Serving Up Sustainability

Serving Up Sustainability is a free, one-day workshop where attendees will learn how to reduce their carbon footprint and meet their climate action goals from experts in their field. Topics covered include reducing single-use plastic, how to compost effectively, marketing plant-based food options, and more, all in the realm of food service.

Speakers

Rebecca Bykoski

Senior Program Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh

Rebecca joined Sustainable Pittsburgh in 2014 to develop and lead the Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant program. Through this performance program, she works with restaurants throughout the Pittsburgh region to gain recognition for their sustainability efforts, improve sustainability performance, and catalyze change within the regional food system. Through her work with this program, Rebecca has launched, led, and managed multiple projects aimed to advance economic, environmental, and social elements of our food system.

Rebecca came to Sustainable Pittsburgh as a 2014 graduate of the Duquesne MBA Sustainability program. Prior to returning for her MBA, Rebecca was also the sole owner and operator of a small, local granola production company, Heart of the Earth. By generating almost zero waste and sourcing products locally, Heart of the Earth was designed with sustainable values at its core and distributed through Pittsburgh area farmers markets. Rebecca also possesses approximately two decades of experience working in the restaurant industry through various capacities.

Rebecca obtained her B.A. in Psychology from The Ohio State University, then went on to complete her teaching certification through The University of Georgia. Prior to returning to school to earn her MBA, she was an educator for eleven years.

Rebecca is a Senior Advisor to the FAB Network a former Steering Committee member with Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, participated as a member of the Project Team for the Greater Pittsburgh Food Action Plan, serves on the Advisory Committee for Hilltop Urban Farm, and is also a member of the Steering Committee for Restaurant Opportunities Center’s Behind the Kitchen Door project.

Keith Allison

Educator — Northeast Ohio, Factory Farming Awareness Coalition

Keith Allison is the Educational Coordinator for northeast Ohio for the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition, a non-profit organization with the goal of creating a just food system. He speaks with thousands of high school and college students each year about the realities of our current mass production system and the impacts it has on our bodies, health, and environment. Keith has spent the last twenty years in classrooms between his work as a teacher and a guest presenter in the non-profit sector. He is also a poet and spoken word artist, author of three books, video editor, and event host. He enjoys the local music and poetry scene, reading, hiking, watching movies, and spending time with family and friends.

Ilana Braverman

Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Greener by Default

Ilana Braverman’s work focuses on the nexus of climate change and food; she gave a TEDx talk on the topic, “Moving Beyond a Hamburger Default World.” Prior to co-founding Greener by Default, Ilana served as the Director of Outreach for Better Food Foundation and Program Manager at Farm Forward. Ilana holds a Master’s degree in Animals and Public Policy from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with a focus in Human Dimensions from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.