The Sustainability Education Collective Conference Series

Join us for the Sustainability Education Collective Conference Series, a three-day conference and workshop series that recognizes the link between the climate crisis and institutional racism to explore the systematic ways that education connects local issues to global environmental sustainability. This event will engage a diverse community of sustainability education researchers, educators, nongovernmental organization experts, and learners in identifying solutions to the current crises across multiple scales and methodologies. This hybrid conference and workshop series focuses specifically on sustainability education as a way to advance equity and justice in research and public education.

Event Dates 

Thursday, June 22, 2023: Environmental Justice in the United States: Sustainability Education and Social Movements in the U.S. 
Detailed Agenda
8:15           Registration and Coffee (in-person participants)
                    Room 4035, Campus Instructional Facility, 1405 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana

8:30           Welcome and Introduction 
                    Dr. Robert J. Jones, Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
                    Dr. Chrystalla Mouza, College of Education Dean

9:00           Panel: Coalition Building Across and Through Social Movements  
                    Dr. Fikile Nxumalo, University of Toronto
                    Dr. Asif Wilson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
                    Dr. Jennifer Johnson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
                    Ms. Kim Wasserman, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization

10:30        Workshop: Justice-Centered Education: Mapping the Intersections of Climate, Race, and Justice  
                    Dr. Fernando Sánchez, University of Montana 
                    Ms. Nicole DelMastro-Jeffery, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and White House Intern
                    Ms. Wendy Dorman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
                    Ms. Kira Dolley, Columbus Public Schools

12:00        Lunch & Keynote: Dr. Carolyn Finney
                    Author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors

1:30           Local Tour (on-site participants only):
                    The Pollinatarium
                    *Please plan to carpool or bike to the Pollinatarium
Thursday, August 17, 2023: Sustainability Education, the Global South, and Social Justice 
Detailed Agenda
Agenda
8:15          Registration and Coffee (in-person participants)
                   Room 4035, Campus Instructional Facility, 1405 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana

8:30           Welcome and Introduction
                    Dr. Madhu Khanna, Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment, UIUC

9:00           Workshop 1: Place-Based and Participatory Approaches to Sustainability Education and Evaluation in the Global South 
                    Dr. Sirkka Tshiningayamwe, University of Namibia 
                    Dr. Christina Ting Kwauk, Kwauk & Associates, Unbounded Associates 
                    Mr. Khalil Bitar, Wyss Academy for Nature, University of Bern & Co-Founder and former Chair of EvalYouth Global Network

10:30        Workshop 2: Global and Social Representations of Climate Change and Resiliency Education
                    Dr. Rosa Guadalupe Mendoza Zuany, Universidad Veracruzana
                    Mr. Michael Fernández-Frey, Caras Con Causa
                    Ms. Joan Namaggwa, Rise Up Climate Movement, Uganda 
                    Ms. Clare Nassanga, Rise Up Climate Movement, Uganda

12:00        Lunch & Keynote: Dr. Angelique V. Nixon, University of the West Indies, Institute for Gender and Development Studies

1:30           Local Tours (on-site participants only):
                    Red Oak Rain Garden
Friday, September 15, 2023: Resisting Climate Change and Injustice with Sustainability Education in Colleges of Education 
Agenda
Program
8:00          Registration and Coffee (in-person participants)
                   Room 314AB, Illini Union, 1401 W. Green Street, Urbana

8:30           Welcome and Introduction
                    Dr. Sarah McCarthey, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, College of Education, UIUC
                    Dr. Yoon Pak, Department Head, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, College of Education, UIUC

9:00          Keynote: Dr. Oren Pizmony-Levy, Teachers College, Columbia University 

10:00        Panel: The Future of Public Sustainability Education: Teacher Education and Learning Across the Lifespan
                    Dr. Asli Sezen-Barrie, University of Maine, National Science Foundation 
                    Dr. Alberto Arenas, University of Arizona, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Environmental Education 
                    Dr. Marek Oziewicz, University of Minnesota 
                    Dr. Elin Kelsey, author of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis

11:45         Lunch & Closing Address: Dr. Megan Bang, Northwestern University

12:45         Sustainability Education Collective Working Group 

2:00           Local Tour (on-site participants only):
                     Solar Farm 2.0 tour

Registration

Registration for this hybrid conference and workshop series is free.
Space is limited for in-person participants. The majority of participants and presenters will engage online via Zoom.

Venue

In-Person Attendees:
Illini Union, Room 413AB
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Contact

For more information about conference themes, locations, participants, and speakers, please reach out to the conference organizers: Samantha Lindgren, Jon Hale, and Luis Rodriguez

This conference is made possible (in part) by a grant from the Spencer Foundation.

Conference Sponsors: College of Education, Institute for Sustainability, Energy & Environment, and the Forum on the Future of Public Education.