SF Bay Climate Tech: Oct 23 - Oct 30
VERGE, a visit to Living Carbon's greenhouse, climate tech demo days from IndieBio, Dream.org, and Australia, resilient cities, and more events this week
Hi friends,
It’s 🎉 VERGE week! While many of you will be at the conference, there’s no shortage of side events. For those of you new to climate, VERGE is one of the largest climate tech conferences out there, and it generally attracts attendees from around the world.
Meanwhile, there’s plenty more going on this week:
Tonight hear about Climate Tech down under at the 🇦🇺 Australian Climate Tech Pitch Night at Mindspace in SF
Learn about VERGE’s work to make a sustainable conference at a 🌿 VIP 'Behind the Scenes' Sustainability Tour on Tuesday
Wednesday, head to Hayward for 🌳 Living Carbon’s Open (Green)House to learn about how they propagate and research climate-smart trees that have the power to sequester more carbon and store it for longer.
Also Wednesday in SF, swing by the 🧬 IndieBio SF Demo Day to learn about biotech solutions for climate (and more)
Hear from Black and Latinx entrepreneurs on Thursday at the 🍀 Climate Tech Dream.Org Launchpad Demo Day
We’re also happy this week to continue our series highlighting organizations making a difference on the local level with a profile of the Resilient Cities Network from the inimitable Kathy Z. Read on to learn about their work.
As always, scroll down for the full list of upcoming events.
Cheers,
Alec, Kathy, Sonam, and the Climate Tech Cities Team
Resilient Cities Network: Change at the speed of trust
We recently connected with Lauren Sorkin, Co-founder & Executive Director of Resilient Cities Network, to get their expert view on how networks can strengthen resilience and accelerate climate solutions in cities. Interview and summary by Kathy Zhang.
Why are urban networks so important?
Cities crucially concentrate risks related to climate impacts, bearing the brunt of the global estimate of $520 billion/year in costs of climate-related disasters. Cities are also warming up twice as fast as rural areas, and addressing urban heat–at its core–is a matter of equity. [Editor’s note: learn more about NY’s local Extreme Heat Coalition here]. These trends highlight the urgent need for cities to adapt to changing climate patterns.
How does Resilient Cities Network work? What is the “network effect”?
The Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) started with the 100 Resilient Cities initiative, launched with an initial investment of $164M from the Rockefeller Foundation, which placed Chief Resilience Officers (CROs) across 100 cities globally. Many cities have continued funding these vital roles, with CROs designing and implementing projects that often secure additional finances, such as FEMA grants. Cities know the way, and R-Cities equips cities with necessary tools, resources, and financing to reduce urban vulnerabilities and enable residents to flourish amidst uncertainties.
We work through CROs to strengthen the connective tissue of global resilience so cities can respond rather than react, and we try to connect cities facing similar shocks and stresses to share best practices. For example, Sura–a city in India under routine flood risk–committed to using "water squares" to manage flooding after visiting Rotterdam, which uses these sunken areas to collect overflow water that serve as community spaces when dry.
While new technologies are critical to accelerating climate resilience, there’s a lot that cities can do with existing technology. Change happens at the speed of trust. We strengthen the trust among our network by creating spaces to help members to find new perspectives and solutions, and bringing them to the right people at the right time.
How do you see cities using reporting/rating frameworks for decision making?
Cities use a lot of different reporting frameworks; there’s a lot of variability. We use the City Resilience Framework to evaluate shocks and stresses experienced by cities. While some cities are taking on global reporting standards to measure progress, there are huge opportunities to integrate and standardize existing frameworks across different urban contexts.
What’s your call to action to the climate tech community?
We all need to scale climate action through partners. If you have a solution, think about how you can link up and scale. Think about equity: how do we get climate solutions to where they’re needed most?
🌎 Climate Tech Cities and Streetlife Ventures Startup and Talent Platforms
Climate Tech Cities and Streetlife Ventures are launching new platforms to support climate founders, funders, and career transitioners! There is no shortage of great companies raising money for their groundbreaking ideas, great investors looking to support with capital, and great talent living the mantra that every job is a climate job. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Community Shoutouts
Climate Innovation Program Update Workshop
The California Energy Commission (CEC) will host a workshop to provide an update on development of the Climate Innovation Program, present potential funding topics, and gather public input on solicitation design. The public can participate in the workshop. Thursday, November 2, 2023 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(Thanks to Katharine Bierce for the heads up!)
Events This Week
🎬 Advance screening: Life on Our Planet: Mon, Oct 23
🇦🇺 Australian Climate Tech Pitch Night: Mon, Oct 23
🏡 Tiny House Bootcamp: Tue, Oct 24
🌿 VIP 'Behind the Scenes' Sustainability Tour: GreenBiz Verge 2023: Tue, Oct 24
🏙️ Reducing Whole Life Carbon From Buildings – How And Why: Tue, Oct 24
🌱 LG NOVA Innovation Festival: Wed, Oct 25
🧬 IndieBio SF Demo Day (Batch 14): Wed, Oct 25
🎥 The Art of Sustainable Filmmaking: A Workshop: Wed, Oct 25
👩🌾 Regenerative Agriculture Salon: Wed, Oct 25
🌳 Living Carbon Open (Green)House: Wed, Oct 25
💵 Climate Co-investment: A Critical Vehicle for the Climate Tech Sector: Thu, Oct 26
📊 Sustainable San Mateo Indicators Report Launch: Thu, Oct 26
🍀 Climate Tech Dream.Org Launchpad Demo Day: Thu, Oct 26
🌊 2023 Contra Costa County Creek and Watershed Symposium: Thu, Oct 26
💸 In-Person Event with Allspring: Thu, Oct 26
⚡️ Climate and Clean Tech Mixer for Graduate Students: Fri, Oct 27
👗 AW23 San Fran Salon Privée & 'Accelerating Sustainability' Author Talk: Sat, Oct 28
Read on for more details about this week’s happenings and upcoming events this month
Upcoming Events
🌊 Planning Policy for Bayshore Climate Hazards: Mon, Oct 30
🎓 Sustainability Campus Tour: Mon, Oct 30
🌐 Climate Masterminds: Wed, Nov 1
🦪 Eating for the Health of our Oceans: Wed, Nov 1
🌱 THRIVE Global Impact Summit: Thu, Nov 2
🌊 MCL Business-Environment Breakfast with Assemblymember Damon Connolly: Fri, Nov 3
🎁 Sustainable Gift Workshop: Fri, Nov 3
💨 Bringing Offshore Wind to California: A Conversation With CA's CEC and CPUC: Mon, Nov 6
🏗️ Whole Life Carbon - A Window Into The Full Impacts of Projects: Tue, Nov 7
⚡️ Women Energy Associates Fall 2023 Meeting: Tue, Nov 7
🔌 The Council's 2023 Fall Conference: Wed, Nov 8
🌿 Contra Costa County & The IRA Networking Meet Up: Thu, Nov 9
🌳 Sustainable Resilience: Catalyzing Innovations : Thu, Nov 9
👩🔬 Climate - Careers, Investment, Action: Thu, Nov 9
🏆 2023 AIA East Bay Design Awards Gala: Thu, Nov 9
🧶 2023 Fibershed Symposium: Relationships of Change: Fri, Nov 10
🎉 Party for the Planet! -- A Benefit Bash for Save Mount Diablo: Sat, Nov 11
🍽️ FOOD FUNDED 2023 Regenerate: Mon, Nov 13
🏥 SOUL Food Salon- How Climate Change is Affecting our Health: Wed, Nov 15
🍻 People over Plastic Happy Hour: Wed, Nov 15
🌲 Climate of Hope: Building Climate Resilient Communities: Wed, Nov 15
🏢 The George Tour | USGBC Northern California: Thu, Nov 16
✨ Climate Optimists Club with Hypha Network: Thu, Nov 16
🍽️ Break Bread Sunday #5 at Manny's: Sun, Nov 19
🌳 Green Friday Member Mixer: Fri, Nov 24
🌱 American Sustainable Business Network 2023 Conference: Wed, Nov 29
Event Details
🎬 Advance screening: Life on Our Planet
When: Mon, Oct 23rd from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Where: Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center Street, Berkeley, CA
Join us for a sneak preview of a groundbreaking Netflix series that combines documentary and visual effects to explore the epic story of evolution, mass extinctions, and the survival of life on Earth. The event includes screenings of two episodes and a virtual Q&A with the filmmakers and Jason Spingarn-Koff, a professor and climate journalist who worked on the series. Don't miss this opportunity to gain a better understanding of climate change through innovative storytelling.
🇦🇺 Australian Climate Tech Pitch Night
When: Mon, Oct 23rd from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Where: 575 Market St, Level 4, San Francisco, CA 94105
We invite you to join the Climate Salad and Austrade’s San Francisco Landing Pad for an evening of climate tech networking, VC climate tech investor panel, and founder pitches in San Francisco, during the Climate Salad International Trade Mission to the US.
🏡 Tiny House Bootcamp
When: Tue, Oct 24th from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Where: Tiny Oakland, We are located in East Oakland., Oakland, CA
The Tiny House Bootcamp is a fun and informative event where you'll learn everything you need to know about setting up a tiny house on your property. You'll learn about the benefits and challenges of owning a tiny house, see some amazing tiny homes up close, and connect with like-minded people.
🌿 VIP 'Behind the Scenes' Sustainability Tour: GreenBiz Verge 2023
When: Tue, Oct 24th from 3:30 PM to 6:45 PM
Where: San Jose McEnery Convention Center, 150 West San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA
Join this exclusive tour for a peek behind the scenes of GreenBiz Group VERGE 2023. GreenBiz Group events convene the brightest minds within the intersection of sustainability, technology and business - but their focus on sustainability doesn't stop at content. On this tour, GreenBiz event organizers and partners will share some insights on their sustainability efforts, including topics such as F&B planning, addressing food waste, waste signage, energy use, carbon accounting, water restoration, and powering the mainstage via the VERGE MicroGrid.
🏙️ Reducing Whole Life Carbon From Buildings – How And Why
When: Tue, Oct 24th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Where: AIA East Bay, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA
This event will introduce concepts and tools for tracking and reducing carbon emissions from buildings. The session will focus on free and easy-to-use tools for estimating carbon emissions at all stages of design, with a particular emphasis on early project phases. It will also discuss the new mandatory CalGreen requirements on embodied carbon.
🌳 Living Carbon Open (Green)House
When: Wed, Oct 25th from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Where: Hayward, CA (Register for address)
Join us for a unique experience at Living Carbon's Greenhouse, where we grow and take care of our climate-smart trees. Our team will guide you through the exciting world of trees and the transformative journey from tissue culture to the thriving canopy of our future forests. At Living Carbon, we are passionate about mitigating climate change through the remarkable potential of plants. Our greenhouse is the heart of our mission, where we propagate and research our climate-smart seedlings that have the power to sequester more carbon and store it for longer.
🌱 LG NOVA Innovation Festival
When: Wed, Oct 25th from 12:00 AM to Thu, Oct 26th at 12:00 AM
Where: The Hibernia, 1 Jones Street, San Francisco, CA
The LG NOVA Innovation Festival brings together innovators to discuss next-generation solutions for digital health, sustainability, mobility, smart life, and other emerging areas. Attendees can actively participate, share ideas, and connect with industry experts, investors, and LG executives. Focused on 'growth through innovation' and achieving a more sustainable future, the event is hosted by LG NOVA, LG Electronics’ North America Center for Innovation.
🧬 IndieBio SF Demo Day (Batch 14)
When: Wed, Oct 25th from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Where: IndieBio San Francisco, 2565 3rd St., San Francisco, CA
IndieBio San Francisco - Batch 14 Demo Day debuts some of the top curated startups in climate tech, biotech and deep tech.
🎥 The Art of Sustainable Filmmaking: A Workshop
When: Wed, Oct 25th from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Where: David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA
Join BFF for a lunchtime workshop with filmmaker Henry Kinder to learn techniques and practices for making film production environmentally sustainable. Discover ways to reduce your film's carbon footprint, communicate with teammates, establish on-set protocols, track emissions, and score your finished project. Attendees will receive a digital toolkit with the day's learnings.
👩🌾 Regenerative Agriculture Salon
When: Wed, Oct 25th from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Where: Wells Fargo C420, Haas School of Business, 2220 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley, CA
This event will bring students, community members, regenerative agriculture practitioners, investors, and more together to discuss the role of various forms of capital in building a new agriculture paradigm. We will begin with a brief introductory panel with words from leaders across the investing spectrum including venture capital, catalytic capital, family offices, philanthropy, equity & justice, and growth capital. We will then transition to a conversational and social reception with light bites, beer, and wine.
💵 Climate Co-investment: A Critical Vehicle for the Climate Tech Sector
When: Thu, Oct 26th from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Where: Hyatt Place San Jose/Downtown, 282 Almaden Boulevard, San Jose, CA
Before heading out on the final day of Verge, SecondMuse, Vibrant Data Labs, and ImpactAlpha want to invite climate investors and funders together for a chance to learn about a new tool that can help make co-investment in climate tech easier - and of course provide the setting for one last round of networking.
📊 Sustainable San Mateo Indicators Report Launch
When: Thu, Oct 26th from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
Where: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Community Space, 801 Jefferson Avenue, Redwood City, CA
Sustainable San Mateo County’s 27th Annual Indicators Report will be unveiled on Thursday, October 26 at a free event featuring the county superintendent of schools, the county manager and other experts discussing the many factors that have made life challenging for children, youth and families in recent years. The report and the speakers will make recommendations regarding what local leaders and residents can do to ensure a better future. Attendees will be invited to enjoy a light breakfast and networking before the program begins.
🍀 Climate Tech Dream.Org Launchpad Demo Day
When: Thu, Oct 26th from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Where: San Jose Marriott, 301 South Market Street, San Jose, CA
Join us for a groundbreaking event, at Verge - Dream.Org Climate Tech Demo Day & Showcase, where we shine a spotlight on ten innovative Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. This event marks the culmination of the inaugural cohort of the Dream.Org Climate Tech Launchpad. Don't miss this opportunity to witness groundbreaking solutions and celebrate diversity in the climate tech space. Join us for Verge - The Demo Day & Showcase and be part of a climate tech revolution!
🌊 2023 Contra Costa County Creek and Watershed Symposium
When: Thu, Oct 26th from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Where: Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive, Pleasant Hill, CA
Join us for the Intergenerational Watershed Stewardship Symposium, where we will explore collaborative solutions to the implications of our changing climate. The event includes keynote speakers, panel discussions, field trips, and networking opportunities. Tickets are available for purchase, with early bird pricing until September 26, 2023. Everyone is invited to attend, regardless of financial ability.
💸 In-Person Event with Allspring
When: Thu, Oct 26th from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Where: Allspring Global Investments, 525 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
An exclusive in-person event featuring prominent figures in sustainable investing and emerging markets. Join us for an insightful discussion with Chris McKnett, Head of Sustainable Strategy, and Alison Shimada, Senior Portfolio Manager. A great opportunity for networking and learning about the latest developments in sustainable investing and emerging markets.
⚡️ Climate and Clean Tech Mixer for Graduate Students
When: Fri, Oct 27th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Where: The Lightbox Cafe, 221 Main Street, San Francisco, CA
Young Professionals in Energy SF Bay Area is hosting a Climate and Clean Tech Mixer for Graduate Students. Join us to meet and mingle with students from all schools in the Bay Area, learn about other programs and career opportunities, and expand your network. Light refreshments will be provided. YPE is a global nonprofit organization that supports young professionals in the energy sector through networking and knowledge sharing events.
👗 AW23 San Fran Salon Privée & 'Accelerating Sustainability' Author Talk
When: Sat, Oct 28th from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: The Fairmont, Nob Hill, 950 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA
Join us for aperitifs & a uniquely personal introduction to the award-winning DEPLOY sustainable fashion collection from Dr. Bernice Pan. DEPLOY is a high-scoring certified B Corp and winner of the 2023 Sustainability Award. Bernice will also share a short introduction to the book 'Accelerating Sustainability in Fashion, Clothing & Textiles' which she co-edited and co-wrote.