Ei-Hosted Conference Panels

As a respected industry leader, Ei is called upon to host panels on topics relevant to national conferences. As the panel host, Ei Founder Holly Elmore crafts a pertinent panel topic, recruits Ei Industry Pioneers Industry ExpertsStrategic Allies, and  Advisory Council members to present on the panels, reviews panel PPT presentations to ensure seamless flow, and moderates the panel at the conference. The following details Ei-hosted panels.

Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective

May 25, 2023
Temple of Understand on-line webinar

The Temple of Understanding invited Ei to host the May monthly Eco Justice for ALL Dialogue. With the topic, Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective, Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore orchestrated the following panel of Ei Advisors as the dialogue speakers.
* Stephanie Barger -TRUE Certification for Zero Waste / U.S. Green Building Council Global Director of Market Transformation
* Simon Lamb -, author of award-winning Junglenomics
* Tim Trefzer – Honeycomb Strategies Event and Venue Sustainability VP, Sports & Venues.

Holly served as the dialogue moderator.

In addition to Ei Advisors, the panelists are members of Lambda Alpha International, a 90-year-old land economics honorary.

The RiA Magazine article, Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective, highlights the impressive dialogue; the entire Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective Dialogue is available for viewing on YouTube.

COASTAL-WATER QUALITY: Challenges, Solutions, and Economic Impact

February 17,2023
LAI Global Webinar – online

On February 17 Lambda Alpha International (LAI, a land-economics honorary) hosted the Global Webinar Coastal-Water Quality: Challenges, Solutions, and Economic Impact presented by Sarasota’s environmental leadership. As a member of the LAI executive committee, Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore orchestrated the webinar.

The global webinar was the second program in an eighteen-month series about water and land economics around the globe hosted by the LAI Global Water Group.

LAI At-Large Members from Florida’s Central Gulf Coast shared on global-coastal-water challenges along with the economic impact to the local and regional communities. With a well-orchestrated plan, via the Water Playbook, community organizations execute programs designed to prevent water contamination from land use and to cleanse contaminates in the water.

The Sarasota Bay Report Card documents achievements and remaining challenging scenarios. Teamwork is required for success with support provided by local, state, and federal governments as well as the community (foundations and taxpayers.)

Sarasota ROCKS when it comes to water-quality commitments; after all, the local economy and way of life depend on healthy waters!

The RiA article, Coastal-Water Quality: Challenges, Solutions, and Economic Impact, gives an in-depth synopsis of the empowering presentations; the 90-minute recorded webinar may be viewed at this LINK.

Below are the panelists along with their respective PPT presentations available for download:
• David Tomasko, Ph,D, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Executive Director: State of the Bay, How to Meet Water-Quality Goals
• Jon Thaxton, Gulf Coast Community Foundation Senior Vice President Community Investment: Water-Quality Playbook
• Christine Johnson, Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast President: Conservation Easements
• Sandy Gilbert, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide Chair: Healthy Stormwater Ponds

Compost’s Empowering Role in Sustainable Soils

January 23, 2018
2018 U.S. Composting Council Conference
Atlanta, GA

Ei Founder Holly Elmore moderated the popular Ei-hosted panel, Compost’s Empowering Role in Sustainable Soils, the conference’s most popular break-out session. Per the program, the following is the panel description:

Soil is the foundation of life. Healthy, vibrant soil eco-systems are the building blocks for healthy communities with effective stormwater-management programs, solid erosion-control systems, and nutritious urban-food production. … and compost feeds the soil eco-systems!

Industry experts shared about compost’s empowering role in carbon sequestration/climate change, soil-management systems grounded in solid economics, and green-urban infrastructure.

The ZWA Blog article, GAME WON: 2018 compost conference a record-breaking success, features the Ei-hosted panel.

Below are the panelists along with their respective PPT presentations available for download:

2016 NZWBC Ei-Hosted Panels

June 2 & 3, 2016
Austin, TX

Ei Founder Holly Elmore moderated two concurrent panels at the 2016 National Zero Waste Business Council Conference: Food Waste Composting: Challenges, Lessons Learned & Successes and The Macro Cost of Micro Contamination. Ei Strategic Allies & Industry Experts served on the panels and shared their expertise and experiences. The ZWA blog article, The Macro Cost of Micro Contamination, gives a synopsis of the powerful panel. For more in-depth information, visit the National Zero Waste Business Conferences Page.

The Macro Cost of Micro Contamination

June 3, 2016
2016 National Zero Waste Business Conference
Austin, TX

The Ei-hosted panel introduced The Macro Cost of Micro Contamination focus area within the Recycling Refinement platform. Ei Partner Rick Lombardo of NaturTec and Lia Colabella with Five Gyres educated on the prolific microplastic pollution in the oceans | waterways and our soils. Ei Founder Holly Elmore moderated the panel. The ZWA Blog article, The Macro Cost of Micro Contamination, is a panel synopsis.

PPT presentations are available for download below

Food-Waste Composting: Challenges, Lessons Learned & Successes

June 2, 2016
2015 National Zero Waste Business Council
Austin, TX

Ei Founder Holly Elmore orchestrated and moderated an Ei-hosted panel on the many facets of food-waste composting, ranging from packaging | labeling, food-waste collection at corporate & college campuses to food-waste compost manufacturing. Below are the panelists along with their respective PPT presentations available for download:

Getting to Zero Waste: Composting at Special Events

January 26, 2016
2016 U.S. Composting Council: Soils for a Greener World
Jacksonville, FL

At the 2016 USCC Conference, Ei hosted a well attended 90-minute panel presentation, Getting to Zero Waste: Composting at Special Events, sponsored by Ei Partner NatureWorks. Moderated by Ei Founder Holly Elmore, the panel showcased the Zero-Food Waste Journeys at two prominent Atlanta-annual events. Panel members included Ei Partner Doug Kunnemann of NatureWorks, Ei Partner Ken Fraser of EcoProducts, Ei Supporter Boyd Leake of Community Environment & the City of Atlanta, and Ei Supporter Kristen Baskin of Let Us Compost.

The ZWA Blog article, 2016 USCC Conference: Soils for a Greener World, showcases the Ei panel.

Below are the panel PPT presentations available for download:
2016 USCC – Ei ZW Intro & Event Overviews PPT (4350 KB)

Zero Waste at Multi-Tenant Properties

May 7, 2015
National Zero Waste Conference
Los Angeles, CA

On the second-conference day, Ei hosted a panel educating on the zero-waste challenges inherent within multi-tenant facilities. Ei Partner Matt Hupp of Keter Environmental Services shared challenges, lessons learned, and successes at shopping centers; Ei Strategic Ally USZWBC President Sue Beets spoke on the important role of janitorial services: Ei General Counsel Greg Chafee with Thompson Hine shared the importance of legally binding contract provisions in mulit-tenant facility zero-waste success. The ZWA Blog article, Zero Waste Makes Good Business Sense, features NZWBC conference-breakout sessions along with Ei’s strong conference participation.

Panel PPT presentations are available for download below:

Source Separation Maximizes Material Value

May 6, 2015
National Zero Waste Business Conference
Los Angeles, CA

Based on the Ei Source-Separated Materials Template Pilot premises, Ei hosted a panel on the important role source-separating materials plays for retaining material value and creating recycling-profit centers. Ei Partner Rick Lombardo of NaturTec focused on how food waste contaminates other materials; Ei Pioneer Tim Trefzer with the Georgia World Congress Center shared practical examples from the nation’s fourth largest convention center; Nadereh Afsharmanesh with Earth Friendly Products (EFP) 2014 NZWBC – Nature-Tec (9870 KB)educated on EFP’s profitable zero-waste success at their manufacturing plants.

The ZWA Blog article, Zero Waste Makes Good Business Sense, features NZWBC conference-breakout sessions along with Ei’s strong conference participation.

Panel PPT presentations are available for download below:

The Atlanta Zero-Waste Story

May 8, 2014
2014 National Zero Waste Business Conference
Atlanta, GA

Ei Founder Holly Elmore orchestrated and moderated the NZWBC opening conference panel. Atlanta sustainability leaders representing government, non-profit, and business shared their role in shaping Atlanta’s zero-waste past, present and future. The ZWA Blog article, Atlanta Shines as Zero Waste Conference Host City, provides an in-depth synopsis on Ei Partners’ and Strategic Allies’ role in the conference program.

Panelists, along with their respective PPT presntations, are listed below:

Recycling Refinement … moving beyond landfill diversion

May 9, 2014
National Zero Waste Business Conference
Atlanta, GA

Within Ei’s Recycling Refinement Platform, industry pioneers create zero-waste practices that align with Recycling Integritymaintaining maximum-material value with minimal energy expended. The Ei-hosted panel educated about a template in-development that gives the corporate community an alternative to single-stream recycling while improving bottom lines. Ei Founder Holly Elmore moderated the empowering panel.

Ei Partner panelists, along with their respective PPT presentations, are listed below:

Scaling-Up Composting in Charlotte, NC

May 8, 2014
National Zero Waste Business Council
Atlanta, GA

Through a grant from EPA Region IV and participation from government at all levels, a diverse team brings organics and compostable-packaging diversion beyond the pilot phase. The grant team is working with Charlotte-area businesses to turn waste into value through composting food scraps and appropriate packaging. The project partners hope to accelerate the rate at which sustainable materials-management practices are adopted by municipalities and private companies across the United States.

Ei Founder Holly Elmore orchestrated and moderated the powerful panel consisting of EPA grant team members:

2013 National Zero Waste Business Conference

May 8-9, 2013
National Zero Waste Business Conference
Cincinnati, OH

Across the board zero-waste success is anchored in a team approach, engaging employees, suppliers, and the community. As the first Ei-hosted panel, Ei Partners presented on how the hospitality industry harnessed team synergies and created programs where the entire value chain and the community benefits. Ei Founder Holly Elmore moderated the Zero Waste is a Team Sport panel discussion:

For details on the panel presentations see the ZWA Blog post, Zero Waste is a Team Sport, a powerful USZWBC conference panel.

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