Moderator Mike Collignon and Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman open the eighth annual Sustainability Symposium, Existential Solutions, previewing two days of sessions on full-scale decarbonization, energy decentralization, climate activism, and consumer trust.
00:00:03:25 - 00:00:33:00
Mike Collignon: All right. Hello. I'd like to welcome you to the eighth annual Green Building Media Sustainability Symposium. This year's theme is Existential Solutions. Now, I don't know about you, but I took the time to look up the meaning of the word existential just to make sure I had it straight in my own head. And while it means relating to existence, I think this year's theme is spot on with the agenda we've got for you over the next two days, because we're going to be talking about existence both now and in the future.
00:00:33:02 - 00:00:52:04
Mike Collignon: And we're also going to be discussing solutions and hope and positive examples that can inspire on behalf of everyone at Greenville, the media. We're so glad you're here with us. And I should note that, not that all of this wouldn't be possible without the generosity of our sponsors, who we are so happy to have back with us again this year.
00:00:52:11 - 00:01:17:08
Mike Collignon: First is Train Technologies. They are a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments for the bold set of 2030 sustainability commitments. Train technologies is challenging the status quo and taking decisive action now to create a sustainable future where communities thrive, where equality is foundational, and where the environment is protected from future generations. We also have whirlpool as a sponsor.
00:01:17:10 - 00:01:46:12
Mike Collignon: The Whirlpool Corporation is committed to being the best kitchen and laundry company. Constant pursuit of improving life at home in an increasingly digital world. The company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio. And these are names that you know, including whirlpool, Maytag, console, brass, temp, Amana, Bionic, Gen Air, Indesit and In Sync.
00:01:46:14 - 00:01:59:03
Mike Collignon: All right. Here to kick off, the 2024 Sustainability Symposium is someone who needs no introduction at all. Please welcome the CEO of Greenville, the media, Sarah Gutman.
00:01:59:06 - 00:02:21:14
Sara Gutterman: Mike, thank you so much. Thanks to you, as always for being our fearless moderator. Thank you also to Mary Kestner, our production manager. She is the wizard behind the curtain that makes it all happen. And thank you all so much to everyone who is here in attendance with us today. We know that your time is very precious and we really appreciate you spending a fair amount of it with us today and tomorrow.
00:02:21:16 - 00:02:46:07
Sara Gutterman: This event, as you know, runs from 12 to 3 today and tomorrow. And just so just a bit of housekeeping for those of you who are not aware, you can use the same link that you use today to log in tomorrow as well. So Green Builder Media, we are in our 19th year of existence. We'll be celebrating our 20th year next year, which is so exciting to me.
00:02:46:07 - 00:03:14:06
Sara Gutterman: And as you can imagine, the world has evolved substantially since our inception. When we first started, we could talk about building science and energy efficiency and cost savings from building science and energy efficiency. But fast forward to today. Unfortunately, now we're able to talk about some of the most exciting topics and concepts, from full scale decarbonization to complete decentralization of our energy systems.
00:03:14:08 - 00:03:46:00
Sara Gutterman: Our presenters today, like John Crites from RMI, who's going to present first, and Michael Barnard, who. Hi, Michael. He's going on and off camera. You're back on now will be our second presenter and Jeremy Rifkin. I'll let them dive into those big picture, hopefully very thought provoking concepts. But I just want to kick this off by saying that in our nearly two decades of being in business, I have never been so encouraged by the rate and the pace of change that's occurring.
00:03:46:01 - 00:04:14:09
Sara Gutterman: I've never been more excited about the level of innovation in the marketplace, and I have never been more engaged in active conversations about net zero carbon, full scale decarbonization, which, for those of you who know me, is probably my favorite topic to talk about. And it's not just these conversations aren't only happening with folks like John and Michael and Jeremy, or leading edge manufacturers like Train Technologies and Whirlpool.
00:04:14:09 - 00:04:45:05
Sara Gutterman: Thanks to both of you for helping bring this event to life every year. But with building professionals, with builders and developers across the board, with other types of stakeholders. And there's just so much that's happening. And so we really look forward to sharing some of those ideas with you today. I get to close out the symposium tomorrow with our closing session, and I'll share a lot more information and our cognition data about trends that are happening.
00:04:45:09 - 00:05:12:03
Sara Gutterman: But, you know, I think that with that excitement, that's really the context that I want to utilize to welcome all of you to our eighth annual Sustainability Symposium, renowned for being one of the most compelling and thought provoking and fun events every year. Each year we have presenters who share their vision for a better, more sustainable future and this year certainly won't disappoint.
00:05:12:08 - 00:05:34:22
Sara Gutterman: Today, our speakers will offer insights into innovative solutions that will enable us to meet our climate goals. Tomorrow, we'll highlight activism in action and how companies can address historically low levels of consumer trust with authentic, meaningful sustainability messaging and trends within the sustainability movement that are transforming our economy.