Port of San Diego: Accelerating Sustainability and Ocean Innovation
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Morse B105Morse Building
426 Van Buren St
Monterey, CA 93940 View in Campus Map
Free
Open to the Public
The Blue Economy is a concept that Jason Giffen and the Port of San Diego are putting into practice: nature-based solutions, coastal resiliency, maritime decarbonization, ocean data, and more.
Port of San Diego: Accelerating Sustainability and Ocean Innovation
Speaker: Jason Giffen, Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer at Port of San Diego
Thursday, December 4, 2025
6:00pm to 7:30pm Pacific Time
In-person event (will not be recorded)
Morse Building, room B105
426 Van Buren Street, Monterey, CA 93940
About the Topic
The Port of San Diego is committed to fostering the development of a sustainable ocean economy by acting as a catalyst for the region’s Blue Economy. This talk will cover how the Port of San Diego and its’ regional and global partners are leaning in on sustainability and ocean innovation to build a thriving and resilient ocean-positive future. With a focus on the Port and San Diego Bay as a destination for the deployment of pioneering sustainability plans and Blue Economy pilot projects, the talk will dive into the current suite of innovation opportunity areas including nature-based solutions, coastal resiliency, maritime decarbonization, ocean data, and more. The talk will also cover professional development pathways for working in Blue Economy, with a focus on the speaker’s journey and experiences from the Middlebury Institute to working at a globally recognized seaport.
About the Speaker
Jason Giffen leads sustainability and innovation programs and initiatives at the Port of San Diego. He is a seasoned thought-to-action leader with a robust portfolio of experience in coastal, urban, and regional planning and development; environmental protection and conservation (air, land, water, & wildlife); climate action planning and coastal resilience; sustainability policy and practice; sustainable seaports, freight, and mobility; aquaculture, blue technology, and ocean innovation; all in connection with a global ocean network and an applied focus on San Diego Bay and coastal California.
As the Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer at the Port of San Diego, he is adept at advancing innovative partnerships with triple-bottom line benefits, including pilot project facilitation through the Port’s Blue Economy Incubator and expanding the reach of the Port as a leader of sustainability and innovation through regional and global partnerships. He has passion for advancing the Blue Economy, increasing ocean literacy, and redefining how we care for the ocean through advancements in nature-based solutions, coastal resiliency, shellfish and seaweed aquaculture, maritime decarbonization, ocean data, and more.
Jason is a member of the 1000 Ocean Startups coalition, representing the Port of San Diego as first seaport to join the coalition. He is on the board of the California Marine Affairs and Navigation Conference, a consortium of California harbors, ports and marine interest groups. Additionally, he is an active member with several related organizations such as Green Marine, International Association of Cities and Ports (AIVP), International Association of Port of Harbors, American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), and TMA Blue Tech.
He holds a master’s degree in international environmental policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and executive education in Sustainability Leadership through Harvard University’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment.
Recommended Reading
TBD
Location: Morse Building, Room B105
The Morse Building is located at 426 Van Buren Street, Monterey, CA, 93940, on the campus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. The Morse building usually has flags hanging from it, and is located next to the MIIS Our Green Thumb garden. B105 is located toward the back of the building on the first floor. There is a wheelchair lift in the Holland courtyard, and stairs can be avoided by circling the back of the Holland Center and back to Morse. Restrooms are located in the Holland Center. View the campus map.
Parking
Parking is available in any Middlebury Institute campus lot after 5 p.m., no parking permit required, no fee. View the campus map. (be sure to not confuse city lots with campus lots—city lots do charge a fee). Free parking is also available on the street (time limits on surrounding streets end at 6 p.m.).
About the Host
The Center for the Blue Economy is a research center at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, that provides economic and policy analysis to support the development of a robust and equitable blue economy for the 21st century. The Center uses the World Bank’s definition of the Blue Economy: the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. We must maintain ocean health to maintain human health, economic health, and the health of the planet. Climate change is linked, inextricably, to a healthy ocean. Consider joining our movement for Ocean Climate Action Now. Consider joining our Center for the Blue Economy Newsletter List (3-4x per year by email).
Gratitude to Our Sponsors
We thank the Loker Hicks Foundation and the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation our sponsors.
Questions
Contact Rachel Christopherson at the Center for the Blue Economy at cbe@miis.edu or (831) 647-4183.