SPC Impact 2022: San Francisco

SPC Impact is the flagship open event from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Spring 2022 will mark our return to in-person events since the pandemic began. SPC Impact gathers over 700+ packaging and sustainability professionals to have opportunities to connect and kickoff collaborations; be exposed and inspired to new ways of thinking; learn more about different topics related to sustainable packaging; and take back valuable and actionable takeaways to their everyday roles. Our 2022 spring event programming will include Main Stage Sessions centered on a theme per day, panels, presentations, interactive sessions, offsite tours, birds of a feather lunches, networking time and evening socials to network and connect with fellow attendees.

Tour | Napa Recycling & Composting Facility
We will visit the Napa Recycling & Composting Facility which has a new state-of-the art covered aerated static pile composting system (CASP), as well as an organics de-packager, organics pre-processing line, receiving building, and all electric equipment to sort and process 100,000+ tons/year of organics into feedstock for the onsite composting facility. Some may have seen sort lines for recyclables, but you also need to see an organics sort line and processing operation to get insight into how California is going to get to the state’s lofty organics diversion goals. And, while we’re at it, you’ll also get a glimpse into the renovated Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) as well – which includes two robots, a new optical sorting system for paper, and more!

Tour | Urban Hike Union Square, Nob Hill, and Chinatown
This urban hike led by the team at Urban Hiker SF, will explore Union Square, Nob Hill, and Chinatown hike four of San Francisco’s most central and historic neighborhoods in 3.5 miles and 2.5 hours. The hike starts at your hotel and then heads to Union Square, now famous for shopping, but once a gathering place for celebrating Union victories in the Civil War. From here, you’ll take in the sights of Nob Hill—the Fairmont Hotel, The Pacific Union Club, Grace Cathedral, and the Cable Car Museum—learning about San Francisco before and after the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906. From Nob Hill, you head into Chinatown, visiting places like the Chinatown Gate, the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, and the location where Gold Rush was announced to the world. We take a quick trip to North Beach to visit Jack Kerouac Alley and City Lights Bookstore and visit the Transamerica Pyramid and Transamerica Redwood Park—all before dropping you off back at your hotel.

Tour | Urban Hike Presidio
From the Presidio Main Post, you’ll head to the San Francisco National Cemetery, which dates back to 1884 and serves as the final resting place for some 30,000 soldiers and their families. You then reach National Cemetery Overlook, one of the Presidio’s best views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Next, you take a wooded trail through cypress groves and past the Presidio pet cemetery on your way to Crissy Field. You’ll make a small, final climb on the Battery East Trail before reaching the Golden Gate Bridge. Your return trip takes a different route back to the Main Post, passing the old cavalry stables and visiting an overlook with great views of Crissy Field and downtown San Francisco.

Tour | Urban Hike Castro and Twin Peaks
Enjoy a 3.5-mile one-way mostly downhill hike starting at one of the highest points in San Francisco – Twin Peaks – and ending at Mission Dolores, the oldest standing building in San Francisco. Along the way, you’ll visit Sutro Tower, the very tallest point in the city; hilltops with stunning downtown views; a historic Queen Anne Victorian mansion; concrete slides that are fun for adults and kids alike; the colorful Castro district, and Mission Dolores Park.

Tour | Muir Woods
On your way to Muir Woods you will get a narrated tour past iconic San Francisco viewpoints, including a picture-perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Then, wander through the ancient groves of coastal redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument. Muir Woods is an example of an old-growth redwood forest located only about 30 minutes from downtown San Francisco. You will have an hour and a half to roam through this ‘living museum’ where you can get a glimpse of the towering trees that used to dominate the west coast from Santa Barbara to Washington.

Evening Social | Press Club SF, sponsored by Quad
Join the SPC and Quad at the Press Club SF for an evening of lively discussion and art! Local artists from the LGBT community will join us and will be creating artwork on what sustainability means to them. At the end of the night, the artwork pieces will be auctioned off and all proceeds will go to a San Francisco LGBT organization. Wine and nibbles will be served.
Press Club, a wine bar and lounge, offers California’s finest wines and beers in a sophisticated, social atmosphere. Press Club’s menu of seasonal small plates and thoughtful pairings offers the ultimate wine experience in one of San Francisco’s most notable destinations.

Evening Social | Hawthorn, sponsored by Brook + Whittle
Join the SPC and Brook + Whittle for an evening of craft cocktails and appetizers at Hawthorn SF and the chance to network with fellow event attendees in an intimate and fun setting. Located just a few blocks from Union Square and situated within a beautiful brick basement, beneath the hustle and bustle, lies Hawthorn, a unique space with classic décor inspired by 1930’s Hollywood.

Evening Social | Persona, sponsored by Sappi North America
Join the SPC and Sappi for an evening of craft cocktails and appetizers at Persona SF and the chance to network with fellow event attendees in an intimate and fun setting.
Persona is a new cocktail bar and social club located in Lower Nob Hill. The space has been reborn into a moody, theatrical space with dark textures and metallic accents; a design inspired by the 1960s and 1970s.

Main Reception | The Exploratorium, sponsored by Amazon
Our event’s main reception will be at the Moore East Gallery of The Exploratorium located at Pier 15 on Tuesday, April 5th. The Moore East Gallery fosters an appreciation of the living world and the many ways to explore it. Using authentic scientific methods and tools, visitors learn about living things at different scales, the processes they share, and their ecosystems. Anchored by the Life Sciences Laboratory, a working laboratory that cultivates organisms for exhibits, the gallery is a dynamic space where contributions by the scientific and artistic communities come together to provide unique and engaging experiences. The evening event will feature drinks, food and entertainment by Garuda Blue Band, a fantastic Jazz Sextet from the Bay Area.