Call for Participation: 2024 Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit

Join us on May 2, 2024, at the Duke Energy Convention Center for our
11th Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit!

The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit brings together 600+ passionate and visionary leaders to share inspiring, forward-thinking, and solution-oriented ideas that propel us toward a healthier, more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future. We are currently accepting speaker applications for panel discussions and workshops, proposals for visual and performance art submissions, abstracts for our first poster session, and nominations for our annual sustainability awards. More information about these opportunities are detailed below and on the Summit website.

2024 Theme: From Vision to Action

We find ourselves at a critical juncture for collective action as we work to address the global and local impacts of the climate crisis. We can and must bring the energy and spirit of collaboration to implement solutions that advance mitigation, adaptation, and climate justice.

Last year’s Summit theme focused on imagining visionary and inspiring possibilities that inform, empower, and motivate our actions to create a more vibrant, equitable, and thriving region. This year, building from a place of hope and renewed resilience, we will focus on aligning our collective efforts to move from vision to action.

The climate challenge and new opportunities invite us to chart the course for a great future together. With the right combination of planning, persistence, and partnerships, the future we envision is within our grasp. Climate action is occurring at all levels of government, business, academia, non-profits, advocacy groups, and within our neighborhoods. Across all systems and actions, there is a role for everyone to make an impact!

The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit serves as a spark for connecting and learning together, deepening our resolve, and celebrating collaborative climate solutions as we each find our place in the movement to secure a resilient, equitable, and thriving future.

2024 Keynote: Jacqueline Patterson

Jacqueline Patterson is the Founder and Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership. The mission of the Chisholm Legacy Project is rooted in a Just Transition Framework, serving as a vehicle to connect Black communities on the frontlines of climate justice with the resources to actualize visions.

Before launching the Chisholm Legacy Project, Patterson served as the Senior Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program for over a decade. During her tenure, she founded and implemented a robust portfolio that included serving the state and local leadership whose constituencies consisted of hundreds of communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice.

2024 Call for Participation – Be a Part of the Summit

Speak at the Summit

With 20 breakout sessions, the Summit features 80+ speakers from Greater Cincinnati and across the Midwest​. We invite proposals for 50-minute discussion panels, 50-minute interactive workshops, and 5-minute short talks that align with this year’s theme across any of the following climate-related issue areas:

• Healthy & Resilient Communities
• Business & Green, Circular Economies
• Government & Policy
• Healthy, High-Performing Infrastructure
• Active Transportation, Public Transit, & Micromobility
• Resilient Local Food Systems
• Climate Justice, Equity, & Inclusion
• Green Workforce Development
• Emergency Preparedness

** Speaker Proposal Deadline: January 12. **

Share your art at the Summit

We seek inspiring visual and performance art that aligns with the Summit theme as we continue to incorporate the creative arts into the Summit! From paintings and sculptures to interactive exhibits, our art show features dozens of local artists – and our program integrates spoken word and dance performances. Learn more about our call for artists! Submission deadline: January 15.

Share your work or research at the Summit

We invite scholarly and practitioner posters that focus on work or research that aligns with the 2024 Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit theme “From Vision to Action.” Learn more about our call for posters! Submission deadline: March 1.

Nominate a sustainability leader for an award

We welcome nominations recognizing individuals, organizations, businesses, and communities that have made outstanding strides in the areas of Impact, Innovation, and Leadership. Award winners will be honored at the Summit. Learn more about our awards! Nomination deadline: March 1.

Sponsor the Summit

Give your organization prominent brand recognition as a champion of sustainability by becoming a Summit sponsor! We offer a variety of options that enable you to reach a diverse and dynamic coalition of leaders committed to making our region more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Make your commitment early to get the most out of it and be included in all our marketing and event communications. View our event sponsorship package!

Summit Planning Partners