SUNY Sustainability Conference

The SUNY Sustainability Conference is here once again! Hosted by Farmingdale State College in Farmingdale, NY, the 2026 conference will take place Tuesday June 9 through Thursday June 11. The conference will provide an opportunity for professionals from a variety of sustainability-related roles at SUNY colleges and beyond to connect and learn from one another. The event will offer a wide variety of opportunities, including:

• Educational sessions featuring information relevant to sustainability in higher education and New York State
• Chances to share success stories
• Discussions about emerging issues
• Networking and partnership opportunities
• Opportunities to discuss creative solutions to help advance sustainability actions across New York State colleges
• And more!

Presentation applications are now closed.

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Conference Registration

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Students are welcome!
Are you a student with an interest in learning more about sustainability? Do you have a desire to connect with sustainability professionals, or share your research in the sustainability field? Then the SUNY Sustainability Conference is for you! Students from all NYS higher education institutions (private and public) are welcome to join us. A limited amount of student scholarships are available. Note that scholarship recipients are required to give a poster presentation during the conference.

Apply for a student scholarship. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

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Hotel Block
A hotel block at a rate of $169/night has been reserved at the Hilton Long Island/Huntington. This hotel neighbors campus and is walkable, but a shuttle will be provided as well. (The shuttle schedule will be provided upon registration.)

Book your hotel room today.

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Transportation Options

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Vendors & Sponsorship

Vendor tabling and sponsorship opportunities are available for this conference. Vendors are required to complete the Vendor and Sponsor Application. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

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Agenda
June 9, 2026

time	Session A	Session B
11:00AM-11:30AM	Check-in Campus Center Ballroom
11:30AM-11:50AM	Welcome Address Dr. Robert Prezant, Farmingdale State College
12:00PM-12:50PM	SUNY Climate Hazard Analysis Sadie Ross, State University of New York (SUNY)	How to Communicate Energy Issues so People Will Listen Peter Hoffman, DASNY Clean Energy Master Plan: The Roadmap to Start Matthew Brubaker, SUNY Cortland
1:00PM-1:50PM	Lunch & Roundtable Discussion on AI & Sustainability Lisa Mitten, SUNY New Paltz
2:00PM-2:50PM	Teaching Sustainability through Art, Teaching Art through Sustainability Dan DeZarn, SUNY Geneseo Say What? (And When and Where and How): Sustainability Communication Strategies Juliana Smith, State University of New York (SUNY)	Earthrise Learning Commons: Empowering Learners with Sustainability Pedagogies Sarah Wyman, SUNY New Paltz Teaching Sustainability Through Practice: Life of the Practitioner Eugene Kwak, Farmingdale State College
3:00PM-3:50PM	Vendor Networking Session and Student Poster Presentations Light refreshments will be served
4:00PM-5:00PM	BREAK Hotel to freshen up, rest, continue networking, etc.
5:00PM-6:30PM	Keynote & Dinner Buffet Keynote Speaker: David Wallace-Wells, New York Times Journalist & Author
7:00PM-8:00PM	Happy Hour at Changing Times Pub

June 10, 2026

time	sESSION a	sESSION b
7:30AM-8:15AM	EcoFlow with Erin An optional morning yoga session led by Stony Brook University's Erin Kluge
9:00AM-9:50AM	Breakfast & Commitment to Action: Reducing Single-use Plastic Through the Plastic Reduction Partner Program Mary Ellen Malia & Meghan Popcun, University at Albany
10:00AM-10:50AM	Growing Pains: Inter-Generational Sustainability Workplace Conversations Erin Kluge, Stony Brook University & Megan Swing, SUNY Cortland	University at Albany’s Carbon Neutral Campus Roadmap - The messy reality of putting the puzzle together piece by piece Rob Neimeier, Ramboll &Mary Ellen Mallia, University at Albany Turning Heat into Hope: How We Can Leverage Obstacles into Opportunities to Decarbonize Ryan McPherson, University at Buffalo
11:00AM-11:50AM	Storytelling for Sustainability Jacqueline Emery, Jesse Curran, & Lori Yamond, SUNY Old Westbury	Mapping the Path to the STARS: Targeted Assessment Strategies for Institutional Point Gain and Advancement Martin Larocca, Binghamton University
12:00PM-12:50PM	Lunch & Panel: Give a (Food) Scrap: Diversity of University Diversion Programs Rachel Kornhauser, SUNY Oneonta & Celia Darling, Skidmore College
1:00PM-1:50PM	The Role of Housing Type in Sustainability: The Case of Missing Middle Housing Kaveh Samiei, The New School	Optimizing Campus Energy Use Through Data-Driven Occupancy Scheduling Christian Guzman, Stony Brook University
2:00PM-2:50PM	From Waste to Energy: Circular Economy Strategies for Urban Sustainability and Energy Equity in Trujillo, Peru Maria Lucia Boggiano Burga, Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego Communicating Energy Transition in Hydrocarbon Economies: Lessons from Qatar’s Low-Carbon Strategy Ahmed Nassar, Qatar University	From Campus to Community: Advancing Circularity Through Student Engagement Melissa Young, Institute for Sustainability Engagement & Kathryn Walker, Center for Sustainable Materials Management Scaling Campus Composting: From Waste Audits to On-Site Solutions Marjorie Spitz, Table2Ground & Long Island Organics Council
3:00PM-5:00PM	OFF CAMPUS TOUR OF CHOICE Experience the beauty of Long Island and join us for one of three tour options: Sunken Meadow State Park Jones Beach State Park Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park Tours are no additional cost for registrants. Preregistration is required. Transportation provided. Sign up for a tour here!
5:00PM-6:00PM	Dinner on your own
6:00PM-8:00PM	S'mores & Networking (back at FSC) Gleeson Plaza

June 11, 2026

time	Session A	Session B
9:00AM-10:00AM	Breakfast & Networking Tables: Working in Sustainability with the YPs Juliana Smith, State University of New York (SUNY) & Isabella Gerace, Purchase College
10:00AM-10:50AM	Design For the Future of Fashion - Sustainably Panel Presentation led by Karen Pearson, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)	Academics and Action: Integrating Sustainability at Purchase College Ragnhild Utheim & Melissa Forstrom, Purchase College
11:00AM-11:50AM	Recycled Waste-Modified Cement Concrete: A Case Study for Sustainable Construction Shohana Iffat, Farmingdale State College Phytodaptive: The Future of Sustainable Packaging Andrew Freuman, Sur Doctor, Vikram Kumar, Phytodaptive	Communicating Scope 3 Emissions using Study Abroad Air Travel and Web GIS Christopher Badurek, SUNY Cortland Stories That Sustain: Communicating Sustainability Orla Smyth-LoPiccolo, Farmingdale State College
12:00PM-1:00PM	Lunch & SUNY Sustainability Award Ceremony

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