The Midwest Climate Summit seeks to actively engage students in the main Summit sessions, as well as three student-led and student-focused elements – the Climate Stories Contest, the Student System Conference, and the Midwest Climate Summit Career Chats.

Climate Stories Contest

The Climate Stories Contest is an art competition that calls upon students to tell the story of climate change in the Midwest and how it is impacting themselves or their communities through artwork, film/photography, written works and performing arts. Submissions will be accepted starting in October and submission instructions will be provided on the Summit website.

Student Systems Conference

  • Friday, November 6th, 2020
  • 1:00-3:30pm central time

The Student Systems Conference will be a student-led and student-prioritized session that fosters meaningful and action-oriented conversations about sustainability efforts and challenges on our respective campuses and in our respective communities. 

While the purpose of this session is for students to connect with one another about their climate and sustainability efforts, we encourage staff members to attend to provide valuable insight and information about each university’s efforts and how we collaborate to create a more cohesive and united front to prioritize sustainability and climate change efforts at schools in the Midwest.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn and connect about Fossil Fuels and Energy Usage, Student Advocacy, Waste Management, and Environmental Justice Initiatives through 45-minute breakout sessions. Each attendee will be able to choose up to 2 breakout session topics to attend during the Student Systems Conference.

Midwest Climate Summit Career Chats

  • Friday, November 13, 2020
  • 1:00-4:00pm central time

The Midwest Climate Summit Career Chats will provide undergraduate and graduate students throughout the Midwest a platform to learn and connect with a broad array of cross-sector organizations leading on climate, sustainability, and environmental issues. Check back for additional details in the coming weeks.