Ideas That Matter Events
2025-2026: Climate Change and the Individual
Faculty Roundtable: What (if any) is the role of the individual in addressing Climate Change?
Friday Sept 5, 2:30 PM, Milne Library Multipurpose Rooms
- Moderated by Dan DeZarn, Director of Sustainability
- Jim Allen (Psychology), Scott Giorgis (Geological Sciences), and more!
- Reception to Follow
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Native Tree Walk - Dr. Brian Hoven, Dr. Jim Kernan, & Dan DeZarn, September 2025
- Join Biology, Geography, and Sustainability experts on a walk around campus to identify what tree species we have, which ones we don't and why, the importance of native trees and biodiversity in our ecosystems.
Native Tree Identification Exhibit - Dr. Brian Hoven, Dr. Jim Kernan, & Dan DeZarn, October 2025
- Learn to identify native species in this curated exhibit
- Location and times TBD
President's Annual Sustainability Lecture - Dr. Jonathan Foley, October 2025
- , is the Executive Director of Project Drawdown and has been a leading scientist and science communicator for decades and will be discussing ways to have a positive impact.
- is the world's leading resource on climate solutions. They are a trusted, science-based, and independent guide for effective climate action across the globe. As a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, our mission is to help the world stop climate change—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.
Extreme Energy Workshops (I & II) - Dan DeZarn & Meg Reitz, October 2025
- Part I - Join Dan DeZarn, Director of Sustainability, and Meg Reitz, PhD, Associate Director of Residence Life (and Geologist) as they discuss why and how we started using fossil fuels and how our extraction and use has changed over the past 300 years.
- Part II - In this presentation and discussion, we look toward how to power our livelihoods using renewable energy resources and the role that individuals play in that transition
CAS Sustainability Initiatives
- posters and presentations TBD during 2025-26
College Buildings Sustainability Tour -- Dan DeZarn and Steve Schunk, February, 2026
- Learn about sustainable design in college buildings, including dining halls, Doty, and Milne Library
- Features include rainwater collection, geothermal heating, energy efficient windows, and more
Community Connection
The Microclimate Project & Poet/Tree Festival, Dr. Lytton Smith
A year-long project to increase scientific literacy around climate change and encourage individual and community action through helping members of the public write and share short creative pieces (around 180 words maximum) that are rooted in one or more verified scientific facts they want others to know.
Dr. Smith will work on campus and with 3-5 partner sites to develop materials to educate and share creative pieces, culminating in a festival in April, 2026.