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.
- “Core Green Building Certification: Getting Started on Achieving High Performance Buildings” [September 16, 9:30am]
- 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.
- “The Business Case for Embodied Carbon”
- “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.
