We are excited to announce that Growing Places Indy will be a part of the inaugural Indiana Sustainability and Resilience Conference, hosted by IUPUI and made possible by the McKinney Family Foundation. The conference will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, from 12 – 4:30 PM. The conference will be virtual due to recent events.
The conference aims to gather sustainability professionals and champions from across the state of Indiana. According to the website, the conference is “designed to showcase local successes, share best practices, engage in place-based problem solving, and facilitate collaboration to advance sustainability in the Hoosier state.”
This year’s conference will focus on the theme of Sustainability as an Economic Driver. Speakers will discuss how businesses in Indiana and across the nation have found sustainability is not just a wise marketing posture, but also an advantageous business strategy.
The conference will explore what businesses, communities, and nonprofits alike can gain from investing in sustainability, including improved stakeholder relations, risk management, driving competitive advantage, fostering innovation, and more.
Growing Places Indy is proud to be a part of the event, our Executive Director Victoria Beaty will moderate the Cultivating a Sustainable Food System in Indiana panel discussion.
The panel will feature some industry experts including:
- Nathan Shoaf, Purdue Extension, Urban Agriculture Coordinator
- Jennifer Wells, Senior Account Manager for the Eastern United States, Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN
- Chris Baggott, Owner of Tyner Pond Farm and ClusterTruck
- Rachael Lekić, Director of Sustainability, Patachou Inc.
Keynote speaker will deliver an address titled MegaTrends and the Big Pivot: Profit and Innovation in a Hotter, Scarcer, More Open & Connected World. The conference will also feature three breakout sessions including 12 workshops and panels, a plenary panel featuring Indiana’s business leaders, a virtual Expo Hall featuring vendors from across the state, and two hour-long virtual networking sessions. You can see the full agenda here.
Registration is open now and will close September 1, 2020. To register and learn more, head to IUPUI’s website.
