Theme: TEDxUrbanWoodNetwork - How Urban Wood Utilization Positively Impacts Carbon & The Climate Crisis

Please join us for an evening of learning and action through building a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 in the race to a zero-carbon world – a world that is safer, cleaner, and fairer for everyone.

On December 2nd, 2021, on the campus of Michigan State University, within the first mass timber building in Michigan, the Urban Wood Network (UWN) will feature Dr. George Berghorn, LEED AP BD+C, CGP, for our in-person talk, TEDx UrbanWoodNetwork, "How Urban Wood Utilization Positively Impacts Carbon & The Climate Crisis", along with several other incredible COUNTDOWN TEDx talk videos.

As per MSU guidelines, this event requires full face masks for all attending while within the building
COUNTDOWN is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! A net-zero future is possible, and our trees hold one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle. This is why we’re hosting a gathering for politicians, business leaders, policy makers, arborists, foresters, mills, manufacturers, government staff, designers, architects, planners, philanthropists, youth activists, and others organized and work together to make that future a reality
America’s urban trees are vital carbon sinks, currently storing 643 million tons of CO2 and sequestering 25.6 million more tons annually. When a tree dies and decomposes, its stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas contributing to the climate crisis. Every year in the U.S., we miss the opportunity of capturing some of these greenhouse gas emissions to the tune of 22.9 million tons of carbon stored within our fallen urban trees.

We all know the value of trees, whether they are standing in a wooded grove, filling a log truck, or anchoring a family meal as a table. Communities and homeowners plant and nurture trees to add beauty and value to the urban landscape. But these same trees are usually discarded when they need to be removed due to death, disease, or other causes. Members of the Urban Wood Network want to tell a different story. We aim to find the highest and best use for every removed urban tree and invest that value back into our homes and local communities, through our trusted material streams.

Trees First, Wood Next™

UWN will ensure the world understands the immense value of our fallen urban trees in our fight against the climate crisis, but we cannot do this alone. WE NEED YOUR HELP! To maximize our great potential, we need everyone on board the UWN urban wood utilization train! Whether you are in an industry that can utilize or process urban wood, a municipality that provides urban wood or a consumer, WE NEED YOUR HELP! . . . as champions of the UWN brand and this global initiative.

Sincerely,

Paul Hickman
Urban Wood Network - Michigan Chapter Lead
Urban Ashes Founder/CEO

Michigan State University STEM Building
642 Red Cedar Rd
East Lansing, Michigan, 48824
United States

Dr. George Berghorn PhD, LEED AP BD+C, CGP

Assistant Professor of Construction Management School of Planning, Design & Construction Adjunct Assistant Professor of Forestry

Dr. George H. Berghorn is an assistant professor of construction management in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University. He earned a PhD in construction management from MSU and a Master of environmental studies from Yale University. Berghorn is a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, and a Certified Green Professional from the National Association of Home Builders. He has worked on funded projects related to the feasibility of building deconstruction and material reuse, barriers to increasing mass timber building construction in the U.S., reuse of salvaged lumber in cross laminated timber, the role of construction activities in aquatic invasive species introduction and spread, building science education, and electric utility training. Dr. Berghorn was a site superintendent and construction project manager in the U.S. and a policy director for a statewide trade association.