Are you helping to lead sustainability efforts on your campus?

Join the 2025 UMACS Coffee Chats for Sustainability Leaders series! We meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 9:00-10:00 am CST. These facilitated meetings are an opportunity to share best practices, resources and struggles with your regional peers.

Help choose Coffee Chat topics by voting on proposed ones here! Sign up for the topics of interest and/or value to you, and invite others from your campus to join the discussion.

 2025 Coffee Chats for Sustainability Leaders

Next Coffee Chat:
​May 28: Reflecting on Wins Led by Megan Voorhees, UMACS Executive Director

Save these dates for future Coffee Chats (9-10 am CST):
June 18
July 23: AI in Sustainability, led by Stratis Giannakouros, Sustainability Director, University of Iowa
August 27
September 17
October 29
November 19
December 17

Past 2025 Topics:
February 26: Co-Curricular Transcripts & Digital Badging Interested in starting or improving a Co-Curricular Transcript (CCT) program to better recognize student achievement in sustainability and beyond?  UMACS Sustainability Fellow Brayden Adrian (Central Community College) and Sustainability Program Manager Rachel Schauer (University of St. Thomas) will host a discussion for people to share ideas, experiences, and address challenges with these programs.

March 26: Goal Setting - How Do You Determine What You Should Be Doing?  Led by Kate Nelson, Sustainability Director at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

April 16: Big Ideas & Tools to Support Midwest Climate Resilience Facilitated by Sarah Fortner (Carleton College), Casey Meehan (Western Technical College) and Kyle Rauch (St. John's University/College of St. Benedict) --  Join your colleagues in learning about Midwest specific climate impacts that you can address on your campus and through education and partnering. National climate action has moved from a focus on mitigation and reducing emissions to also include climate resilience, or addressing both the sources and impacts of climate change. The focus of this session is to support reflection on what the major climate impacts are facing the Midwest, and what tools you can use to support decision making. 

2024 Discussion Topics

January: Sustainability Officer Networking Session
February: Procurement and Sustainable Purchasing ​
March:  Partnerships with Grounds and Landscaping Staff to Advance Sustainability
April: Strategies for Effectively Engaging Students, Staff and Faculty
May: Zero Waste: How are We Living Up to Our Goals?
June: "Water Cooler" Time
July:  Carbon Footprinting Tools 
August: Book Discussion with Edward Humes
​Pulitzer Prize Winner Edward Humes will join us to talk about his new book! Learn more here. 
September: Community of Practice Networking Session
October: What is the "Key Competencies in Sustainability Framework"? 
November: Reusable Container Programs
December: Experiential Education Programs