About
The Expo
The Sustainability & Energy Expo was born out of a recognition that many of our most pressing environmental issues, such as climate change, require the expertise of disciplines from across the campus. What kind of knowledge do we need about the physical world? What kind of technologies and industries can be developed to help us? What sort of policy would best encourage innovation or protection of natural resources? How do these issues affect individuals or communities of people? How might they intersect with race, gender, class, and other segments of society? What kinds of art or design will we produce to communicate our ideas cultural values?
At a large institution like the University of Minnesota, connecting across the campus can be a real challenge. There's a club, a major, a niche for everyone. And while this means students have many opportunities to develop excellence in their interests, it also means it can be easy to be silo-ed. Now, more than ever, we need students to communicate effectively, to collaborate with those who come from different academic, social, or cultural backgrounds, to confront some of the biggest challenges humanity has ever faced. Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone?
The Sustainability & Energy Expo welcomes all UMN students to present their work in sustainability through lightning talks, posters, and artistic/multi-media. This day-long conference draws student researchers, leaders, and advocates together to connect and learn from one another in addressing issues ranging from the campus to global scale. Local environmental leaders are invited to network with students and judge student work in their efficacy in communicating ideas.
While many environmental challenges require collaboration across cultures, nations, and disciplines, we are separated on our campus not only by academic colleges, but by significant physical distance! How often do we get to have engaging conversations with our peers of different expertise? What might we have to learn from them?
Organizers
Sustainability Education
Institute on the Environment's Sustainability Education program creates a vibrant and transformative community of students and faculty from across the University of Minnesota Twin Cities who work together to advance sustainability in society. The program’s work revolves around three key strategies:
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Develop student leadership by educating and empowering students across disciplines, backgrounds, levels of interest and knowledge of sustainability.
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Create and participate in opportunities for faculty, researchers and artists to teach, engage in and present about sustainability.
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Build bridges with various communities, develop shared program models, and provide leadership within the University community and with external organizations.
In addition to having hosted this event (formerly known as "Sustainability Symposium") for several years, Sustainability Education program also:
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coordinates the University of Minnesota Twin Cities undergraduate sustainability studies minor
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organizes the Undergrad Leaders program, a cohort-based leadership accelerator
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supports student-driven initiatives and co-curricular opportunities
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produces a sustainability-focused event for incoming students during Welcome Week
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collaborates with others across the University’s five-campus system and communities outside the University such as other universities, community colleges and K–12 educators on educational programs
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serves as home base for students who organize an annual community Sustainability Fair
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holds a Sustainability Film Series each spring
UMN Energy Club
The UMN Energy Club is a new co-organizer to the Expo this year. The student club was formed in Fall 2016 recognizing that today's ecosystem surrounding energy is more complex than ever. It is composed of stakeholders in every niche of society, forming a system that is highly connected, interdependent, and distinctly non-linear. That is, changes in one one field often ripple out and cause unintended or unexpected consequences that affect the rest of the system. For example, certain policies can promote certain businesses; businesses can promote certain technologies; certain technologies can impact the natural resources or disproportionately affect certain populations of people. Today's young people will not only grow up to face the more serious effects of climate change but will also become the next generation of leaders in energy and climate. To be able to make serious progress, we would, presumably, want our future leaders to be well-educated in the intricate, nonlinear nature of this ecosystem.
The primary goal of UMN Energy Club is to prepare young people as leaders in energy and climate by highlighting the interdependent, intersectional challenges that come with building a cleaner, safer energy system, including, but not limited to: technology, policy, economics, sociology, public health, and ecology. All club programming is designed to connect students across the campus to facilitate exchange of knowledge and ideas as well as to the greater sustainability ecosystem in the University and Twin Cities Metro area. Thus, the groups has a strong emphasis on inclusion and diversity and open to students of all academic backgrounds, all levels (undergraduate and graduate/professional), all cultures, and to members of the public. Programming includes student and guest speakers, tours of sustainability sites and infrastructure (e.g. power/industrial plants, green architecture, farms, etc.), student-led projects, and community outreach and philanthropy.
