The 2020 Global Conference for Sustainability in Higher Education moved to a virtual format this year, allowing schools from across the country to become host institutions of the event.

As a host institution, current UF students, faculty and staff were able to register for the Global Conference for Sustainability in Higher Education for free. The UF Office of Sustainability saw over 245 attendees register from the UF community, contributing to the record levels of attendance to this annual conference on sustainability.

The conference organizer, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), reported over 6,800 attendees from universities and schools all around the globe. Attendees were able to participate in 3 days of live and hybrid sessions with speakers and leaders in sustainability on Oct. 20 – 22, 2020. Some of the most notable included:

• Keynote address by Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braiding Sweetgrass”
• Keynote address by Ibram X. Kendi, author of “How to Be an Antiracist”
• Youth Leadership Panel with Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru, Joshua Dedmond and Suparna Kudesia

The conference featured an engaging online platform that allowed attendees to build their schedules and interact with each other through various networking opportunities. Registered UF attendees are able to access all recorded talks and on-demand sessions until Nov. 22, 2020.

AASHE also facilitates the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a self-reporting framework used by universities and colleges to measure sustainability performance. The University of Florida is holds a Silver level of recognition as of 2017 and is in the process of finalizing an updated submission for 2020.

Did you attend the 2020 Global Conference of Sustainability in Higher Education? Send us an email and tell us about your favorite session or speaker!

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