Trainings & Events

During this hands-on workshop, we will focus on the principles of data visualization and apply them with free data visualization tools. By learning the principles of data visualization, you will be able to create simple, compelling charts that effectively convey insights you gain from data, no matter what tool you use.

By the end of this session, you will:

• Learn how to choose a chart based on what is most important in your analysis.
• Be able to make decisions about color and design to communicate your message.
• Be able to create graphs in free data visualization tools.
• Understand how much detail to show depending on your audience.

Please contact Jackie at [email protected] with any questions.
 

Guest speakers will cover energy efficiency and renewable energy options for CT farms. Presentations will include a focus on State & Federal incentives such as Energize CT, USDA REAP, USDA EQIP, Utility Incentives, and more followed by Q&A. Learn how your farm can start saving money with energy upgrades and producing on-farm energy. The workshops will be in-person and free to attend. If you need any special accommodations, please contact Christian at [email protected].
 

Presenters: Qian “Rachel” Lei-Parent and David Dickson, UConn CLEAR, David Allen Newburn, University of Maryland

Nitrogen (N) from residential lawn fertilizer is one of the most challenging and persistent problems impacting the health of Long Island Sound (LIS). An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Clark University, UConn, the University of Maryland, and the University of Miami collaborated on an effort to develop a LIS Lawn Fertilizer Outreach Optimization Tool. Combining social science and two tools that model nitrogen interactions with the landscape, the resulting data and tool can help inform lawn fertilizer education and outreach campaigns target areas that are likely to have a significant impact on water quality.

This webinar will walk through the methodology behind the tool and demonstrate how to use it to inform outreach efforts.
 

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)
 

Join the Bradley Street Bike Co-Op for one of their most treasured traditions! Gather at the Co-Op, then the group will ride together down Orange St and up the paved road to the top of East Rock Park. Take in the view and get to know your new bike buddies over BYO coffee. Some folks will leave early to get to work, and others will linger and enjoy. Everyone rides at their own pace and no one will be left behind!
 

Are you interested in learning more about a new United States Geological Survey (USGS) Compound Flood Hazard Mapper tool? During each of these in-person workshops, you’ll hear from USGS staff about local compound flooding hazards and learn how you can use this new online tool for decision-making. Experts will walk through scenarios and provide time to explore, ask questions, and give feedback. These sessions are geared towards municipal/COG staff, planners, engineers, local decision-makers, and other impacted stakeholders.
 

Are you interested in learning more about a new United States Geological Survey (USGS) Compound Flood Hazard Mapper tool? During each of these in-person workshops, you’ll hear from USGS staff about local compound flooding hazards and learn how you can use this new online tool for decision-making. Experts will walk through scenarios and provide time to explore, ask questions, and give feedback. These sessions are geared towards municipal/COG staff, planners, engineers, local decision-makers, and other impacted stakeholders.
 

Join the CT Blue Economy Coalition for a statewide workshop focused on strengthening marine and maritime education. This event brings together K–12 educators, school leaders, marine science organizations, and businesses committed to growing marine literacy and supporting Connecticut’s Blue Economy. The workshop features panel discussions, hands-on demonstrations, and opportunities to connect with providers of marine and maritime experiential learning. Participants will leave with practical tools, resources, and strategies to enhance instruction and support workforce development.
 

The ability to tell captivating stories with your data isn’t just a plus, it’s a must-have skill that turns numbers into action. Whether you are trying to get your team on board with an idea, convince people to support a cause, or just want your presentations to stand out, knowing how to create a data story can make all the difference. However, transforming numbers into a cohesive story can be difficult and leave audiences with more questions than answers. This workshop offers a process to create clear and memorable data stories that guide readers toward action.

By the end of this session, attendees will:

• Understand the concept of a “data story” and its significance in communicating information effectively.
• Acquire a step-by-step process to craft data stories that are clear and compelling.
• Learn how to combine insights with visualizations, creating memorable data stories that inspire an audience to take action.

Please contact Jackie at [email protected] with any questions.
 

Most professionals have access to qualitative data that can help inform their work but may not even realize it. Even after discovering this data, it can be challenging to categorize it so we can gain valuable insights to inform our work. This workshop will provide you with guidelines and practices you can apply to analyze qualitative data and will provide you with the knowledge and skills to help you more confidently gather insights from your qualitative data.

By the end of this session, you will:

• Know what qualitative data are and where they come from.
• Learn how to prepare and manage qualitative data.
• Be able to analyze qualitative data.
• Know how to generate and compile insights from qualitative data analysis.

Please contact Jackie at [email protected] with any questions.
 

Join the Partnership for Strong Communities on Friday, March 6 from 10-11am on Zoom for The Intersection of Affordable Homes & Housing Quality!

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from community experts on the quality and safety of Connecticut's housing stock, looking at everything from unsafe living conditions like lead paint, mold and infestation considerations to crumbling foundations, climate resilience, repairs and maintenance.

Presenters will explore the challenges associated with ensuring housing is safe and maintained, policy recommendations to further improve housing quality and resources available to ensure our housing stock is safe and stable to reside and thrive in.  

Featuring: 

• Jennifer Landau, Senior Program Officer-Architectural and Construction Services, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA)
• Judith Rothschild, Deputy Director and Director of Licenses & Inspections, City of Hartford 
• Liam Brennan, Executive Director, Livable City Initiative 

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 March 11. Sessions Two and Three run from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, on March 25 and April 8. 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:

March 11 - 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.

March 25 - 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.

April 8 - 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.
 

“People of the Sound” is the theme of this full day, in-person gathering hosted by the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF). The event will bring together tribal groups, organizations, institutions, and community members to discuss needs, environmental impacts, and community access along the Long Island Sound estuary, while identifying resources and opportunities for capacity building.
 

Join the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN) and GreenerU for a webinar about the benefits of geothermal heat pumps for CT houses of worship.

Thanks to continued federal and state incentives, the economics of ground source heat pumps have never been better! Hear the stories of two congregations - Wellesley Village Church in Wellesley, MA, and Round Hill Community Church in Greenwich, CT to learn how and why they went with ground source (geothermal) heat pumps, lessons learned, and more. While this event is targeted at CT Houses of Worship, others outside of the state are also welcome to learn more about geothermal heating and cooling systems!

This event is co-sponsored by the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network and GreenerU.
 

Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (CEEJAC) was established in Executive Order 21-3 to provide guidance to the Commissioner of CT's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) on issues related to the state's historic and current environmental injustice and inequities across the state. The Council convenes quarterly to hear updates from subcommittees and discuss key projects. All Quarterly Meetings are open to the public. If you have questions, please contact [email protected].
 

This informative day will include keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking, a catered lunch, and exhibitors. Attendees will benefit from a variety of themed breakout sessions, providing education on composting related to the basics, home, farm, municipal, schools, and medium to large scale operations. The event will highlight how composting can benefit local communities, businesses, the environment, and improve climate resiliency.
 

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.
 

The bird is the word. The early bird, that is. Now’s your chance to score discounted registration rates to the 42nd annual Connecticut Land Conservation Conference, the largest gathering of land conservation professionals and allies in the state. Early bird registration ends February 23. Check out the workshop schedule and register today.
 

Presenter: Ashley Benítez, CT GIS Office

Host: UConn CLEAR

The Connecticut GIS Parcel Data Creation Guidance and Specifications (“Parcel Guidance”) is a technical framework developed by the GIS Advisory Council’s Parcel Data Creation Working Group in collaboration with the Connecticut GIS Office. This guidance establishes consistent methods and quality standards for creating, maintaining, and updating parcel GIS data, ensuring uniformity and interoperability across the state.

In this webinar, we will provide an overview of the Parcel Guidance, explain its purpose, and discuss why it is critical for municipalities, data creators, and GIS professionals. While not a formal parcel standard, this guidance offers practical recommendations for digitizing and managing parcel data effectively. Attendees will gain insight into best practices, technical specifications, and the benefits of adopting a consistent approach to parcel data creation.
 

​Join Connecticut's Urban Forest Network for the Urban and Community Peer Learning Exchange for the Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG) Region! 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, MetroCOG, and partners, is an interactive opportunity to advance urban and community forestry initiatives for the health and well-being of Connecticut residents.

​See the agenda below for more information.

• ​Optional morning refreshments (8:30-9:00)
• ​Introduction to the Peer Learning Exchanges and Urban Forest Network Project - TNC (9:00-9:15)
• ​Brief introductory presentation from support groups/technical experts (9:15-9:45)
• ​Lightning round presentations from municipal and community leaders on how they are approaching management of their urban forest. What's working, what's not (9:45-10:45)
• ​Break (10:45-11:00)
  • ​Project development breakout session (11:00-12:00)
  • ​Facilitated small group discussions to workshop project ideas. 
  • ​Explore possible funding opportunities, including those suitable and eligible for SustainableCT matching grant program.
• ​Breakout group report out and identification of synergies and shared approaches (12:00-12:30)
• ​Lunch (12:30-1:00)
• ​Optional site walk/planting (1:00-2:00)

​For your consideration:

• ​What are the successes and challenges you encounter related to urban forestry in your community?
• ​Is there an opportunity to deepen your engagement in urban forestry?

​Location to be determined within the MetroCOG area.
 

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.

Agenda's for both days are below. We will continuously update the event page and the symposium website with details and relevant news.
 

Join Connecticut's Urban Forest Network for the Urban and Community Forestry Peer Learning Exchange for the South Central Regional Councils of Government (SCRCOG) Region! 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, SCRCOG, and partners, is an interactive opportunity to advance urban and community forestry initiatives for the health and well-being of Connecticut residents!

​See the agenda below for more information.

• ​Optional morning refreshments (8:30-9:00)
• ​Introduction to the Peer Learning Exchanges and Urban Forest Network Project - TNC (9:00-9:15)
• ​Brief introductory presentation from support groups/technical experts (9:15-9:45)
• ​Lightning round presentations from municipal and community leaders on how they are approaching management of their urban forest. What's working, what's not (9:45-10:45)
• ​Break (10:45-11:00)
• ​Project development breakout session (11:00-12:00)
  • ​Facilitated small group discussions to workshop project ideas.
  • ​Explore possible funding opportunities, including those suitable and eligible for SustainableCT matching grant program.
• ​Breakout group report out and identification of synergies and shared approaches (12:00-12:30)
• ​Lunch (12:30-1:00)
• ​Optional site walk/planting (1:00-2:00)

​For your consideration:

• ​What are the successes and challenges you encounter related to urban forestry in your community?
• ​Is there an opportunity to deepen your engagement in urban forestry?

​Location to be determined within the SCRCOG area.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.