Upcoming Summit at Weber State Focuses on the Future of Sustainability

It’s almost spring and that means the return of one of our favorite annual events– the Intermountain Sustainability Summit held at Weber State University from February 28 – March 2! The Summit brings together a wide range of professionals from business, government, non-profits, and education to discuss and envision a sustainable future for our environment, communities, and economy.

Now in its ninth year, the Summit is geared toward engaging students, sustainability practitioners, and the general public in topics such as clean energy infrastructure, green buildings, urban water, and other sustainability topics.

It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn something new, mix and mingle with other sustainability folk, and come away inspired by the many goings-on in Utah and beyond.

On Wednesday evening, February 28, the summit officially kicks off with a free musical performance from the Crossroads Project, a collaboration of the Fry Street Quartet with climate physicist Dr. Robert Davies.

The performance weaves art and science together through music, prose, and stunning visual imagery — photographs by renowned environmental photographer Garth Lenz and paintings by Rebecca Allan and the quartet’s commission of Rising Tide by American composer Laura Kaminsky.

The evening performance is free and open to all who are 8 years old or older.

We’re also very excited about the rest of the Summit including this year’s keynote speaker, Naomi Oreskes, who will take the stage on the Summit’s main day, March 1.

Oreskes is the co-author of the critically acclaimed Merchants of Doubt and professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. Her book sheds light on the use of misinformation to create confusion surrounding public health issues, like the anti-smoking campaign of the 20th century, and today with climate science.  Her book was recently turned into an award-winning documentary.

A book signing will follow the keynote address.

The Intermountain Sustainability Summit draws a large crowd every year.

Also on March 1, are a number of exciting and interesting presentations featuring sustainability professionals discussing their latest work. This includes SLCgreen’s Tyler Poulson. Tyler will cover how new technologies such as rooftop solar and plug-in vehicles are empowering local communities. Don’t miss it! See the full list of speakers here.

As you attend lectures and panels, you’ll also have the opportunity to wander around the Expo where you’ll find some of Utah’s most involved and engaged environmental organizations, including Wasatch Community Gardens, The Sierra Club, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, Utah Recycling Alliance and many more. SLCgreen will be there too!

Another fantastic part of the summit is the student poster session where undergraduate and graduate students studying Green Design, Sustainability Education & Community Engagement and Sustainability in Creative Arts will present their research projects.

A student presenting her research during the poster session at the Intermountain Sustainability Summit.

March 2, the last day of the summit, is dedicated to in-depth practitioner workshops. This includes:

• Effective climate communication based on applied research from ecoAmerica and Utah Clean Energy
• Climate communication strategies with USU’s Rob Davies, WSU’s Dan Bedford, and John Cook of Skeptical Science.
• Charting a path to climate neutrality for building & campus managers
• LEED General Associate exam prep

If you are interested in attending the Summit, register here. We hope to see you there!

For directions on how to get to the summit, as well as carpooling, public transit, and EV charging information click here.