Buy Clean America: Building A Better Future for Our Workers, Industry, and Environment

In 2019, Third Way and the BlueGreen Alliance co-hosted the Buy Clean Summit to discuss how the federal government can leverage its purchasing power to reduce industrial emissions and bolster US manufacturing.

Fast forward to 2023. Thanks to the efforts of advocates and policy champions, the federal government prioritized the procurement of clean industrial materials. Most notably, the Biden Administration established the first-ever Buy Clean Task Force to implement low-carbon procurement practices across federal agencies, and the Inflation Reduction Act included over $5 billion in funding for embodied carbon disclosure and clean procurement. But there is still work to be done.

Join Third Way and the BlueGreen Alliance at an in-person event featuring Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor, and former Congressman and Third Way Senior Visiting Fellow Tim Ryan, this Thursday, March 30 at 1:00 PM ET to discuss the future of Buy Clean and industrial policy. Together we will discuss the importance of worker-centered policies that will create good-paying jobs for middle-class families in communities across the country.

Lunch will be served. Reception to follow.

Event Agenda

Introduction | 1:00 pm - 1:10 pm

Jason Walsh, BlueGreen Alliance

Keynote Address #1 | 1:10 pm - 1:20 pm

Administrator Robin Carnahan, General Services Administration

Panel Discussion #1 | 1:25 pm - 2:00 pm
Buying Clean: Leveraging Federal Purchasing Power to Secure Climate and Economic Goals

Trisha Miller, White House

Holly Elwood, Environmental Protection Agency

Jetta Wong, General Services Administration

Andrew Wishnia, Department of Transportation

Moderated by Abigail Regitsky, Breakthrough Energy

Panel Discussion #2 | 2:05 pm - 2:30 pm
Adopting Best Practices: State and Private Sector Buy Clean Efforts

Scott Shell, ClimateWorks

Katie Ross, Microsoft

Kareem Hammoud, US Climate Alliance

Moderated by Stacy Smedley, Building Transparency

Break | 2:30 pm - 2:48 pm

Keynote Address #2 | 3:00 pm - 3:15 pm

Josh Freed, Third Way

Ali Zaidi, White House

Panel Discussion #3 | 3:20 pm - 3:55 pm
Transforming Industry: Capitalizing on Investments in Clean Manufacturing

Kevin Dempsey, American Iron and Steel Institute

Christina Walrond, Department of Energy

Hebah Kassem, Sierra Club

Moderated by Ben Beachy, BlueGreen Alliance

Fireside Chat | 4:00 pm - 4:20 pm
Connecting with Manufacturing Workers and their Communities

Mike Williams, Center for American Progress

Tim Ryan, Third Way

Closing remarks | 4:20 pm - 4:25 pm

John Milko, Third Way

Reception | 4:25 pm - 5:25 pm

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