GreenBiz Vice President and VERGE Executive Director, Shana Rappaport, welcomes VERGE 19 participants to the event with a clean economy call to action and surprise performance by The Seastars.

“This isn’t just about avoiding an ecological and economic crisis,” Rappaport says. “It’s about helping a future unfold that has the potential to be more prosperous for all people and all life than it’s ever been.”

Microsoft has been committed to reaching carbon neutrality in its operations since 2012. It has since set a goal to reduce its scope 3 emissions by 30 percent. Elizabeth Willmott manages the company's carbon program, which partners with other internal teams and external supply chain companies to expand how it is reducing its climate impacts.