SUNY New Paltz and the Conference Steering Committee are pleased to announce that the first annual State of New York Sustainability Conference will be held on Wednesday, November 2 and Thursday, November 3, 2016 at SUNY New Paltz in New Paltz, NY.  This gathering has evolved from the SUNY Sustainability Conference, which was held annually from 2011 until 2015.  In 2015, sustainability officers from across the SUNY System decided to formally open up the 2016 conference to all higher education institutions across New York State to facilitate networking and information sharing.

Conference Tracks
The conference will have a total of three conference tracks.  Two tracks will focus on general sustainability-in-higher-education themes.  One track will focus on energy issues associated with higher education institutions.  This energy track is being planned and led by Energy Managers employed by higher education institutions.

Who should attend?

• Sustainability Officers
• Energy Managers
• Faculty teaching sustainability
• Students interested in sustainability
• Eco-Reps
• Facilities Management staff
• Representatives from companies that market sustainable services and products to higher education institutions (see instructions to become a vendor below).

Conference Registration
Registration is closed.

Conference Schedule and Powerpoint Presentations
Click here to view the conference schedule and download presentations.

Confirmed Conference Workshops

Sustainability Workshops

• Eco-Reps Program Roundtable & Dinner
• Building a Student Led Move Out Program on Your Campus
• Advice for Students from a Veteran Climate Change Activist
• Change Agents Scholars Initiative: Shifting focus from Eco-Reps to Leadership Fellows
• Fostering Civic Engagement on Climate Policy
• Climate Smart Communities: The Value and Process of Campus/Community Partnerships in Advancing Climate Action
• Improving the Campus Carbon Calculator and CarbonMAP to Further Campus Sustainability
• Campus Forests In Mitigating Climate Change and Meeting Carbon Goals
• REV Campus Challenge Updates and Opportunities
• Sustainable Food Progress at Bard, Geneseo & Skidmore
• The Power Dialog: NYS Higher Education Institutions harnessing the power of student inquiry to advance clean energy policy
• The Role of the Arts and Creativity in Campus Sustainability
• Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum
• Campus Green Infrastructure Projects Funded through the NYS EFC GIGP
• Resilient Buildings: The Real Sustainability

Energy Workshops

• A 15-Year Journey Towards Sustainability Through Demand-Side Conservation Efforts at Cornell University
• Green Revolving Funds across New York State
• How We Safely Reduced Energy 50% in Our Lab Building
• Financing EO-88: Energy Performance Contracts
• Financing EO-88: Support from NYPA, SUCF, and DASNY
• Community Distributed Generation Development Panel
• Reducing resource consumption in student housing through feedback and motivation

Keynote Speakers
There will be three keynote presentations at the State of New York Sustainability Conference:

• Sandra Steingraber, a New York State-based poet, biologist, and activist.
• Heather Finnegan of Sightlines and Jennifer Andrews of University of New Hampshire will present on their report, the State of Sustainability in Higher Education
• Clara Fang, former sustainability coordinator at Towson University and Swarthmore College and blogger at Residence on Earth will present on opportunities for climate change activism in higher education

Become a Vendor
Vendor registration is closed.

Hotel Accommodations
The new Hilton hotel, which is located right in New Paltz and would have accommodate all of us, will not be complete in time for our conference.  We recommend reserving a room at:

• America’s Best Value Inn – Located in New Paltz by the Thruway 2 miles away from campus.  Rate of $85 is available for guests that bring tax exempt forms.  Call 845-255-8865 to reserve.
• Econolodge – Located in New Paltz by the Thruway 2 miles away from campus.  Call 844-233-3035 to reserve.

Pre-Conference Social
The suggested hotels do not have bars, so conference attendees who arrive on Tuesday evening are encouraged to go to a New Paltz microbrewery called the Guilded Otter to socialize.  The Guilded Otter is located in downtown New Paltz at 3 Main Street, New Paltz, NY 12561.

SUNY Sustainability Coalition Pre-Conference Meeting
Prior to the start of the conference, the SUNY Sustainability Coalition will be meeting from 9 AM to 11 AM.  We encourage all SUNY Sustainability Officers to attend this meeting!

Conference Steering Committee Members
Lisa Mitten, Conference Host and Campus Sustainability Coordinator, SUNY New Paltz
Matt Brubaker, Campus Energy Manager, SUNY Cortland
Enid Cardinal, Senior Sustainability Advisor to the President, Rochester Institute of Technology
Dan DeZarn, Director of Sustainability, SUNY Geneseo
Thomas Lanzilotta, Campus Energy Manager, SUNY Stony Brook
Hannah Morgan, Sustainability Coordinator, SUNY Oneonta
Greg Monaco, Sustainability Coordinator, SUNY Stony Brook
Alex Possion, Sustainability Coordinator, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
John Pumilio, Director of Sustainability, Colgate University

Energy Track Committee
Lisa Mitten, Conference Host and Campus Sustainability Coordinator, SUNY New Paltz
Matt Brubaker, Campus Energy Manager, SUNY Cortland
Tom Kelly, Energy Manager, Purchase College
Indu Lnu, Energy Manger, University at Albany
Thomas Lanzilotta, Campus Energy Manager, SUNY Stony Brook
Eric Mazzone, Energy Manager, SUNY Office of Capital Facilities

Questions and Comments?

Please contact the conference host and organizer, Lisa Mitten of SUNY New Paltz with any questions or comments about the conference.

Lisa Mitten
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
State University of New York at New Paltz
845-257-3325
mittenl@newpaltz.edu

Looking Ahead to 2017
Hannah Morgan of SUNY Oneonta has graciously agreed to host the 2017 State of New York Sustainability Conference.

Thank you to our conference sponsors!