A hub for thought-leaders and industry-shapers in climate, carbon, energy, water, waste, and transit, the annual Net Zero Conference – the world’s largest net zero conference and expo — brings green building pioneers from around the world together to inspire, educate, and evolve our built environment.

Hosted virtually this year by Verdical Events, the Net Zero Conference will span two days (September 15 + 16, 2020) and feature exciting keynotes, cutting-edge educational panels, workshops from innovative leaders in sustainability like the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), premium networking opportunities, the annual Trailblazer Awards ceremony, and an interactive virtual expo hall featuring partners such as Metropolis Magazine and Architecture 2030. While we haven’t yet announced this year’s keynotes, past keynotes include Amanda Sturgeon (ILFI), Jason F. McLennan (ILFI), Mahesh Ramanujam (USGBC), and Ed Mazria (Architecture 2030). We’ve announced our full slate of top speakers, and you can take a peek at the event program here.

Our most sustainable event yet, the virtual Net Zero Conference is not your typical Zoom meeting.  Schneider Electric has donated the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) needed to offset 100% of laptop electricity use for our virtual conference attendees over the full month of September, making the conference our first-ever carbon neutral event! Plus, the virtual platform is designed to mimic the energy at the annual conference as closely as possible, and we strongly believe that our best-in-class platform goes above and beyond to inspire communication, providing attendees with opportunities to engage and ask questions during sessions, tours, and networking events as well as in the interactive virtual Expo Hall.

A few events we think that Living Future Institute followers will be fans of include the:

• Green Job Fair [September 15, 11:00am PST]: COVID-19 has taken a huge toll on the national economy and the job security of many. To help build morale and foster connection within our community, we’re partnering with the U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles Chapter (USGBC-LA) to present the Green Job Fair at NZ20. This will include an introduction to USGBC-LA’s Talent Portal, presentations from featured employers, and a resume exchange. Will your organization be hiring for positions in sustainability and clean energy this fall? Contact us to join us as an official employer.
  
• Trailblazer Awards [September 16, 2:15pm]: Presented annually, The Trailblazer Awards celebrate leaders who are building a net zero future through their work in the climate, carbon, energy, water, waste, transit and policy sectors. This year, we will again be presenting awards to key team members from the newest projects certified through ILFI’s Net Zero Energy program. Tune in to hear more about the winning projects!
  
• ILFI Workshops:
  • “Core Green Building Certification: Getting Started on Achieving High Performance Buildings” [September 16, 9:30am]
    Core Green Building Certification℠ (Core) is a simple framework that outlines the 10 best practice achievements that a building must obtain to be considered a green or sustainable building. In this 2-hour workshop, you’ll learn how Core seeks to rapidly diminish the gap between the highest levels of established green building certification programs and the aspirations of the Living Building Challenge. You’ll leave with an understanding of the requirements of Core and successful strategies for achieving certification.
    
  • Zero Carbon Certification: Addressing Embodied and Operational Carbon in Buildings [September 16, 11:30am]
    As climate action becomes more urgent, there is a growing focus on embodied carbon within the built environment. The International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon Certification program specifically measures this action, recognizing projects that decarbonize both operational and embodied carbon.
    
    In this 2-hour workshop, we’ll help you build a detailed understanding of the context and application of the program – achieving zero operational and embodied carbon. We’ll explore examples of the leading-edge approaches and carbon assessment tools being utilized by teams across the globe to achieve ambitious climate action goals. We’ll also share a summary of trends in industry research and policies that support the accelerated adoption of Zero Carbon development at scale. You’ll leave with the technical understanding and ownership of the value statements for Zero Carbon so that you may pursue this goal on your next project.

• Featured Sessions:
  •  “The Business Case for Embodied Carbon”
    Reducing and offsetting building embodied carbon is not just an altruistic climate strategy, it makes good business sense. Join ILFI’s Andrew Lee and Marta Schantz of the Urban Land Institute to unpack the embodied carbon value proposition that leading organizations have embraced in the context of a post-carbon economy, and shares examples of key strategies and leverage points that are already available for real estate professionals. Participants will be engaged to outline their own process for developing a compelling pitch to help private sector clients accelerate towards building decarbonization.  
    
  • “Innovating at the Zero Line: Case Studies of Zero Energy + Carbon Projects” [September 16, 10:00am]
    Zero Energy and Zero Carbon projects are more achievable than ever before, rapidly expanding to larger scales and more challenging building types. But what does design look like at the cutting edge? This session explores the most current innovation trends and provides specific examples of projects pursuing both energy and material decarbonization. Haley Gardner of ILFI will share recent and unique case studies from their certification programs, while HDR will provide a detailed look at the design strategies adopted for a Southern California municipal project that aims to achieve zero operational and embodied carbon. Participants will gain a perspective on effective technical approaches and management strategies to help owners decarbonize and explore emerging innovations on the horizon to accelerate climate action.
    
  • “Roadmap to a Net Zero Carbon Building” [September 16, 11:00am]
    
    The Robert Redford Conservancy at Pitzer College is the fourth higher education structure in the world and the 15th in California to achieve ILFI’s Zero Energy Certification. This award-winning adaptive reuse project is also expected to be Net Zero Operational & Embodied Carbon this year.
    
    This presentation will look at key strategies in designing an NZC building without sacrificing occupant comfort. Hear from the client about the project goals and the ongoing practices in place for NZE building operation. We will discuss the importance of addressing operational and embodied carbon in the project and review the key studies done to inform design decisions. Additionally, the presentation will cover considerations around the life cycle impact of building and material reuse versus operational energy in creating a total carbon story.

• “Considering Future Climate: Will Net Zero Remain Net Zero?” [September 16, 1:00pm]
  Will a changing climate help or hurt net zero energy design? Pursuing ILFI Net Zero Energy for the newly opened Westwood Hills Nature Center in St Louis Park, Minnesota, the design team worked with the owner and local government officials to explore how future climate conditions may impact net zero performance and the building response.
  
  This panel session will help attendees learn how using resiliency planning workshops and climate projection scenarios can inform and validate both passive and active strategies to achieve a resilient, high-performance facility.

Net Zero for all. To make the event as inclusive as possible, we’re offering both a Free Access Pass and Need-Based Conference Passes. The Free Access Pass is available to all and provides access to the virtual Expo Hall and Green Job Fair. Need-based tickets are designed to ensure that voices from disadvantaged communities are a part of the conversation and make green building more approachable for all. Need-Based tickets provide access to educational sessions and keynote addresses, in addition to the Expo Hall and job fair. If you’re interested in requesting a Need-Based Conference Pass, contact hello@verdicalevents.com.

Additional ticket options include the standard Two-Day Main Conference Pass and the Full Access Pass. Two-Day Main Conference Pass includes Access to all keynotes, educational sessions, networking events, the Trailblazer Awards, virtual building tours, the virtual Expo Hall, and the Green Job Fair. The Full-Access pass includes all of the above, plus access to recordings of all educational content for one full year following the event, enabling you to catch up on CEUs and revisit content after the fact. If you’re interested in exhibiting in the virtual expo hall, please contact us to learn more.

Register now and receive 10% off! Visit www.netzeroconference.com to claim your spot today! ILFI followers are invited to enter the code 2TAKE10 during registration to save on your tickets to NZ20. We hope to see you there!  

­­This is the seventh annual Net Zero Conference & Expo. Check out some highlights from last year’s event above and visit www.netzeroconference.com to join us virtually this year!

About Verdical Events

Verdical Events is a start-to-finish sustainable event planning and production firm. From program development and integrated marketing to venue and vendor coordination, we see the big picture and prioritize the small details. We are an offshoot of Verdical Group, a full-service green building consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles. Verdical Group specializes in Project Management for Green Building Certification (LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, etc.), Commissioning, Energy Modeling, Program Management, and Events.

As the building industry becomes increasingly interested in building a net zero future (and keeping up with code changes requiring projects to be built to net zero standards), AEC firms and building owners alike are seeking answers. The need for new resources has grown significantly, and case studies have become invaluable.

The Net Zero Conference, hosted annually by Verdical Group, is thrilled to be partnering with the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) to present our 6^th Annual Net Zero Conference & Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center on October 2 – 4, 2019. The three-day event will feature a keynote from the CEO of the International Future Institute, Amanda Sturgeon, who will speak about the important role biomimicry plays in connecting people to buildings and buildings to our environment, as well as the CEO & Founder of Architecture 2030, Ed Mazria, and Former CEO of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Terry Tamminen.

In addition to highlighting ILFI’s work to build a net zero future, we’ll be working together to present a program filled with case studies, tools, and lessons-learned that encompass many of ILFI’s related offerings – from the Living Building Challenge (LBC) to JUST certifications.

Working it Out: LBC & Net Zero Accelerator Workshops

NZ19 will be a hub for thought-leaders and industry-shapers in the carbon, energy, water, waste, and transit sectors, including leading AEC firms, local utilities including Southern California Edison, LA Department of Water and Power, and SoCalGas, the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and more.

This makes the event a great place to offer continuing education. As such, ILFI will be presenting two educational workshops on October 4. We invite you to join them at the Los Angeles Incubator in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles to discover what’s new in net zero design and LBC 4.0:

Zero Energy Accelerator Workshop

October 4, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

This 3-hour introductory course from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is designed for individuals interested in learning more about the fundamentals of developing Zero Energy projects.

Join ILFI’s Zero Energy Director Andrew Lee to explore the definition, values, and strategies to pursue Zero Energy — showing the latest ILFI project case studies from certified Zero Energy and Living Building Challenge Energy Petal projects — as well as highlight key industry trends, incentives and other resource offerings from Southern California Edison to support these projects.

Introducing LBC 4.0

October 4, 12:30 – 4:30 pm

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) calls for the creation of building projects that operate as cleanly, beautifully, and efficiently as nature’s architecture. The LBC is the built environment’s most rigorous performance standard. As a standard, it provides a holistic approach to high-performance building that aims to address health, community, equity, energy, water, and beyond.

Presented by James Connelly, ILFI’s Vice President, Strategic Growth, this workshop will provide an overview of LBC 4.0, the next step in the evolution of the Living Building Challenge that continues the standard’s mission of visionary but attainable building goals while also recognizing that not all projects face the same challenges or share in the same opportunities. LBC 4.0 provides a streamlined approach focused on maximizing a project’s positive impacts specific to the place, community, and culture.

Panel: Living Future Case Studies

On October 3, join ILFI’s Zero Energy Director Andrew Lee and sustainability consultant Verdical Group’s Senior Project Manager and Energy Analyst Kanika Sharma as they explore ILFI’s radically progressive programs through the lens of several case studies on projects pursuing the Living Building Challenge, Zero Energy Certification, JUST Certification, and Declare Labels.

You’ll get an in-depth look at some of the most exciting projects in California, and learn how each of them navigated the ins and outs of various ILFI programs. Highlighted projects will include the new Google Charleston East campus and the Perlita Passive House (Petal certifications), the NRDC’s Santa Monica Headquarters (Zero Energy), Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (JUST), Knoll, Inc. (Declare) and more.

Southern California Net Zero Building Tours

Separately, the conference will feature building tours of net zero and near-zero buildings in Los Angeles, several of which are pursuing or have been awarded certifications offered by the International Living Future Institute. These include the:

City of Santa Monica City Services Building

Monday, October 2 | 8:30 – 10:00 am

This groundbreaking, 50,000-square-foot addition to the historic Santa Monica City Hall is being designed as the first Living Certified Building for a municipality in the state of California.

This is an active construction site for a 3-story, above-grade concrete structure, which will also include a basement, mechanically operated glazing vents, photovoltaics, gray water treatment, and collect and treat potable water for use in the building.

Perlita Passive House

Friday, October 4 | 8:00 -10:00 am

There are fewer than 500 emerging net zero projects in the country, and The Perlita House is the nation’s first Passive House and Living Building Challenge Petal Certified project.

Located in Atwater Village in Los Angeles, CA, the Perlita Passive House project is a net positive building – producing more energy than it consumes annually. The project’s sustainability measures include solar panels and Tesla Powerwall battery storage.

Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute

Friday, October 4 | 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

The Electrical Training Institute and Net Zero Plus Facility is a net-positive living laboratory owned by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 (IBEW) & the National Electrical Contractors’ Association of Los Angeles (NECA).

This innovative building features a microgrid, electric vehicle charging stations, energy dashboards, battery storage, and a large solar panel array. The project is pursuing ILFI’s Zero Energy certification.

Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator La Kretz Innovation Campus

Friday, October 4 | 3:00 – 4:15 pm

The La Kretz Innovation Campus is a space where science, entrepreneurship, environmentalism and policymaking merge to advance the development of a sustainable future.

This impressive facility is also a co-working space for clean companies and nonprofits, the home to LA’s first microgrid, and a showcase for labs, working exhibits and educational opportunities. The building has achieved LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certifications and is pursuing ILFI’s Zero Energy certification. The building’s owner, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, is aiming to become the first-ever utility to receive a JUST label. Verdical Group is proud to call the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator home!

The conference will also feature several additional tours of local buildings that are setting the playing field for sustainability in Los Angeles.

About Verdical Group

Verdical Group is a full-service green building consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles. Verdical Group specializes in Project Management for Green Building Certification (LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, etc.), Commissioning, Energy Modeling, Program Management, and Events. Their clients include high profile organizations such as Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, the County of Los Angeles, and many others.