Defending Our Future Download
- Conference Packet PDF for Defending Our Future, PERC's April 12th 2018 Conference on Penn State's University Park campus
Defending Our Future, PERC's Fall Conference and Annual Meeting will be held on April 12th on Penn State's University Park campus. It will feature Rear Admiral Dave Titley, founding director of the Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk as our keynote speaker. Dr. Titley has spoken across the country and throughout the world on the importance of climate change as it relates to National Security.
More about Admiral Titley and his keynote can be found below. Dr. Titley's talk is, of course, just one part of what will be an action-packed day. We are planning on panels and speakers that are certain to provide valuable takeaways about sustainability practices and results on campuses across the commonwealth. For a fuller description of the day, visit sessions page.
| 8:00 AM |
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Check-in / Networking/ Coffee and light breakfast |
| 8:30 AM |
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Welcome/Intros |
| 8:40 AM |
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Dr. Paul Shrivastava, Chief Sustainability Officer of Penn State University |
| 8:50 AM |
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Panel- Campus Sustainability Champions. Some of the 2017-2018 CSCs share their best practices |
| 9:30 AM |
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"Strength in Numbers" -Exploring the idea of building a PERC group to purchase renewables in bulk |
| 10:10 AM |
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Networking Break |
| 10:30 AM |
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PA Higher Ed Food Recovery Challenge… Best Practices from EPA National Award Recipient Ursinus College and insights from fellow award winner Sodexo |
| 11:10 AM |
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"Less Pizzazz, More Payback"-the way energy efficiency projects benefit your sustainability bottom line |
| 11:50 AM |
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Sponsor Spotlight: Brookfield Renewables |
| 11:55 AM |
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Lunch/ Networking/ Poster Session |
| 1:00 PM |
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"Going to Zero" --Colleges working with Communities on Climate Change |
| 1:40 PM |
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Networking break |
| 2:00 PM |
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“Climate Change and National Security: People Not Polar Bears" -Keynote speech by Admiral David Titley |
| 3:00 PM |
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Sustainability Café |
| 4:15 PM |
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Closing Remarks |
| 4:30 PM |
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Conference ends |
Keynote Speaker: Admiral David Titley
Admiral Titley is a nationally known expert in the field of climate, the Arctic, and National Security. He served as a naval officer for 32 years and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. Dr. Titley serves on numerous advisory boards and National Academies of Science committees, including the CNA Military Advisory Board, the Center for Climate and Security and the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Among numerous other recognitions for his work, Admiral Titley is one of the Climate 25, a project (below) that features interviews with "the world's 25 most compelling voices" on climate change.
Keynote Abstract...
Climate Change and National Security
People not Polar Bears
This talk will discuss why climate change is a national security issue. Climate change is about people, about water, and about change itself. Admiral Titley will cover some of the basic science and why mainstream climate scientists are very confident of their findings, how this challenge is being addressed, and what are the greatest challenges to national security that arise from climate change. He will conclude with an assessment of future challenges and opportunities regarding climate change, from science, policy, and political perspectives. In addition, this talk will address how to effectively talk about climate change through the use of analogies, plain, non-jargon English, and even a little humor.
This conference is made possible by the Sustainability Institute at Penn State. Support also comes from all of PERC's sponsors, including Sodexo, NextEra, Brookfield Renewables and Schneider Electric.