Reuse Symposium

Join us for a 1 day symposium showcasing leadership and existing efforts to harness the momentum of the Reuse Playbook launched at the 2024 Green Sports Alliance Summit.

Together, we will elevate our call to action to leave a lasting legacy, enhance brands, engage fans, and play a part in a healthy and prosperous future!

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Register here

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Interested in speaking on stage or exhibiting? Email katie@greensportsalliance.org

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Location: Portland, OR at the Rose Quarters at the Moda Center

Date: March 18th, 2025

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Thank you to our sponsors!

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Thank you to our Exhibitors!

8:00 am - 3:30 pm

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Registration, Refreshments, & Bites

8:00 am - 8:30 am

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Programming begins

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‍Green Sports Alliance Introduction 8:30 am - 8:35 am

Roger McClendon, Executive Director, Green Sports Alliance

Jackie Ventura, Vice President, Facility Operations, Portland Trail Blazers/ Moda Center

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Welcome to Portland 8:38  am to 8:53 am

Arianne Sperry, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

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Kicking off the REUSE Symposium theme 8:56 am to 9:11 am

Michael Kraus, Director of Operations, Green Sports Alliance

Crystal Dreisbach, CEO, Upstream

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Environmental & Operational Benefits of Reusables vs. Single-use 9:14 am to 9:29 am

Nick Mallos, Vice President, Ocean Plastics, Ocean Conservancy

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Starting Smart: How Venues Can Test & Learn to Scale 9:32 am to 10:02 am

Ashley Highsmith, Chief Operations Officer, Portland Timbers & Providence Park

Nancy Reimer, Sustainability Coordinator, Oregon Convention Center

Lindsay Pearson, General Manager, Oregon Convention Center

Heather Watkins, CRO, Co-Founder, BOLD Reuse

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Networking break

‍10:02 am to 10:37 am

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Big Impact: Rolling Out Reuse at Large Venues 10:40 am to 11:10 am

Robert Wilkinson, Senior Coordinator - Procurement, Colorado Rockies

Nelson Ventress, Sustainability Program Manager, Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater, LA LIVE

Anton Van Zyl, Senior Director Packaging Strategy, The Coca-Cola Company

Michael Martin, Founder & CEO, r.World

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Aligning Internal & External Stakeholders 11:13 am to 11:43 am

Christy Briggs, Sustainability Manager, Seattle Seahawks / Lumen Field

Gina Lambert, Pacific Northwest Division Manager, Swire Coca-Cola

Mary Jo Snavley, Director, Plastic Waste and Business, World Wildlife Fund

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LUNCH

‍11:45 am to 12:45 pm (60 minutes)

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‍Breakouts:

‍12:55 pm to 1:40 pm (45 minutes)

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1) Reuse for Your Modular Event:

Location: ROSE ROOM

Esi Langston, Sustainable Sports Advisory Manager, WM

Meghan Tierney, Sr. Manager, Live Events, Sustainability, AEG

Eric Shaphran, Sports and Venues Sustainability Manager, Honeycomb Strategies

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2) The Research Behind the Madness:

Location: PDR

Chandler Precht, Adjunct Professor & Director, Sustainability, Columbia University

Rowen Carrick, Graduate Student, Columbia University

Kaitlin Reese, Graduate Student, Columbia University

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3) What Comes Next:

Location: WEST CLUB

Pat Kauffman, Commercial Recycle/Compost/Reuse Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities

Leah Ford, Marketing Director, CJ Biomaterials

Julia Marsh, Circular Solutions Project Manager, Perpetual Use

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Lessons and Opportunities from Soldier Field 1:47 pm to 2:17 pm

Melanie Condon, Sr. Director of Corporate Affairs & Engagement, Keurig Dr. Pepper

Mary McCarthy, Vice President of Sustainability, Levy Restaurants

Billy Afghan, Founding Partner, CEO, Genii Earth

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How to Meet the Sustainability Requirements of A Tour 2:20 pm to 2:50 pm

Heather Vaughan, Vice President, Marketing, San Jose Sharks

Gordan Kalinic, General Manager, Aramark Sports & Entertainment

Michael Martin, Founder & CEO, r.World

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Pioneering Reuse Venue-Wide: Moda Center’s Journey 2:53 pm to 3:23 pm

Dell O'Neal, Director of Environmental Services, Portland Trail Blazers

Brittany Saulsbury, Sustainability Operations Manager, Portland Trial Blazers

Kirsten Talabere, Sustainability Coordinator, Levy

Cory Connors, Director of Sustainable Packaging, Sustainable Packaging Podcast

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Closing Remarks 3:25 pm to 3:30 pm

Katie Gavitt, Manager of Events & Operations, Green Sports Alliance

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STADIUM TOUR (limited to 40 spots) 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm

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HAPPY HOUR 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm 

• 1 drink ticket per attendee for wine and beer
• Hors D'oeuvres
• Cash and carry 

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Portland Trail Blazers ticket on March 17th at the Group Rate! Ticket booking link comes with registration confirmation email.

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