2018 CoRE Summit

The Collaboratory for a Regenerative Economy (CoRE) is a partnership between the University at Buffalo, Clean Production Action and Niagara Share. CoRE is funded with generous support from The JPB Foundation.

The primary goal of the CoRE is to create a framework for Inclusive Innovation – by bringing together academia, industry, not-for-profits, government, and community partners to develop accelerated, innovative, science-based approaches to finding solutions to some of the most challenging societal problems.  Our approach acknowledges the role that scientific knowledge and tools can play in analyzing complex, multi-faceted societal problems and in proposing highly innovative solutions, but recognizes that the adoption and implementation of the most appropriate interventions will be possible only when researchers work with key community members and stakeholders.  To achieve this, we will:

• Deploy cutting-edge discoveries in materials science and engineering to design data-driven manufacturing processes in the solar panel industry that reduce the use of toxic chemicals and/or those derived from fossil fuels.
• Develop a web-based platform that incorporates materials innovation and safe / green business strategies and make it more accessible to industry users and industrial communities.
• Design civic entrepreneurial leadership models that bring together a university’s intellectual capital and community organizations’ hands-on experience to advance community health and resilience.
• Disseminate lessons learned from this pilot study in WNY to advance new approaches to building partnerships among universities, communities, private sector, and government agencies.   

Facilitators:         Stuart Cowan, Capital Institute and Elizabeth Walsh, University at Buffalo            

8:30 – 9:00:  Introduction to CoRE and Overview of Day 
UB, Niagara Share, CPA, JPB Foundation

Outcomes

• Connect people who have an interest in the regenerative circular economy
• Identify opportunities for collaboration on existing projects
• Share research on material innovation and clean production in the solar industry
• Share best practices in clean production and urban regeneration (local and national)
• Inform horizon of possibilities for CoRE’s work on the factory of the future, starting at Riverbend

9:00 – 9:30:  NYS’ smart growth and clean energy vision for Buffalo                                                  

9:30 - 10:00:  Asset mapping                                                                                                                                  

• What brings health and wellness to a place and what do we have to work with?
• How do we leverage our regional strengths and partner with national leaders to create a new model for the regenerative factory of the future?

10:00 – 10:20:  Orientation to the Participatory Process for Workshop: Capital Institute

10:20 - 10:30:  Coffee 

10:30 - 12:00:  Change Making Sessions 1:

Participants are free to choose their session. 

Each breakout group starts with 5-10 minutes of regional context for the topic. Surface key ideas for change and transformation and distill into 3-5 themes driving workstreams. Spend last 20-30 minutes capturing immediate (now-12 months), short-term (1-3 years), and long-term (3+ years) actions for each workstream. For each action, identify leader and key partners and resources.

Clean Production   |   Materials, chemical footprint, supply chain management, worker health and safety

Education and Jobs    |    Preparing historically marginalized groups for participation in the clean energy economy and hiring that focuses on economic inclusion and urban neighborhoods

Innovation Ecosystem   |   Role of anchor facilities to catalyze our regional metabolism and the opportunity to bring supply chains closer to home to balance regional material flows (building a circular economy)

Procurement   |   Creating and meeting demand for sustainable solar panels through green procurement

Placemaking   |   Using new factories to help revitalize and reconnect neighborhoods and restore ecologies

Report outs from Change Making Sessions                                                                                         

Reporters from each of the Change Making Sessions present for 3-5 minutes with Q&A

12:00 - 1:00: Lunch and networking 

1:00 - 2:30:  Change Making Session II: Working Groups

Participants are free to choose their session.

Each breakout group starts with 5-10 minutes of regional context for the topic. Surface key ideas for change and transformation and distill into 3-5 themes driving workstreams. Spend last 20-30 minutes capturing immediate (now-12 months), short-term (1-3 years), and long-term (3+ years) actions for each workstream. For each action, identify leader and key partners and resources.

Clean Production   |   Materials, chemical footprint, supply chain management, worker health and safety

Education and Jobs    |    Preparing historically marginalized groups for participation in the clean energy economy and hiring that focuses on economic inclusion and urban neighborhoods

Innovation Ecosystem   |   Role of anchor facilities to catalyze our regional metabolism and the opportunity to bring supply chains closer to home to balance regional material flows (building a circular economy)

Procurement   |   Creating and meeting demand for sustainable solar panels through green procurement

Placemaking   |   Using new factories to help revitalize and reconnect neighborhoods and restore ecologies

Report outs from Change Making Sessions                                                                                         

Reporters from each of the Change Making Sessions present for 3-5 minutes with Q&A

Building a new framework for the factory of the future

2:30 - 2:45:  Coffee 

2:45-4:00:  Where do we go from here? 

Next steps: prioritizing goals, research, tools, training, education, policy development

4:00 - 5:00:  Reception