Tag Archives: sustainability

3rd Annual USGBC FORWARD Symposium Seeks to Build A Greener Louisiana

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USGBC Louisiana’s Symposium on Sustainability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Event set to bring green industry leaders together to discuss how to move Louisiana’s sustainability efforts forward.

New Orleans, LA – October 2, 2018 – On Friday, October 19th, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) of Louisiana will host its third annual FORWARD Symposium on Sustainability at Tulane University’s Lavin-Bernick Center from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This year’s theme, “Shared Value, Equity & Growth: Designing a Strategy for a Sustainable Future,” will bring green industry professionals from across the region together to discuss how to move the state towards a more sustainable, resilient future.

The symposium attracts business and academic leaders regionally including member and non-member environmentalists, architects, educators, nonprofit leaders, and students. The one-day event offers presentations and discussions about green building in and around Louisiana and provides professionals with the opportunity to earn American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI) continued education units. The event will also include the Women in Sustainability Empower (WISE) breakfast, green school workshop, educational sessions, Sustainability Leadership Awards Luncheon, and a Tulane LEED building tour.

“Making Louisiana a greener, healthier place to live, work, and learn is our mission,” said Monica Gonzalez, the organization’s Chair. “FORWARD is an opportunity to showcase the great sustainability work happening across the region, to share best practices, and to create a collaborative platform that allows us to move conversations on Louisiana’s sustainability forward.”

The event day will kick-off at 7:30 a.m. with the annual WISE breakfast featuring keynote, Diana Guzman-Barraza, an international Energy & Sustainability Consultant who was featured on former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s 24 Hours of Reality broadcast on climate change. Guzman-Barraza’s presentation, “The Way Forward: Greening Louisiana for a Shared, Sustainable Future,” will be followed by a panel discussion comprised of women influencers, including: Guzman-Barraza, Donna M. Barry, Manager, Facilities Planning & Operations, Entergy Services, Inc., and Melissa Gibbs, Business Development & Small/Disadvantaged Contractor Outreach, Gibbs Construction.

The Sustainability Leadership Awards Luncheon from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. will feature keynote speaker David Pogue, Senior Vice President, Global Client Care & Sustainability, CBRE. Pogue’s presentation, “What Do You Want to Be Known For?” will be a challenge to corporations to demonstrate a more direct integration between corporate responsibility efforts and outcomes and their business activities. Pogue will also address the process CBRE and others have taken to identify and create sustainable solutions.

During the Leadership Award Luncheon, the USGBC will recognize individuals and teams who have demonstrated exceptional efforts to help green Louisiana.

Educational sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Other speakers include: Amanda Moore, Deputy Director, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Program, National Wildlife Federation; Camille Pollan, Energy Efficiency Program Manager, City of New Orleans; Arthur Johnson, CEO, Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED); Z Smith, Director of Sustainability & Performance, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple and Bob Keefe, Executive Director, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). To view the complete agenda, go to the USGBC website.

To attend the educational sessions, WISE breakfast and Leadership Luncheon, ticket prices are $125 for members and $150 for non-members. To attend the WISE breakfast only, the cost is $50. Students can attend the educational sessions for a special rate of $5. To learn more about USGBC Louisiana and the FORWARD Symposium, visit www.usgbclouisiana.org. For sponsorship opportunities visit, FORWARD sponsorship page.

About USGBC Louisiana

USGBC Louisiana is a chapter of the USGBC. The organization’s mission is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous Louisiana. The board executive committee members include: Monica Gonzalez, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Chair), Alejandra Guzman, New Orleans Business Alliance (Vice Chair), Richard Longman, WHLC, Architecture (Treasurer), Dru Lamb, HermanMiller (Secretary), Casius Pealer, Tulane School of Architecture (Special Counsel), and Amber Beezley, Tulane University (Ex Officio).

For more information:

Contact: Michelle Jackson

USGBC Louisiana Media Liaison

c. (678) 548-2461

events@prsolutionsllc.org

Durham, NC Teen Entrepreneurs Turning Pulp into Profits with Online Sustainability Platform

Business; public relations, i.Invest Competition, i.Invest Nat'l Youth Entrepreneur Business Competition, , , ,

Trofi Team Pic

Navami Jain, 17, Megan Wu, 17, Michelle Bao, 17 and Vincent Xia, 18 of Durham, North Carolina are one of this year’s competitors in the i.Invest National Youth Business Competition. Their company, Trofi, is a sustainability-driven venture that aims to reduce food waste while simultaneously offering new nutritional value to livestock farmers and their animals.

Tell us about your business.

Trofi’s online platform will enable suppliers of food by-products, such as fruit and vegetable pulp and spent grain, to connect and sell their “waste” products to livestock farmers who can then incorporate these nutrient-rich products into livestock feed as dietary supplements. After the products are reserved online, suppliers and farmers can negotiate all the details of the transaction, thus making the process convenient for farmers while offering a sustainable waste disposal method for suppliers. For just a small subscription cost each month, suppliers and buyers gain access to effortless connections, increased opportunity for transactions, and a chance to boost their green corporate image.

What inspired the creation of Trofi?

As students from a residential high school, we often go to local smoothie shops and juicers. As we watched the workers create our delicious drinks, we also noticed how much pulp comes from each drink. In fact, a standard 16 ounce of cold-pressed juice yields 4.5 pounds of pulp waste which, as we later found, contributed to the astonishing 175,000 pounds of pulp waste that ends up in landfills each year. After stumbling across an article that told of the incredible story of tons of orange pulp and peels turning nutrient-deprived land into loamy soil after years of decomposition, we wanted to see what fruit pulp could be turned into. Recognizing this problem, we seek solutions to reduce or repurpose this form of food waste besides just composting, which still has some environmental repercussions. Living in small towns in NC, we frequently visit Farmers’ Markets for fresh produce and local meats, eggs, or other dairy products. Supporting these farmers is important to us; therefore, we want to connect these two parties together. Waste from one source could be a hidden gem for the other.

How will Trofi impact the world?

Trofi offers benefits for both suppliers and buyers of the food byproduct items, as well as overall environmental benefit for the local communities. The suppliers – local juice stores, breweries, and other businesses – are able to reduce costs spent on waste disposal while recycling the nutrients that would otherwise be the “waste products” of their business. The buyers – local farmers – are able to enrich their animals’ diet with natural nutrients by paying a small price. Thus, both suppliers and buyers are connected to simultaneously promote sustainability at the highest level. Furthermore, because both suppliers and buyers are local businesses, we are supporting and promoting an economic exchange.

What are the next steps for Trofi?

Trofi currently does not have investors and is in the process of becoming an LLC to begin seeking investors. We would like to work towards incorporating an educational tool for farmers and suppliers on the online platform. While feeding animals food scraps isn’t a new concept, the research and educational tools can bring more awareness to this practice and better cater to the different needs of various types of livestock. We are seeking $8,000 to extend the functionality of our web-based platform, begin development of a mobile platform, and for marketing.

To stay abreast of Trofi’s progress in the i.Invest Competition, sign up for our newsletter at www.i-investcompetition.com. To provide support as a mentor or investor, email info@i-investcompetition.com.