CHECK OUT THE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE!

Submit a Poster Proposal!

Conference posters are a great way to share ideas with your peers across the region! Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis until we run out of room. (But it really helps us if you apply earlier than later!)

UMACS Summer Retreat

Wednesday, June 25 & Thursday, June 26

Join us at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for two days of connecting and learning with other sustainability professionals and with students in the UWSP ED.D in Educational Sustainability Program.

2025-26 UMACS MEMBERSHIP IS OPEN!

• Limited Membership: Free
• Supporting Membership: $600
• Campus Conference Sponsorship and Membership: $1200 (includes one faculty/staff conference registration, an Exhibit Hall booth and publicity).
• System Discount: 10% off for five or more campuses

If you are unable to pay the 25-26 membership fee until July but would like the conference discount, please email us.

Propose Coffee Chat topics here!

Adventures in Energy Series

A NEW UMACS series on different energy transition topics campuses across the Midwest are facing!

June 17, 3-4 pm CST: Heating & Cooling Using Ground Source Heat Pumps

July 15, 3-4 pm CST:  Exploring Thermal Batteries​. Register Here

Save these dates (all 3-4 pm CST): August 19, September 16

Missed the first session? Check out these slides on UWEC's offsite power purchase agreement with Xcel Energy & their new all electric building!

Resources from the UMACS Sustainability Fellows

Leveraging Your Eco-Rep Experience from Taryn Davis (Black Hills State University)

Minnesota State University Moorhead Recycling Audit Report from Grayson Holtz (MN State-Moorhead)

Why Native Plants Are Important (Instagram Post to share widely!) from Ashlyn Albert (Northern Michigan University)

Sustainability Positions in the Upper Midwest

• One-Year Environmental Service Programs
• Loyola University Chicago - Sustainability Manager
• U.S. GBC Center for Green Schools - Midwest Regional Program Manager

Soil: A Powerful, Underestimated Carbon Solution

June 3, 12:00 pm CST

Join this free webinar hosted by Second Nature and IndigoAg to explore how soil carbon sequestration can play a role in higher education institutions’ decarbonization strategies.

Register here, even if you can't attend live, and be sent a recording. Contact Bridget Flynn with any questions!

Campus Compact EnviroCorps

Priority Deadline: June 13

Interested in hosting an EnviroCorps team through Campus Compact? Apply to host a site here, and help lead environmental stewardship efforts with Campus Compact EnviroCorps!

Learn more about EnviroCorps

Engaging Custodial Teams Webinar

June 12 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm CST

 Join a panel discussion, hosted by College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), with Ayodeji Oluwalana from Penn State, Emily Blackwell from Stanford University, and Avery Palardy from Harvard Medical School teaching hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and learn innovative ways to empower and support custodial teams to help achieve waste reduction goals

Congrats to these UMACS Members who have earned national recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation as Tree Campus Higher Education campuses! 

Black Hills State University

Iowa State University

Michigan State University

South Dakota State University

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Iowa

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

University of Missouri

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

University of South Dakota

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Western Technical College

Winona State University

Join the movement! Your campus can be part of a national network leading the way in sustainability and urban forestry. Start planning now to earn Tree Campus Higher Education recognition in 2025 — explore the program and take the quick Readiness Quiz today.

2025 Conferences

• June 16-19: Sustainability, Research, & Innovation Congress in Chicago, IL.
• June 23 - 25: Association for Environmental Studies and Science Conference in St. Paul, MN. Attending? Let Megan know you will be in town!
• July 23-25: Lake Superior Speaks: Educator & Researcher Confluence in Finland, MN. Registration ends July 9th!
• September 26-27: UMACS Conference at Luther College in Decorah, IA
• October 20-22: Midwest Climate Resilience Conference in Milwaukee, WI.
• October 22-24: Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 2025 Conference in Minneapolis, MN. Early bird registration closes July 18th!
• November: Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition's 2025 Equity Summit in Milwaukee, WI.

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.