WHO:

  • Michael Allegretti, Chief Strategy Officer at Rubicon (Twitter, LinkedIn)
  • David Rachelson, Chief Sustainability Officer at Rubicon (Twitter, LinkedIn)
  • Ryan Cooper, Waste Diversion Manager and Organics Recycling Lead at Rubicon (Twitter, LinkedIn)

WHAT:

Smart City Tech Forging Resilient Cities (Michael Allegretti)

As cities and communities work to recover from COVID-19, now is the moment to rethink how we live, work, and consume. Using technology to become more sustainable, more fiscally responsible, and less wasteful is an imperative now more than ever. The smartest cities and best smart city technologies will be those that assist cities in transitioning to remote work environments as part of a renewed or reimagined push towards resilience in the age of public health crises.

How can the humble garbage truck be a part of this larger technology and data-driven solution for a sustainable and resilient future for our cities? According to the EPA, more than 267 million tons of municipal solid waste was generated in the United States in 2017. The garbage truck does an amazing job collecting that waste; but there are more than four million miles of navigable roadways across our 50 states and an endless number of problems—beyond waste—that litter these thoroughfares.

Learn how—on the backs of the vehicles that pick up your trash, sweep your street, and plow your roads—the smart city trail is being blazed and resilient cities are being born.

Michael will be joined on this panel by Assistant to the Director, Solid Waste Division at Kansas City, MO, Michael Shaw.

How ESG Will Shape Our Resilient Future (David Rachelson)

The sustainability table stakes are growing ever higher for businesses around the world. No longer is it sufficient to offer anecdotal evidence of ESG efforts. Consumers, citizens and businesses are demanding transparency, accountability, reporting and ROI. Today’s pandemic has made the business case for real action around sustainability stronger and more timely.

Even as our world faces crises on multiple fronts, those businesses, cities and organizations who have placed ESG at the core of their work are proving to be more resilient, adapting rapidly to change while charting a sustainable course that will benefit future generations.

This session will focus on the principles of sustainable recovery and how ESG-centered strategies help organizations successfully navigate the challenges of a world in which COVID-19 is ever-present, and today’s many other complex challenges.

Our panelists will share practical examples of customers and partners who have aligned business and sustainability goals with great success as well as recent COVID-related learnings that shed light on the increasingly essential role of ESG principles in business model resilience.

David will be joined on this panel by Chief Sustainability Officer at Starbucks, Michael Kobori, Director of Sustainability at Chipotle Mexican Grill, Caitlin Leibert, and Assistant VP, Environmental Sustainability at Fifth Third Bank, Jeremy Faust.

Food Waste Doesn’t Belong in Landfills (Ryan Cooper)

Food supply chains—farms, processors, and distributors, and the web of restaurants and grocery stores that this food is sent out to—have been a casualty of the global coronavirus pandemic that has killed almost half a million people in the world to date.

In the process of adjusting to the current food distribution framework, farmers left huge piles of produce rotting in the field and were forced to cull hundreds of thousands of livestock animals. Refrigerated warehouse companies have had to find alternative ways to manage a significant portion of their customers’ products that were destined for restaurants, hotels, venues, cafeterias, etc.

This poses a very important question, why should businesses stick to their food diversion goals post COVID-19?

Our session will demonstrate that corporate sustainability is even more important post COVID-19 than before it. From the farms that produce the food we put on our plate every day, to the processors, manufacturers, and distributors, and eventually on to the grocery, restaurant, and food service levels, organics diversion is key to ensuring a sustainable future for all.

Ryan will be joined on this panel by Executive Director of the Biodegradable Products Institute, Rhodes Yepsen, and Vice President of Supply Chain & Sustainability at Sweetgreen, Kevin Quandt.

WHERE:

WHEN:

  • Michael: Tuesday, September 22, 2020: 12:00-1:15pm EST
  • David: Wednesday, September 23, 2020: 1:00-2:15pm EST
  • Ryan: Thursday, September 24, 2020: 1:00-2:15pm EST

About Rubicon

Rubicon is a software company that provides smart waste and recycling solutions for businesses and governments worldwide. Using technology to drive environmental innovation, the company helps turn businesses into more sustainable enterprises, and neighborhoods into greener and smarter places to live and work. Rubicon’s mission is to end waste, in all of its forms, by helping its partners find economic value in their waste streams and confidently execute on their sustainability goals. Learn more at www.rubicon.com.