Climate Solutions Summit to occur virtually Oct. 16
Originally planned to be held in person in March, the Central Michigan Climate Solutions Summit has been rescheduled as a virtual conference from 8:50 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 16.
The Mount Pleasant chapter of the Citizens' Climate Lobby and Central Michigan University collaborated to organize the event. CMU coordinator and sociology faculty Elizabeth Bradshaw said students have been crucial to reorganizing the summit.
The goal of the conference is to spotlight the work the being done by the university and the local community to combat climate change and its effects.
The summit will present two panel discussions with Mount Pleasant citizens, local businesses and government officials, along with CMU staff, faculty and students.
The event will also feature keynote speaker Andrew Hoffman, who will be discussing the role of universities in diminishing climate change and solutions that are present in our culture and market. Hoffman is an author, research and professor at the University of Michigan, with a focus in environmental issues and sustainable enterprise.
Marie Koper, president of the Mount Pleasant Citizens’ Climate Lobby, said she looks forward to seeing the summit be a catalyst to an ongoing collaboration between the university and the community to address climate change.
"We need to be working together, building economies of scale, and sharing knowledge and resources to strengthen our local economy and protect the environment that sustains us," Koper said. "Students, Gen Z, deserve and demand no less."
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the College of Science and Engineering, the Institute for Great Lakes Research and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sponsored the event.
In order to attend, guests must register before the event on Eventbrite to receive the Zoom invitation to the summit. You can find more information, including the event schedule, here.
