Sustainable Operations Summit 2008
Walking the Talk: Reducing our Environmental Footprint Agenda
November 18-20, 2008
Forest Products Laboratory
Madison, WI
Objectives
- To tackle climate change by connecting sustainable operations and sustainable resource management
- To share stories, ideas and resources that will help us reduce our environmental footprint and identify areas for further work
- To open dialogue on policy issues in sustainable operations across geographic, organizational, and agency boundaries, and link policy to practice
- To support local or regional involvement in place-based sustainable partnerships
- To model green meeting practices, including the use of technology to reduce the environmental impacts of travel
In addition to all the valuable information shared and learned, the Forest Service also generated some serious emissions savings by using video conferencing and webinars. This year’s summit had 76 in-person and over 380 virtual participants at 25 sites. If we compare this to last year’s summit, we saved at least 133 tons of CO2-equivalent from being emitted due to travel. Furthermore, this year’s virtual summit enabled us to connect with many more Forest Service employees than a conventional summit would have, and we saved some serious green ($$) by being so green!
Tuesday, November 18: The National Perspective
9:00 am Welcome from Eastern Leadership
- Chris Risbrudt, Director, Forest Products Laboratory
- Kathryn Maloney, Director, Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry
- Kent Connaughton, Regional Forester, USFS Eastern Region
9:30 am National Sustainability Vision of the Forest Service
- Abigail Kimbell, Chief, US Forest Service
10:15 am Keynote Speaker
- Social Innovation: an agency based approach to managing for resilience, Frances Westley, J.W. McConnell Chair in Social Innovation, University of Waterloo
11:15 am National Sustainability Leadership Panel
(Video conference)
Moderators: Anna Jones Crabtree and Glenda Wilson, Forest Service Region 2
- Boyd Rutherford, Assistant Secretary for Administration, USDA
USDA Sustainable Operations Council: First Year Accomplishments [ppt, 1.16 MB] - David Cleaves, Associate Deputy Chief, Research & Development, USFS
- Jacque Myers, Associate Deputy Chief for Business Operations, USFS
- Ann Bartuska. Deputy Chief, Research and Development, USFS
1:00 pm Concurrent Sessions I: Reducing our Footprint
Energy I : Reducing Energy Consumption
- Existing Infrastructure- Monitoring and Reducing Energy Consumption [ppt, 4.29 MB] , Art Johnston, Technical Services Team, USFS Region 9,
Water
- Watershed Protection and Conservation and Sustainable Management [ppt, 4.88 MB] , Bonnie Ilhardt, Regional Watershed & Riparian Program Manager, USFS Region 9
- Sustainable Operations: Water in the Built Environment [ppt, 1.25 MB], Sarah Baker, Regional Water/Wastewater Engineer, USFS Region 3
Waste & Recycling
- The Third R–Re-use [ppt, 20.85 MB], Amy Sausen, The Bruce Company of Wisconsin, Inc.
- Challenges of and Insights into Starting a Recycling Program [ppt, 152 kb], Lisa Noble, Community Organizer
- Strategies for Waste Management Reduction in Federal Facilities [ppt, 1.35 MB], Leigh Leonard, Associate, PRIZM, Inc.
2:30 pm Concurrent Sessions I: Reducing our Footprint (repeat of above sessions)
3:45 pm Local events
Wednesday, November 19: Local and Regional Perspectives
8:30 am Keynote speaker: Steady State Sustainability
Paul DeLong, Wisconsin State Forester
9:30 am Concurrent Sessions II: Reducing our Footprint
Energy II: Renewable Energy
- Net Zero Energy Houses and Offices [ppt, 2.9 MB], Mel Tyree, Scientist, USFS Northern Research Station
Transportation
- Transportation Options in the Eastern Sierra [ppt, 5.92MB], Matt Peterson, Recreation Planner, Inyo National Forest
- Shuttle Operations for Maroon Bells Scenic Area [ppt, 12.8 MB], Martha Moran, Recreation Staff, White River National Forest, Aspen Ranger District
Green Purchasing
- BioPreferred – Making a Difference with Biobased Products [ppt, 600 kb], Boyd Rutherford, Assistant Secretary for Administration, USDA
- Buying Green from the AbilityOne Program [ppt, 5.37 MB], Shawn Spengler, Director of Product Management, National Industries for the Blind
- The Green Purchasing Program at USDA [ppt, 7.04 MB], Mark Sajbel, Program Analyst, USDA Environmental Management Division
11:00 am Concurrent Sessions II: Reducing our Footprint (repeat of above sessions)
2:00 pm Plenary Speaker
- Water Management, Ecosystem Adaptation and Biofuels [ppt, 35.99 MB], Dr. Faith Ann Heinsch, Research Scientist, University of Montana, Missoula
3:00 pm Plenary Speaker
- Impacts of Climate Change on Fire, Smoke and Air Quality [ppt, 86.98 MB], Dr. Wei Min Hao, Senior Scientist, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station
4:00 pm Question & Answers with plenary speakers
7:00 pm Awards Ceremony
Thursday, November 20: Working Together for Sustainable Communities
9:00 am Concurrent Sessions III: Walking the Talk Together
Sustainable Building Design: LEED Certification
Panel Discussion of FS LEED Buildings, what LEED points FS goes after, and lessons learned
- Kurt Kretvix, Technical Services Team Leader/Project Manager, US Forest Service Region 9
- Randy Warbington, Facilities Program Manager, US Forest Service Region 8
- Todd Michael, Engineer, US Forest Service Region 2
Climate Policy
- Climate Change: the North American Policy Landscape [ppt, 1.29 MB], Justin Felt, Senior Analyst, Point Carbon
- Land Use, Forests and Agriculture in a Post-Kyoto Climate Change Agreement [ppt, 240 kb], Chris Farley, USFS International Programs
- Ecosystem Service Markets [ppt, 6.06 MB], Rob Doudrick, Director of Resource Use Sciences, USFS
- Peak Oil: Implications for Sustinable Natural Resource Management [ppt, 789 kb], David Trauger, Associate Dean, Graduate School, Virginia Tech
Engaging Youth and Communities
- Ashlee Ransom, Urban Connections Program Specialist, USFS Region 9
- Urban Connections Today [ppt, 538 kb], Arlene White, Urban Connections Coordinator, USFS Region 9
- Place-Based Sustainable Partnerships [ppt, 14.58 MB], Nick Schmal, Regional Fish & Aquatic Ecology Program Leader, USFS Region 9
- America’s Outdoors [ppt, 836 kb], Jean Claassen, Public Affairs Specialist, USFS Region 9
10:45 am Concurrent Sessions IV: Walking the Talk Together
The Science of Sustainability
Panelists:
- Trista Patterson, PNW Research Station, USFS
- Anna Jones Crabtree, USFS Region 2, Beyond BTUs…Building the Cultural Shift of Sustainable Operations [ppt, 1.16 MB]
- Pat Winter, PSW Research Station, USFS, Insights from PSW and Region 5 Sustainable Operations Survey [ppt, 168 kb]
- Sarah Baker, Region 3, USFS, Environmental Management Systems [ppt, 1.96 MB]
- Ann Bartuska, Deputy Chief, Research and Development, USFS
Tribal Perspectives on Sustainability
- Partnerships for Developing and Implementing Green Operations [ppt, 10.9 MB], Mike Dockry, Liaison to Sustainable Development Institute - College of Menominee Nation, USFS, Forest Products Laboratory
- Tribal Colleges and Green Operations [ppt, 3.27 MB], Melissa Cook and Beau Mitchell, College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute
- Opportunities for Renewable Energy in Indian Country [ppt, 6.28 MB], Faline Haven, Office of Tribal Relations, US Forest Service
- Oneida Nation of Wisconsin: Sustainable Planning and Operations [ppt, 15.34 MB], John Breuninger, MPH, Area Manager for Planning and Statistics, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
Sustainable Sites: Linking Landscapes and Communities
- Introduction [ppt, 3.04 MB], Matt Arnn
- Design for Sustainable Systems [ppt, 18.25 MB], Jim Patchett, Founder and President, Conservation Design Forum
- Fluid Situation, Sustainable Sites and Systems [ppt, 7.38 MB], Martin Yoklic, Faculty Researcher, University of Arizona
- USDA Sustainable Landscape Partnership [ppt, 5.89 MB], Matt Arnn, Area Landscape Architect, Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry, USFS and Bob Snieckus, National Landscape Architect, USDA Natural Resources conservation Service
1:30 pm Extreme Environmental Footprint Makeover Premiere
- Joe Alexander, Deer River Ranger District, Chippewa National Forest
- Extreme Makeover Video [mov, 168 MB]
- Extreme Makeover Video Script [doc] [txt]
2:30 pm Keynote speaker, Aldo Leopold and the Politics of Place
- Dan Shilling, Director of The Civic Tourism Project
- Handout [pdf, 6.78 MB]
3:30 pm Closing Message
- Kent Connaughton, Regional Forester, Eastern Region
3:45 pm Summary of Summit Highlights
- Summary - Sustainable Operations 2008 Summit [ppt, 1.35 MB]
4:30 pm End of Official Summit Activities
Last Modified: 12/30/2008
