two, and three emissions effectively
  • Creating clear and easy ways to gather necessary project data and reduce manual entry
  • Developing robust quality assurance procedures, to control data accuracy and completeness

12:10 pm Action: Tackling Challenges with Scope 3 Emission Tracking

Synopsis

  • Understanding how to simplify the process of capturing scope three emissions on construction sites to ensure it’s a viable and cost-effective endeavor
  • Evaluating the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of tracking tools on the market vs. the need for in house development
  • Discussing the challenges with validation and governance of scope three emissions data
  • Evaluating the direction of emerging regulations and how this extends beyond emissions to encompass various environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations

Track 3
Building Corporate Sustainability Frameworks

Aligning Corporate Commitments with Strategic Goals

10:40 am Discover: Devising an Approach to Better Align Corporate Commitments with Client & Supplier Values

  • Myrrh Caplan Senior Vice President - Sustainability, Skanska USA Building

Synopsis

  • Facilitating the conversation around shared values to identify stakeholder priorities • Harnessing research and the discovery process to guide corporate commitments
  • Establishing transparent communication to share progress to goals, build trust, and enhance alignment between corporate commitments and stakeholder values

11:40 am Develop: Operationalizing Corporate Commitments into Clearly Actionable Goals to Lower Emissions

  • Amy Pastor Vice President, Sustainability, Exp Global Inc.
  • Myrrh Caplan Senior Vice President - Sustainability, Skanska USA Building

Synopsis

  • Exploring the guidance in existing carbon measurement standards to support the operationalization of corporate commitments
  • Setting personalized, achievable sustainability goals to keep lower emissions front of mind throughout team decision-making
  • Utilizing various mediums such as workshops, forums, and digital platforms for transparent and consistent communication of organizational goals
  • Assessing the elements of our corporate commitments that are hard to operationalize and how we are looking to overcome this as an organization

12:10 pm Action: Discussing What You Need to Effectively Resource Your Program at Different Stages of Maturity & Business Scale

12:30 pm Lunch Break

Track 1
Reducing Embodied Carbon in Design

Maximizing Sustainable Material Usage & Decarbonization in Design

1:30 pm Discover: Harnessing the Power of Mass Timber as a Material to Support Carbon Sequestration Goals

  • Samuel Dicke Business Development Representative, Swinerton Inc

Synopsis

  • Demonstrating how the project team got the buy-in from the client and other partners to pursue mass timber
  • Assessing the supply chain constraints of timber and how to overcome this to move past the materials evaluation phase
  • Discussing lessons learned and challenges faced by our team to inform future projects

2:00 pm Develop: Integrating Carbon Data into the Model From Schematic Design to Inform Early Design Decision-Making

  • Samuel Dicke Business Development Representative, Swinerton Inc
  • Julia Siple Director - Sustainability, Quinn Evans Architects
  • Varun Kohli Principal & Director of Sustainability, Corgan Associates Inc.

Synopsis

  • Understanding which data to include and how to get it into the model to empower informed early-stage decisions
  • Discussing the current blueprint for embodied carbon modeling and what needs to change to drive more informed decision-making
  • Examining the strengths and weaknesses of different platforms for embodied carbon modeling

2:30 pm Action: Creating a Framework for Sustainable Material Selection to Empower Teams to Make More Informed Decisions

Synopsis

  • Defining a comprehensive set of criteria beyond environmental impact, to ensure a holistic assessment of materials
  • Creating a structured tool or matrix that integrates the collected data and evaluation criteria, to compare materials and have a confident decision making
  • Providing resources and training to teams on how to assess and select sustainable materials effectively

Track 2
Tackling Jobsite Emissions & Sustainability

Empowering Sustainable Practices Across Project Stakeholders

1:30 pm Discover: Educating Trades on the Importance of Decarbonization to Ensure Alignment with Project Goals

Synopsis

  • Providing resources and training to trade partners to foster a comprehensive understanding of the impact of their work on emissions
  • Developing practical skills and knowledge to implement low-carbon construction techniques onsite via hands-on workshops or demonstrations
  • Establishing a platform for continuous dialogue to ensure trades remain informed and aligned with evolving decarbonization goals

2:00 pm Develop: Integrating Sustainability into the Bidding Process to Ensure Selection of Project Partners to Deliver Your Project Requirements

Synopsis

  • Discussing the metrics and evidence that trades can provide to help evaluate their suitability
  • Determining how to best request this information in project documentation to ensure a consistent benchmark for evaluation
  • Understanding how contractors can further customize proposals to provide new sustainable options during bidding

2:30 pm Action: Sustaining Cross-Stakeholder Commitment to Decarbonization for End-to-End Sustainable Project Delivery

Synopsis

  • Involving contractors in continuous discussions on decarbonization to ensure evolution of initiatives throughout the project lifecycle
  • Fostering a shared responsibility for decarbonization across the project phases
  • Tracking contractor adherence to sustainable practices to identify opportunities for further support  

Track 3
Building Corporate Sustainability Frameworks

Cultivating Organizational Alignment & Empowerment

1:30 pm Discover: Building Out Education Programs for Your Organization to Create Alignment with Corporate Commitments

Synopsis

  • Evaluating the needs of each team when it comes to education on sustainability to build a system of complimentary training programs for all levels
  • Defining clear learning objectives and measurable outcomes for each educational program to be able to track progress and engagement
  • Securing active support from organizational leadership for educational initiatives and their widespread adoption
  • Connecting participation in learning programs with performance evaluations or recognition systems

2:00 pm Develop: Upskilling Your People to Strengthen Conscious Action & Decision-Making

  • Dost Bardouille Director Corporate Responsibility, Swinerton Inc
  • Ashley Ruiz Vice President of Social Impact, McKinstry Corp LLC

Synopsis

• Providing foundational knowledge on the carbon cycle, helping employees to understand their potential impact on reducing carbon emissions

• Developing training sessions that can be rapidly introduced and deployed across departments, without interrupting day to day operations

• Using diverse training methods, alongside materials like videos and written content, to engage different learning styles and time constraints within a large workforce

2:30 pm Action: Discussing Innovative Employee Engagement Strategies to Sustain Long-Term Culture Change

Synopsis

  • Initiating recognition programs to celebrate and reward employees actively contributing to sustainable practices and innovation
  • Cultivating a group of sustainability champions to organically spread the word among all teams
  • Facilitating regular town hall meetings to discuss sustainability initiatives and invite feedback and ideas from employees at all levels

3:00 pm Afternoon Refreshments

Global Green Initiatives: Bridging Policy & Implementation

4:00 pm From Policy to Practice: How is Europe Embracing ESG Regulations?

Synopsis

• Sharing insights and learnings from UK/EU-based companies who have successfully adopted innovative sustainability practices: What’s our roadmap?

• Discussing international frameworks and trends in sustainability regulations to find out what might soon come to USA

• Exploring challenges companies face on their journey to compliance

4:50 pm Navigating Today’s Policy & Regulatory Maze: The Current State of Construction-Related Policy & How to Prepare for the Future

Synopsis

  • Overview current and future developments in sustainable construction regulations and policies in the USA, including Buy Clean-related efforts
  • Discuss how to best stay informed and ahead of the curve with regulatory changes to help prepare your organization for what’s to come
  • Understand the tools and resources currently available to adhere to current and upcoming regulations

5:30 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

5:40 pm End of Conference Day One