Trainings & Events

The Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series —"Nature and the Environment" — honors the legacy of a prominent American naturalist, photographer, and writer who helped bridge the gap between the conservation and ecological movements of the 20th century.

All lectures are free, open to the public, and unless otherwise noted held at 4 p.m. in the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Center for Human Rights at UConn’s main campus in Storrs. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend the Teale lectures in person in Konover Auditorium. However, those who cannot do so may watch each lecture as it occurs using this live streaming link.

Upcoming Lectures:

February 26: “How Can Individuals, Organizations, and Nations Make Better Sustainability Decisions?” - Tom Dietz (University Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Environmental Science & Policy, & Animal Studies, Michigan State University)

March 26: “Women, Water, Violence and Wellbeing In The Face of Climate Change” - Susan J. Elliott (Professor & University Research Chair in Health Geography, University of Waterloo, Canada)

April 2nd: “Back to the Wall, Face to the Sun: The Climate Crisis and the Renewable Answer” - Bill McKibben (Middlebury College; Founder of 350.org and of Third Act)
 

This workshop will focus on how the Solar Marketplace Assistance Program Plus (Solar MAP+) can support municipalities in navigating the solar marketplace to access solar and storage and achieve energy savings.
 

Explore sea level rise & climate change with national experts as they examine the human and ecological challenges our coastlines face.

The Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment at Connecticut College is proud to be hosting the 2026 Lear-Conant Environmental Symposium, Sea Level Rise: Measurement, Understanding, Adaptation.

Over the coming decades sea level rise, accelerated by climate change, will pose major challenges to densely populated coastal regions, including ecological and human impacts on coastal Connecticut and the Long Island Sound region. Relative sea level – the height of the sea level relative to land at a particular place – is a complex phenomenon affected by many variables, including water temperature, global sea level rise caused by melting ice, sedimentation, coastal infrastructure, and land subsidence.

This Lear-Conant Symposium will bring together dynamic researchers across varied disciplines and fields. Each of the speakers will discuss topics that consider the complexities of sea level, how we measure it, understand it, and what it means for human and ecological communities. This symposium builds on the strong tradition at Connecticut College of coastal salt marsh ecology and research on the impacts of sea level changes on tidal wetlands. The symposium will also provide an opportunity to discuss and explore what it means to care for places and communities that will be affected by sea level rise.

In conjunction with the symposium, the Goodwin-Niering Center will be hosting a small Coastal-Climate Exposition that will feature local community groups, NGO's, student groups and more. Space is limited, but if you're interested in exhibition tabling information, please contact the center at [email protected], subject line: SLR Expo.
 

Rescheduled from March, the second workshop will focus on the Fleet Electrification Accelerator Program. This program provides free fleet electrification planning and deployment assistance to school bus fleets.
 

Join the Connecticut Urban Forest Network for their Urban and Community Peer Learning Exchanges! This will be an opportunity to:

• ​Share urban and community forestry successes and challenges
• ​Advance transformative urban forestry project ideas
• ​Build connections
• ​Learn about innovative funding models

​This event, supported by The Nature Conservancy, CT's Regional Coucils of Governments, and partners, is an interactive opportunity to advance urban and community forestry initiatives for the health and well-being of Connecticut residents.

​Target audience: local organizations, community leaders, and municipal staff engaged in, or looking to be engaged in, urban and community forestry work in Connecticut.
 

Sustainable CT’s innovative Community Match Fund is a crowdfunding grant-matching program that provides fast, flexible funding and support to implement sustainability projects. The Community Match Fund supports projects that have a free and public benefit, align with our action roadmap, and take place in a Sustainable CT registered town.

Join us in April for an update about our Community Match Fund. This is a great opportunity to learn about our newly created Environmental Fund, which supports projects that relate to environmental sustainability and/or address climate change. Participants will also hear from Community Match Fund organizers who will share their experiences crowdfunding and the steps they took to bring their project to life.

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

From rising seas to stronger storms, from grid reliability to frequent flooding: municipalities and states face common climate challenges that are daunting individually, but can be addressed leveraging the power of all, cooperatively. Regional Resilience can be our path forward.

Join UConn Law’s Center for Energy & Environmental Law on April 17 for a solutions-based conference exploring the priorities and pathways toward regional resilience. Our discussion will range from law and policy to science and engineering. Panels feature historians, climate scientists, municipal planners, and even a few law professors.

The conference will conclude with a collaborative workshop in which participants will help shape a report to the National Science Foundation outlining key priorities for regional resilience in the Northeast. We end our day with a networking and post-conference discussion session over UConn Dairy Bar ice cream.

If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability, please contact the Law School at (860) 570-5079 or via email at [email protected], at least two weeks in advance.
 

Every conservation easement and fee property represents a lasting promise to protect the land’s conservation values forever. Keeping the Promise: Core Skills for Effective Land Stewardship is an essential webinar series from the Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC0 and the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy designed to equip land trusts with the practical skills, tools, and insights needed to uphold that commitment with confidence.

This six-part series focuses on the foundational elements of stewardship: conducting meaningful annual monitoring, responding effectively to encroachments, collaborating with natural resource professionals, integrating remote sensing tools into stewardship workflows, and using national Terrafirma claim trends to proactively manage risk.

Grounded in Land Trust Alliance Standards & Practices and informed by real scenarios from the field, each session will help land trust staff and volunteers strengthen their stewardship programs, improve documentation and preparedness, and build long-term resilience into their conservation work.
 

Offering support to all Sustainable CT registered communities with Brownfields, the UConn Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program offers no-cost technical assistance to New England municipalities on an ongoing basis. Join UConn TAB for their Spring & Summer Webinar series. Links to register for the webinars, as well as more information, will be updated continuously.
 

The Connecticut River Museum will host the third annual Connecticut River Valley Environmental Summit at Wesleyan University on May 2, 2026. Guided by the theme of “Stewardship in Action,” Environmental leaders will present sessions on pressing issues affecting the Connecticut River watershed, engaging an audience that includes scientists, policymakers, academics, cultural institutions, and more. This event serves as a platform for watershed professionals and community stakeholders to learn from their peers, forge new connections, and explore opportunities for collaboration and coalition building to keep Connecticut's waterways healthy and safe for future generations.
 

The 2026 Sustainable CT Virtual Equity Training Series is a free, practical, action-focused learning experience designed to help municipal leaders move from equity concepts to confident application in real time. Attendance at all three sessions is required.

Participants will work with scenario-based coaching and peer learning, using real challenges from their communities such as budgeting tradeoffs, policy revisions, resident engagement tension, and team dynamics. Anyone is welcome to register and participate.

Session One runs 10:00 am – 12:00 pm on May 6. Sessions Two and Three run from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, on May 20 and June 3. Attendance is capped at 35. This will be a live, interactive training and will NOT be recorded. Please only sign up if you intend to participate for the duration of each session.

Attendees will actively participate in three different workshops:

May 6 - Equity in Action – From Principles to Practice: Clarify shared commitments and apply an equity lens to current municipal practices to identify practical opportunities for change.

May 20 - Building Trust and Cross-Town Coalitions: Go deeper on trust-building, communication, and collaboration across departments and communities. Includes guided small-group breakouts to problem-solve shared challenges and navigate politically sensitive moments.

June 3 - Measuring What Matters and Sustaining Momentum: Define meaningful equity measures, track progress, and build strategies to sustain the work through leadership transitions, shifting priorities, and budget cycles.

This webinar is eligible for Certified Connecticut Municipal Official (CCMO) professional development credit from the CT Conference of Municipalities.
 

The C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) program enables all types of commercial properties to make green upgrades to new and existing buildings through an experienced contractor network and access to financing with repayment options.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

A regional gathering that brings together communities, partners, and watershed groups to share knowledge, strengthen collaboration, and advance watershed solutions. Saturday, May 30, 2026, 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM. Hosted by the Eastern Connecticut Watershed Network. For full event details visit: www.conservect.org/eastern/ectwn/.
 

Many CT Green Bank programs are directly aligned with Sustainable CT's menu of actions. As strategic partners, Green Bank and Sustainable CT can provide support for municipalities to earn certification. Representatives from Sustainable CT will also be invited.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

CT Green Bank offers financing options for areas of environmental infrastructure related to climate adaptation and resiliency. Join this workshop to learn more about these programs. Please note: this topic could be subject to change.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

This session will be an open office hour format for those interested in learning more about CT Green Bank's programs and brainstorming potential opportunities for funding proposed projects.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

This workshop will focus on CT Green Bank's programs to support municipalities and schools to improve resilience and energy use.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

Energy Storage Solutions is an incentive program overseen by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) administered by the CT Green Bank and utilities. Learn more about upfront and yearly performance incentives available for batteries paired with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and standalone batteries.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

This workshop will focus on the Smart-E Loans program offering low-interest financing for residential home energy improvements through a network of contractors and lenders.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
 

Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions most third Thursdays of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.