Events and Resources for Campus Sustainability Leaders | | |
Registration for our 2026 Conference closes September 9th! Be sure to register (and remind your friends) before the deadline. Check out our schedule (including breakout session descriptions) if you'd like to see what we're offering before you register.
Already registered?
| | | | RMF is a full-service engineering firm with a decarbonization team located in Minnesota. Specializing in technical communications and utility planning, RMF can assist colleges and universities in achieving their carbon goals. | | 2026-27 Sustainability Fellows Program - Applications Open! | | |
We invite all undergraduate and graduate students to consider applying for this year's Sustainability Fellowship program, This leadership development program will start with weekly trainings in the fall, starting with six weeks of Climate Wayfinding. The second half of the training program will prepare students to successfully design and implement a Fellowship project and will include human-centered design, campus outreach strategies, and intercultural competence (including taking the Intercultural Development Inventory). In the winter and spring, Fellows will receive coaching and peer support as they develop their Fellowship Project. The program will be co-facilitated by Sophia Agtarap and Megan Voorhees (learn more about the facilitators here).
The priority deadline for students is September 15 with a final application of September 30. Students who apply by September 15 will be notified with a decision by September 23 with the opportunity to meet each other at the Conference.
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Conference Reflections & Next Steps
Wednesday September 30th 9-10am CST
Join us to reflect on everything from our 2026 UMACS Conference! In this Coffee Chat, we will discuss key takeaways from the Conference and have the opportunity to share ideas we've gained from the sessions and other activities.
Weren't able to attend the Conference? No worries - we still invite you to come to hear what others have to say and/or share ideas/reflections from a different conference or event you've attended.
| | Weren't able to attend our August Coffee Chat? Be sure to check out our resource sheet that highlights Get Out the Vote campaigns! And if you have any tips/resources of your own, feel free to add them to the sheet. | | |
Campus Outreach: What Strategies Will You Use?
Friday Oct 2nd, 2:00-3:15pm CST
| | This interactive workshop will help you to identify different strategies for engaging a wide variety of audiences on your campus using some simple strategic change-making tools. It will also give you a chance to gather new outreach ideas from other students, staff and faculty. The workshop will be led by Megan Voorhees, UMACS Executive Director. | | | | |
Sustainability Career Panel
Tuesday, December 1 5:00-6:00 CST
| Are you interested in a career in sustainability? Join us for a sustainability career panel | | |
Re:Wild Your Campus Ground Up Advocacy Bootcamp
September 2nd, 4:00-7:30pm CST, on Zoom
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Want to make real, lasting change on your campus or in your community to combat climate change and biodiversity loss? The Re:wild Your Campus team is hosting the next session of the Ground Up Advocacy Bootcamp, a virtual training intensive, on September 2nd.
This training is intentionally built for emerging youth leaders (and is free for all students). Through the Bootcamp, participants will build a deeper understanding of toxic pesticides and their impacts on human and environmental health, and develop advocacy and organizing skills to enact change in their own communities. The bootcamp will also feature the amazing Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson as a guest speaker!
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Report: Accelerating Climate Solutions Through Organizational Change
Written by: American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica
| | Check out this report (published by one of our UMACS Conference presenters, Elise Amel). It aims to elevate the behavioral and organizational science that illuminates how organizational culture, leadership, and motivation can drive climate action that cascades beyond any single organization to produce systemic change. This report is written for anyone who wants to make a difference: senior executives, HR professionals, managers, frontline employees, change agents, and community members alike. | | |
Engaging Community: A Toolkit for Reciprocal Teaching and Learning
Beyond the Campus
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Engaging Community: A Toolkit for Reciprocal Teaching and Learning Beyond the Campus, co-published by Campus Compact and AAC&U, is a free, open-access resource that helps educators design meaningful community-engaged learning experiences.
Organized into six adaptable modules, the toolkit combines foundational concepts with lesson plans, companion videos, curated readings, interactive activities, and civic reflection prompts that support faculty learning communities, professional development, graduate education, and undergraduate courses.
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Webinar: Developing Effective Waste Signage
September 17th, 1:00-2:00pm CST, on Zoom
| | Ever walked past a campus recycling bin that was heavily contaminated—even though it had a “well-designed” sign? Or had to fight to get any signage approved because of university “aesthetics”? You aren’t alone. Modernizing waste signage on campus is about more than just graphics—it’s about navigating administrative red tape, partnering with facilities, and understanding behavioral psychology to shift actual student habits. | | |
Community of Support: Integrating Equity and Sustainability into Education
Hosted by the HIgher Education Sustainability Initiative and the SDG Publishers Compact Fellows
September 30th, 8:00-9:30am CST, on Zoom
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During this session, participants will:
-Join an international network committed to making equity and sustainability the norm, not the exception, in education and society.
-Explore tools, resources, and collaborative approaches to advance equity and sustainability within institutions, communities, and countries.
-Overcome barriers to implementation with real-time peer and expert support.
-Scale successful models and share what works.
-Connect with like-minded sustainability champions and changemakers to reduce isolation, frustration and increase positive impacts.
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Reconnecting with Voice and Purpose: A Full Day Workshop for Educators
October 24th, 11:00-6:00pm CST, Online
| | "As busy educators, it can be difficult to stay attuned to our own voice amid the many demands and pressures of our work. This Circle of Trust workshop, grounded in the writing of Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal, offers a space for caring and committed educators to slow down, reflect, and listen deeply to themselves and one another. Together, we will reconnect with the meaning and purpose that nourish our lives as educators." | | | | |
2026 AASHE Conference & Expo
October 4th-6th, Baltimore, Maryland
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The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education will be holding their annual Conference & Expo in Baltimore this year!
Discount code for $75 Off: 75UMACS
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2026-2027 Conferences
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September 25 and 26, 2026: UMACS Conference in St. Joseph and Collegeville, MN!
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October 4-6, 2026: AASHE Conference in Baltimore, MD
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November 18-19, 2026: Partners in Community Forestry Conference, St. Louis, MO
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March 7-9, 2027: Second Nature Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit, Denver CO
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March 31-April 2, 2027: Midwest Climate Collaborative Summit in Lincoln, NE
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June 7-11, 2027: Planetary Health Annual Meeting in Tokyo, Japan
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June 22-24, 2027: Green Sports Alliance Summit in St. Louis, MO
| | The Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS) is a network of staff, faculty and students from colleges and universities working together to promote sustainability throughout the Upper Midwest. We welcome everyone in higher education who wants to create a culture of sustainability on campus and in their community, working to meet the needs of all people without harming future generations' ability to meet their own needs. Reach out to Megan Voorhees, Executive Director to share ideas about how we can best support your work. | | | | |
