Summit on Sustainability

The Summit on Sustainability will take place on Tuesday, October 29th. This is MORPC’s signature environmental conference, bringing hundreds of community leaders together to explore and share sustainable ideas and solutions, and to celebrate individuals and collaborative sustainability efforts with the Regional Sustainability Awards. The Summit will feature two plenary sessions and breakout sessions that will focus on MORPC’s sustainability programs.

Keynote

Lunch Plenary Keynote

Jeff Speck is a city planner and author who advocates intentionally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates – now Speck Dempsey – an award-winning urban planning firm serving public and private clients around the world.

With Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Mr. Speck is the co-author of Suburban Nation, which the Wall Street Journal calls ‘the urbanist’s bible.” His 2012 book Walkable City was the best-selling city planning title of the past decade and has been translated into eight languages. He is also the principal author of The Smart Growth Manual and Walkable City Rules.

Jeff Speck has been named a fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism. In a recent Planetizen poll, he was voted one of the ten “most influential urbanists of all time.” Mr. Speck was the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize, whose former awardees include Jane Jacobs ad Christopher Alexander. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than six million times.

Agenda

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. – Registration & Networking (light breakfast)

8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. – Morning Plenary Session

Regional Sustainability Awards

10:00 a.m. – Breakout Sessions

WateReuse: Meeting Ohio’s Demand for Water in the 21st Century and Beyond
Circularity: Moving from Theory to Practice

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch Plenary Session

Keynote
Pecha Kucha Presentations

1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Breakout Sessions

Trailblazing 500 Miles
Back On Track – Passenger Rail Restoration and Ohio’s Sustainable Future
Sustainable Development Patterns: Density for All Communities
Leave Your Footprint on Central Ohio Trails

2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Breakout Sessions

Planning for Regional Climate Action
The Pillars of Social Equity: Combating Disparities to Build a more Sustainable Future
Leaders Listen: Data-Driven Insights for a More Sustainable Future
Clean Air for All: Multigenerational Approaches to Protecting Air Quality

*additional details will be announced soon

Regional Sustainability Awards

Leadership in Sustainability Award

This award recognizes and individual or entity exemplifying outstanding leadership and innovation in seeking comprehensive sustainability solutions to address key challenges facing the region.

Previous Recipients:

2014: Erin Miller, City of Columbus
2015: Mount Carmel Healthy Systems
2016: Green Columbus, City of Columbus, Green Funds of The Columbus Foundation and Keep Columbus Beautiful
2017: Susan Ashbrook, City of Columbus
2018: Ben Kessler, Mayor of the City of Bexley
2019: Kurt Keljo, Franklin Soil & Water Conservation District
2020: Dr. Gilbert Michaud, Assistant Professor of Practice at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University
2021: Jim Schimmer, Franklin County Economic Development and Planning
2022: Ty Marsh, SWACO
2023: Aryeh Alex, Sustainable Columbus

The Collaborative Achievement in Sustainability Award

This award recognizes a group of entities or individuals who have shown effectiveness in producing environmental accomplishments through a collaborative effort.

Previous Recipients:

2014: Genoa, Liberty, and Orange Township Board of Trustees
2015: Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW)
2016: Dale Arnold, Ohio Farm Bureau
2017: The Ohio State University Student Sustainability Council
2018: The Quarry Project, Franklin County Metro Parks
2019: C-Pass (SID, COTA, and MORPC)
2020: Regional Sustainability Dashboard
2021: RAPID 5
2022: Buckeye Lake For Tomorrow & The Buckeye Lake Region Corporation
2023:City of Columbus and Impact Community Action

The Leadership in Mobility Award

In memory of William A. “Bill” Lewis, Jr., former Chief Mobility Engineer of the City of Columbus. This award recognizes an individual, either professional or student, exemplifying outstanding work towards creating a world-class multi-modal transportation system for Central Ohio.

Previous Recipients:

2015: In memory of Bill Lewis, former Chief Mobility Engineer, City of Columbus
2016: JM Rayburn, City of Dublin
2017: Julie Walcoff, ODOT
2018: Letty Schamp, City of Hilliard
2019: Catherine Girves, YAY Bikes
2020: Ted Beidler, Franklin County Engineer’s Office
2021: Brad Westall, City of Columbus
2022: Bertie Fields, Black Girls Do Bike
2023: Miguel “Geno” Tucker, Remember US Urban Legends

Sponsorship Opportunitites

MORPC’s Summit on Sustainability would not be possible without the generous support of organizations and businesses across Central Ohio. With almost 600 attendees, the Summit on Sustainability is an opportunity for organizations and business across Central Ohio to showcase their support around sustainability initiatives.

View the sponsorship levels in the Sponsor Brochure.

Please contact Amanda McEldowney at amceldowney@morpc.org for questions and to secure your sponsorship today.