2023 | LOS ANGELES
2019 Program
A DECADE OF IMPACT
In celebration of our 10th anniversary, our 2019 program explored the advances made in the environmental movement over the last decade and the innovations on the horizon for the coming decade - from future-ready business models to rethinking the blue recycling bin.
PRE-CONFERENCE YOUTH MENTORSHIP HOUR
8:15 - 9:00
YOUTH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM // GUIDANCE+ (ASSIGNED MENTORS & MENTEES)
Students have the opportunity to connect with seasoned environmental professionals through roundtable discussions.
Raminta Jautokas
Manager, Corporate Sustainability // AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.
GENERAL SESSION
8:00
REGISTRATION OPENS AND HEALTHY BREAKFAST // JUMPSTART+
Check in and start your day with a selection of yogurts, cereals, pastries, and organic and locally-grown fruits. Breakfast brought to you by ALTURA ASSOCIATES.
9:00 - 9:10
OPENING ADDRESS // WELCOME+
Sarah Backhouse
Managing Director, Communications 50 and Sustainability 50 // WORLD 50, INC.
9:10 - 9:20
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE // GRATITUDE+
The Forum is honored to welcome several members of the Tongva and Chumash communities to provide the official opening of the day with a land acknowledgement and tribute to the people of this land.
Luhui Isha
Associate Director // WISHTOYO CHUMASH FOUNDATION
Alicia Cordero
First Nations Program Officer // WISHTOYO CHUMASH FOUNDATION
Mia Lopez
Cultural Resources and Education Coordinator // WISHTOYO CHUMASH FOUNDATION
Tina Orduno Calderon
Gabrieleno Tongva and Ventureño Chumash
9:25 - 10:10
A DAWN OF A NEW ECONOMY // FUTURE+
These businesses might not have existed 10 years ago, but today they are making waves with their disruptive solutions to climate pain points. Hear from pioneers ushering in a new era of climate positive businesses.
Monica Koyama (Moderator)
Head of Content // SUBTRACTIVE INC.
Jessica Appelgren
Vice President of Communications // IMPOSSIBLE FOODS
Vanessa Stofenmacher
Creative Director // VRAI & ORO
Melinda Hanson
Senior Manager, Sustainability // BIRD
10:15 - 10:30
IT’S ELECTRIC! // ENERGY+
The year is 2050. The place is Earth. The energy…is electric! Join us as we journey decades into the future to get a glimpse of what our electrified future will look like.
Michelle Nuttall
Senior Project Manager, Environmental Affairs & Sustainability // SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON
CLEAN VEHICLE RIDE & DRIVE // MOVE+
Clean Vehicle Ride & Drive, brought to you by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.
ECO MARKETPLACE // SHOP+
Browse the marketplace to see some of the hottest local brands offering conscious goods for your home, your wardrobe, and your body.
LEAD ON CLIMATE // ACTION+
Now more than ever, the climate movement needs strong leaders. Meet up with the LA Chapter of The Climate Reality Project (the non-profit founded by former Vice President Al Gore) and learn more about its network of local changemakers dedicated to educating their communities about the realities of climate change and ways to combat it.
Kate Varley
Marketing & Communications Chair // CLIMATE REALITY LA
Joanclair Richter
Campaign Organizer // THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT
11:00 - 11:45
IS NATIONAL SWORD CUTTING OUT THE RECYCLING BIN? // MATERIALS+
In January 2018, China’s National Sword policy went into effect, cutting the world’s largest buyer of used plastics out of the recycling market. As a result, the blue recycling bin as we know it may cease to be a solution to plastic disposal. Now what?
Jessica Aldridge (Moderator)
Sustainability and Zero Waste Programs Director // ATHENS SERVICES
Faith LeGendre
Senior Consultant, Technical Consulting // CISCO SYSTEMS, INC.
Clemence Schmid
Vice President, Brand & Retail Partnership // LOOP GLOBAL, TERRACYCLE
Chantal Emmanuel
CTO and Co-Founder // LIMELOOP
11:45 - 12:15
TRAILBLAZER AWARD LUNCHEON // NOSH+
Luncheon in the Sculpture Garden featuring California’s freshest vegetarian delights.
12:15 - 12:30
WOMEN IN GREEN FORUM YOUTH TRAILBLAZER AWARD PRESENTATION // NEXTGEN+
Presented by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC. The Women In Green Forum Youth Trailblazer Award acknowledges one young changemaker for her commitment to engaging the next generation in sustainability and environmental activism.
Raminta Jautokas (Presenter)
Manager, Corporate Sustainability // AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.
Haven Coleman
Co-Founder // U.S. YOUTH CLIMATE STRIKE
12:30 - 12:45
WOMEN IN GREEN FORUM TRAILBLAZER AWARD AND CARE2 IMPACT AWARD PRESENTATION // LEGACY+
The Women In Green Forum and CARE2 recognize one trailblazer’s outstanding impact on sustainability, environmental health, and women’s leadership.
Nora Kovaleski (Presenter)
Client Services Manager // CARE2
Gina McCarthy
Director, Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment // Harvard C-CHANGE, HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Former Administrator // U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (2013-2017)
12:45 - 1:35
TAKING GREEN TO THE NEXT LEVEL // BRANDS+
The power brands have to influence consumer behavior, public opinion, and industry trends has never been greater. Learn how some of the world’s most prominent brands are driving environmental innovation.
Jenny C. Flores
Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Senior Vice President // BANK OF THE WEST
Virginia Covo
Global Director, Sustainability Supply Chain // ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV
Sonika Malhotra
Global Brand Director // LOVE BEAUTY AND PLANET, UNILEVER
Marissa Pagnani McGowan
Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility // PVH CORP.
1:35 - 2:05
CLEAN AIR TECHNOLOGIES // AIR+
Transformative transportation technologies and programs are changing the way we live. Learn what this region is doing to improve air quality and make Southern California a healthier place for all to thrive.
Supervisor Lisa Bartlett
Fifth District Supervisor // ORANGE COUNTY
Governing Board Member // SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
Niamani Knight
Founder // S.T.R.E.A.M. KIDS EXPO
2:05 - 2:50
SMOOTHIE BREAK // SIP+
Cool off with refreshing fruit smoothies in the Sculpture Garden, sponsored by the PORT OF LOS ANGELES.
CLEAN VEHICLE RIDE & DRIVE // MOVE+
Clean Vehicle Ride & Drive, brought to you by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.
ECO MARKETPLACE // SHOP+
Browse the marketplace to see some of the hottest local brands offering conscious goods for your home, your wardrobe, and your body.
HOW TO FIGHT CLIMATE ANXIETY // TOOLS+
Climate change got you feeling down? Overwhelmed? Stressed? Distracted? You’re not alone. These feelings are becoming so pervasive that they’re seeping into Hollywood blockbusters and popular culture, as climate change is being cast as the super villain of our time. These feelings aren’t just bad for your mental health – they can also affect your environmental behavior. In this workshop, we’ll develop skills (with both personal and professional applications) to promote calmness and present-centered awareness, learn how to foster hope in the midst of ubiquitous negative media, and cultivate adaptation strategies to address the stress climate change puts on our collective psyche.
Andrea Brard, Psy.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar // UCLA DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
2:50 - 3:45
CLIMATE BREAKTHROUGHS: AN INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH XPRIZE // COLLABORATION+
What’s the key to XPRIZE’s ability to accelerate the creation of new technology for social good? The incentive prize model. In this interactive workshop, the XPRIZE team will give us a peak inside the inner workings of this unique model and share more about their prizes that address the climate crisis. The audience will play a role in imagining how new technologies could create radical climate breakthroughs.
Emily Church, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Global Learning // XPRIZE
Nikki Batchelor
Director, Operations and Impact, Carbon // XPRIZE
Caroline Kolta
Senior Associate, Research, Impact & Design // XPRIZE
Kathleen Hamrick
Senior Associate, Research, Impact and Design // XPRIZE
3:45 - 4:00
CAN WE CHANGE? IF SO, HOW? // HABITS+
Changing the behavior of ourselves and those around us is tough! Luckily there is a science to this that we can use to help improve our efforts. Behavioral Scientist Dr. Beth Karlin will give an introduction to the Psychology of Sustainability and share some effective strategies to change the behavior of your customers, colleagues, and/or communities.
Beth Karlin, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO // SEE CHANGE INSTITUTE
4:00 - 4:05
FROM CALI TO CALI // JOURNEY+
Environmental justice organizer Aura Vásquez went from growing up as a child activist in Cali, Colombia to leading one of the largest public utilities in the country, California’s LADWP. She’ll tell us about her journey and her vision of her future as a green energy leader in Los Angeles’ City Hall. She’s currently a candidate for City Council District 10.
Aura Vásquez
Los Angeles City Council Candidate
4:05 - 4:50
THE FUTURE IS NOW // YOUTH TRAILBLAZER+
Each year, we’re inspired by the passion, drive, and innovation of our Women In Green Forum Youth Trailblazer awardees. Catch up with some of our past awardees to see how they are making an impact on the world.
Shauna Nep (Moderator)
Vice President, Philanthropy // SB PROJECTS
Jordan Howard
Senior Vice President, Brand Partnerships // THE STORY LAB
Zola Berger-Schmitz
Student, Youth Environmental Activist
4:50 - 5:00
A WORD FROM THE FOUNDER // WIGF+
The Women In Green Forum’s founder reflects on the stories, experiences, and lessons shared during the 2019 Forum.
Jaime Nack
Founder // WOMEN IN GREEN FORUM
5:00 - 6:00
GARDEN RECEPTION // CONNECTIONS+
Enjoy light refreshments and good company during our evening reception in the elegant outdoor sculpture garden.
*Indicates invited speaker.