Featured speakers:

Our conference will highlight innovators and activists from across the country sharing their work and leading workshops. Click the images below to learn more about our fantastic featured speakers! 

What's special about this conference?

Our conference is both planned and attended by students and teachers, with an explicit mission to move our school communities forward as sustainable institutions. We will (virtually) connect you with activists and innovators from NYC and across the country, and ensure you leave with new ideas, inspiration, and tools to put new plans into action -- whether we're safely distanced at home or able to be more hands-on in our communities. 

Conference Details

May 1st Conference Schedule
9:30am Conference Opens in Gather, virtual Help Desk open

9:50 - 10am Welcome and Introductions

10:05 - 10:45am Featured Speakers Panel 1 (Innovation)

10:50 - 11:35am Workshop Session 1 

11:40am - 12:25pm Lunch/informal open space time 
  • Be sure to join us in the Cafeteria space to meet other people at the conference, view information about some fantastic organizations, and for the announcement of our raffle winners! 

12:30 - 1:10pm Featured Speakers Panel 2 (Activism)

1:15 - 2:00pm Workshop Session 2
​
2:00 - 2:25pm Closing Full-Group Session
Conference Platform Info
We have created a virtual conference space on Gather, and will send all attendees a brief orientation of how to join and interact before the conference. 
  • We will also have an emergency back-up Zoom session open all day to view the main conference sessions, in case anyone has trouble joining the Gather space. 
  • Both spaces will have appropriate privacy measures in place: we will require an email and name to access the Gather space and our Zoom session will be password protected. We will also include general online safety reminders and behavior expectations in our conference details ahead of May 1st.
  • We will have a virtual Help Desk open in Gather as a point where attendees can always check in with a planning committee member for help.
Special Movie screening just for conference attendees!
Cafeteria Culture is offering a special screening of their movie, Microplastic Madness, for all STSV conference attendees! The movie will be available to view starting April 28th, and we’ll send all attendees the link and password to view. Then join Debby Lee Cohen at the conference for a Q&A session during the first workshop session! 
Confirmed workshops
Watch this space! We'll continue to update this section with workshops descriptions and presenter bios as we finalize details! 

10:50-11:35am Workshop Session 1 
  • Sustainability Shark Tank (Jonathan Cedar, BioLite)
  • Workshop with Krystal Persaud, Grouphug Solar
  • Workshop with Komal Ahmad, Copia
  • Aligning Your Organization's Investment Portfolio with its Mission (Michael Barbarula, J.P. Morgan)
  • Microplastics Madness Movie Q&A (Debby Lee Cohen, Cafeteria Culture)
  • Unboxing Sustainable Fashion (Hailey Tobman, Poly Prep)
  • Cooking For A Better Future: Sustainable Cooking And You (Anna Steel and Hattie Shapard, Brearley)
  • Sustainable Finance 101 (Isabelle Miller, Trinity School)

1:15-2:00pm Workshop Session 2
  • Climate Advocacy and Youth Leadership: If Adults Won't Take Action to Protect Our Future, Youth Will (Sophia Kianni, Climate Cardinals)
  • The Trash Walker: Creating Systemic Change (Anna Sacks, Community Organizer)
  • Workshop with Sasha Lewis-Norelle, Community Organizer, Clean Water Action MN
  • Bees, Pesticides, and Food Security (Talli Weiss, Grace Church School)
  • Building Back Better: Helping Students Navigate Complex Systems Through Interdisciplinary Skills (Brandon Kraft, Spence)
  • Special 20-minute workshops:
    • Eco-anxiety and the Expanding Intersection of Climate Change and Mental Health (Taryn Chung, Brearley)
    • 5-Minute Crafts - Turn your t-shirt into a Reusable Bag (Emilie Wolf, Browning)

​
"Meet" new organizations during our Lunchtime OPen Space
In our virtual Cafeteria, we will have space to socialize as well as information stations featuring some fantastic local and national organizations. Be sure to stop by!  ​
Raffle prizes!
We are grateful to Package Free, Ekosfere, Goodee, and BioLite for donating prizes for our conference raffle! All attendees will be automatically entered to win, and we will announce the winners during lunch, in our virtual Cafeteria space. 

Conference Mission Statement

The Sustainability Through Student Voices conference is designed to empower students, teachers, administrators, and guardians to implement grassroots and systemic change around the critical issues of environmental and social justice. It is through the power of education and our collective voices that will enable us to take the actions necessary to secure a sustainable future for all. ​

Conference Location

Virtual sessions with thought leaders and activists, hosted on Gather.

Planning Committee

Taryn Chung, The Brearley School
Isabelle Miller, Trinity School
Emma José, Trevor Day School
Caroline Baillie, The Hewitt School

Faculty Advisors and Support
Ken Higgins, Faculty at The Town School
Andrea Chavez, Faculty at The Town School
Emilie Wolf, Faculty at The Browning School
Jodie Wilkerson, Staff at The Town School

Curious about our previous work? 

Click to learn about