Carbon Summit Introduction: Setting the Stage for Sustainable Solutions

Opening Remarks:
Welcome everyone to the Carbon Summit! We're going to try to start on time today, and we understand people will be coming in and out throughout the event. Feel free to come and go as needed. We're filming the entire event, and it will be available on our TH-cam channel post-editing. We’re collaborating with the MIX Center, Cronkite, and ASU Live Events to expand and elaborate on the story as we go.
Event Host Introduction:
My name is Jason Marmon, and I will be your host and MC for the duration of the event. I’m a grad student at ASU, pursuing concurrent Masters in Innovation and Venture Development (MSVD) and Applied Sustainability Solutions (MSUS) from the School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures.
Personal Background:
Originally, I’m from northwest North Dakota, specifically the Bakken region near Williston, the second-largest oil and gas formation in the US. I come from an agricultural community that transformed into an industrial region due to the oil boom. I've seen firsthand how difficult it is to revert once such a transformation takes place. ASU, being in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, faces different challenges, particularly extreme heat and climate change. The Carbon Summit aims to address these challenges by finding common grounds for the common good.
Carbon Summit’s Objective:
It’s crucial to understand that carbon is not inherently bad. As a carbon-being, on a carbon-based planet, using carbon tech, we need to recognize carbon's role in our energy systems and life. However, when carbon from fossil fuels is released into the atmosphere, it causes changes we must address. Our goal is to frame big, complex problems in ways that are simple to understand. A problem well-framed is a problem half-solved, as my grandpa used to say. We aim to identify opportunities and pair them with incentives, fostering intergenerational communication to tackle global and local challenges.
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement:
Before we proceed, it's important to acknowledge the land we are on. My father is tribally enrolled, and I am a descendant of a tribal member from Turtle Mountain Chippewa in North Dakota. Arizona has 22 tribes, and their traditional ecological knowledge is vital to our discussions.
[Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Video]
Event Structure:
The Carbon Summit follows a specific order, represented by the five fingers of a hand, symbolizing integration and growth of ideas:
Food Systems, our Green Thumb, is our starting point, as good food is essential for energy and finding common ground. Food is what brings people to the table.
Energy Systems: Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable and regenerative energy sources. All energy systems, including fossil fuels, ultimately derive from the sun’s fusion energy.
Circularity: Designing products to be reusable, upcyclable, and capable of capturing energy back from the waste.
Climate Adaptation: What we can’t mitigate, we must adapt to, with the desert providing a prime example of adaptation needs.
Sustainability (STEM): Training a new workforce to handle the 21st-century economy, addressing big challenges through interdisciplinary education and solutions.
Panel Introduction:
We begin with Food Systems, highlighting that 30-40% of all produced food goes to waste. This food should be returned to the soil, not landfills, to complete the nutrient loop essential for healthy ecosystems.
First Speaker Introduction:
We’ll start with a speaker focused on Food Systems, a critical area where we can find common ground and begin our discussions. Let's welcome our first speaker to the stage.