2024 Dive Sessions

This engaging conference experience brings together smaller groups with shared passion and interest to discuss and develop ideas, tackle existing problems, and creating a plan of action to move these ideas forward.

During the Wings Conference there will be a morning and afternoon period in between main stage sessions where you take a deep dive on topics that interests you the most.

The following list of Dive Sessions are for reference purposes only from this year’s past conference:

2025 Transportation Package

The 2025 Transportation Package, the transportation co-chairs will outline a comprehensive plan aimed at revolutionizing the infrastructure landscape and demonstrate the impact as it directly intersects with several key sectors: business, technology, and climate.

Facilitated By:

- Rep. Susan McLain (Panelist) | Oregon Legislature/Transportation Co-Chair
- Senator Chris Gorsek (Panelist) | Oregon Legislature/Transportation Co-Chair

- Katie Mangle (Facilitator) | Principal and VP, Alta Planning and Design

Work it! Building the Climate Workforce of the Future

Addressing the climate crisis and building more resilient communities is bringing together what may seem like unlikely partners and sectors. Join us for an interactive discussion on what a green job is, what it will take to build the workforce ecosystem needed, and how we can all play a part.

Facilitated By:

- Ben Nelson, Assistant Business Manager, LIUNA! Oregon and Southern Idaho District Council of Laborers

- Parker Mullins, Program Director, Bonneville Environmental Foundation

- Daryl Lambert, Clean Energy Sector Lead, Worksystems

- Noah Kone, Green Workforce Partnerships Manager, Constructing Hope

- Yoseph Ukbazghi, Founder & Chief Consultant, STEAM Circuit

- Tamara Kennedy, Director of Economic Development, Port of Portland

- Brooke Brownlee, Labor, Workforce, and Economic Prosperity Manager, Portland General Electric

Black, Brown, and Green Tech

Studies show that diverse perspectives in climate tech lead to innovation, faster growth, and more capital for investors (Kauffman 2020, McKinsey 2020). In addition to giving businesses an advantage, Black and Brown innovators contribute their lived experiences and community connections, which helps the climate tech ecosystem accelerate climate resilience by developing solutions tailored to and deployed in frontline communities where emission sources and negative health impacts are highest.

In this deep dive, we will discuss the barriers to entry for Black and Brown innovators and use an idea-generating activity to co-create immediately actionable solutions to the sector's lack of diversity.

Facilitated By:

- Derron Rafiq Coles, PhD | CAP Program Director, Blueprint Foundation

Capitalizing your Climate Startup

This panel discussion will cover the expanding universe of capital sources for climate tech startups. We'll explore diverse avenues, including incubators, venture capital, debt, grants, and other innovative methods to support and scale your business. Discover how to navigate this dynamic funding ecosystem and secure the resources needed to drive your climate tech venture forward.

Facilitated By:

- Dimitry Gershenson (facilitator) | CEO, Enduring Planet
- Cyrus Wadia (panelist) | CEO, Activate
- Jim Huston (panelist) | Managing Director, Portland Seed Fund
- Kat Hunt (panelist) | Sr Director, Earth Finance

What are the Big Opportunities for Oregon Clean Tech Leadership?

The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS and Science Act has supercharged the expansion of clean technology deployment, manufacturing and innovation in the U.S. Since the passage of these transformational pieces of national legislation, the Oregon clean energy community has been organizing to take advantage of this investment momentum and to find more ways Oregon can be a business leader in the clean energy transition.

In this session you will hear from experts and leaders in different energy sub-sectors on the opportunity they see ahead for Oregon. We will then break into small groups to fully round out the Oregon clean tech leadership opportunity vision and find areas for collaboration and overlap between the sectors. The information from this session will help inform state efforts to understand our strengths in the clean tech sector and recommendations for supporting the sector in Oregon.

Facilitated By:

- Katherine Krajnak | Green Cities Industry Liaison, Prosper Portland
- Angela Jackson | Director of Industry and Entrepreneurial Engagement, Portland State University
- Adam Nashban | Business Engagement Lead, Oregon Business for Climate
- Jason Busch | Executive Director, Pacific Ocean Energy Trust
- Thor Hinckley | Transportation Electrification Consultant
- Martina Steinkusz, Director of Market Development, Renewable Hydrogen Alliance

Climate Solutions Through a Nitrogen-Based Loop in Oregon Agriculture

Regional producers and researchers in wood and hemp products will offer details on how their businesses were started, why these materials are quality sustainable solutions, and future opportunities in the market. Participants can expect to learn how to take an idea and opportunity to operation and co-benefits of a regional, bio-based and circular materials economy.

Facilitated By:

- Edward B. Hill | Co-Founder, CDO - Food Loop Northwest
- Pat Crowley | CEO, Chapul Farms
- Ramsey McPhillips | President, Tainable Regenerative Agricultural Laboratory

Why PDX? Local Founders on the Oregon Ecosystem

A panel discussion between founders of climate startups on why they chose to base their companies in Portland. We'll talk about Oregon's startup superpowers, and host a conversation with the audience about how our ecosystem can evolve to produce more and stronger climate companies.

Facilitated By:

- Sash Catanzarite (Moderator) | Startup Advisor & Founder Coach
- Garth Sheldon-Coulson (Panelist) | Panthalassa
- Brennan Gantner (Panelist) Skip Technology
- Marcelino Alvarez (Panelist), Photon Marine

From Forest and Field to Building Material: Regional Low Embodied Carbon Building Materials

Regional producers and researchers in wood and hemp products will offer details on how their businesses were started, why these materials are quality sustainable solutions, and future opportunities in the market. Participants can expect to learn how to take an idea and opportunity to operation and co-benefits of a regional, bio-based and circular materials economy.

Facilitated By:

- Lynn Morgan | Director of Community Engagement, Sustainable Northwest Wood
- Christine Covington | Owner, Tree to Table
- Marcus Kaufman | Biomass Resource Specialist, Oregon Dept. of Forestry
- John Simonsen | Professor of Wood Science & Engineering at OSU

Modernization of the Grid as we Transition to Clean Energy

Exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with transitioning Oregon's energy system to an entirely electric grid. Discussions will cover a range of topics including the implementation of smart grids, the complexities of siting new energy infrastructure, and the evolving landscape of renewable energy technologies.

Facilitated By:

- Representative Mark Gamba | Oregon Legislature

- Nichole Hughes | Renewable Northwest

- Nora Apter | Director of Programs at Oregon Environmental Council

Live Podcast: Energy Storage to Decarbonize the Grid with ESS and Powin

Listen and participate in a live recording of the Hardware to Save a Planet Podcast featuring two Portland-based companies enabling the energy transition and accelerating renewables with safe and sustainable grid-scale energy storage solutions.

We will discuss the challenges that electrification and renewables present to our energy grid, explore how grid-scale energy storage can tackle these challenges, and highlight the technologies and trends driving energy storage growth.