The conference returns to the Navy Yard in person

On Friday, over 450 local sustainability professionals attended the Green Building United Sustainability Symposium. The symposium was hosted at Penn State at the Navy Yard, a low-energy intensive Living Laboratory featuring all-electric buildings with sustainability features including green roofs, building automation systems, geothermal heat pumps, solar PVs, and more.

Sessions ranged from community partnerships for green strategies, energy equity, circular solutions, buildings as habitats, and more. Attendees also embarked on sustainability tours in the Navy Yard.

Brad Molotsky moderated a session about “Lessons Learned from Former Chief Sustainability Officers,” featuring four experts who created ESG programs, discussing their challenges and lessons learned. As Molotsky mentioned, women tend to be stronger communicators to convey sustainability initiatives in the workforce. But it’s important for companies to commit to ESG initiatives to attract employees. As Matthew Lobach (Hersha Hospitality) said, 76% of millennials want to work for a company that has social and environmental commitments.

Beyond the sessions, the conference had several sustainability initiatives, including aiming for zero waste (reusing nametags, reducing paper, and providing compostable plates, cups, and utensils.) To close the loop further, they partnered with Bottle Underground to recycle all glass and Bennett Compost to compost.

For food selections, they offered primarily vegetarian and vegan options to reduce the negative impact on carbon emissions, deforestation, habitat loss, and more. They partnered with WGLEnergy to offset emissions for attendee travel.

Photo: Green Building United on Facebook

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Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia. View all posts by Julie Hancher