Trainings & Events

What are the most effective ways to get people to take climate action? And how can climate advocates and researchers collaborate on effective interventions? A recent mega-study crowdsourced 17 interventions from experts in climate communication and tested them with over 30,000 people. Join this webinar where lessons from this study will be shared by the lead author Danielle Goldwert, a PhD candidate at NYU. Then Grace McRae, Deputy Chief of Communications at the Sierra Club will describe how her experience with interventions has aligned or not with the research and how she thinks about using this new research to inform future campaigns. Dr. Matthew Goldberg, Director of Experimental Research at Yale Program on Climate Change Communication will moderate the conversation.
 

Join the Connecticut Department of Transportation and CTrides on April 28 for the 2026 Transportation Showcase and explore the initiatives shaping transportation across Connecticut. This event is open to anyone interested in how transportation decisions impact everyday life and support the state’s economy, workforce, and communities. Hear from industry experts during two panel discussions.

Panel 1: Transportation Is Changing. Here’s What’s Next.

Moderator - Andrew Rowan, NBC Connecticut

What does the future of transportation in Connecticut look like? This panel highlights investments, initiatives, programs, and projects currently underway across the state, as well as those planned for the future. Panelists will share how this work is shaping the transportation system and what it means for our state.

Panelists:

• Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation
• Eric Jackson, Executive Director, Connecticut Transportation Institute
• Jill Cahoon, Vice President, Transit & Rail Planning Lead, AECOM
• Jeremy Tillunger, Director of Public Policy, Via

Panel 2: How Transportation Is Powering Connecticut’s Economy.

Moderator - Catherine Shen, Connecticut Public

Transportation connects people to opportunity. This panel focuses on how transportation investments support economic growth, expand access to jobs, and help communities thrive across Connecticut.

Panelists:

• Chris Davis, Vice President, Public Policy, Connecticut Business & Industry Association
• Matt Hart, Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments
• Carlos Mouta, Owner and CEO, Parkville Market
• Yvette Highsmith, Regional Vice President, Community Health Center, Inc.

Take public transportation to Parkville Market for the event

CTfastrak

• Parkville Market is located adjacent to the Parkville CTfastrak Station
• Exit at Parkville Station. The market is just steps away
• Free CTfastrak passes will be available for attendees. Select “Yes” to the CTfastrak question during registration to receive a complimentary pass

CTtransit

• Local CTtransit buses serve the Park Street and Orange Street stop
• The stop is about a one-minute walk to Parkville Market

CTrail Hartford Line

• Take the train to Hartford Union Station
• Walk to the Asylum Street & High Street CTfastrak stop
• Take CTfastrak to the Parkville Station
• The market is just steps from the station

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.
 

Connecticut Outdoor Recreation Day seeks to raise awareness of Connecticut’s growing outdoor recreation industry and the many opportunities for residents and visitors to recreate in the outdoors. The event will showcase a mix of outdoor industries (retailers, manufacturers, corporate brands, etc.), experiences (guides, instructors, coaches, etc.), and recreationists (associations, nonprofits, community groups, etc.).
 

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.
 

This event is a time for the community to come together and connect through conversation, learning, and fun. Local partners will share what their organizations have to offer, and opportunities to get involved. Free food, performances, games, and adventure. Meet others who care!
 

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.
 

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.
 

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 Eversource on the first Thursday of most months to learn about their energy efficiency programs and offerings in Connecticut. These lunchtime webinars are an opportunity to learn directly from your desk.

For Eversource's first webinar of 2026, Danielle Crocker, Senior Energy Efficiency Consultant at Eversource, will walk attendees through how heat pump water heaters work and the available rebates for both residential and commercial customers.

Why should you attend?

• Learn how heat pump water heaters work and where they perform best
• Find out about available rebates for homes and businesses
• Understand how heat pump water heaters help lower energy use and reduce your carbon footprint

UConn CLEAR is offering a training session on Map Reading and Mapping Resources for Land Use Commissioners. Participants will earn three or more hours of general commissioner training, along with one hour dedicated to Fair and Affordable Housing Practices, as required under CGS 8‑4c.
 

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 Stream Smart program is a training and partnership initiative led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that helps communities design and install road–stream crossings that restore fish and wildlife passage while improving infrastructure resilience, reducing flooding, and enhancing public safety. This training will cover the essentials and values of Stream Smart design and implementation.

Participation capacity is limited so please register as soon as possible! Lunch will be provided.
 

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.
 

Stream Smart is a training program and resource for anyone interested in planning, designing, or constructing road-stream crossings. First launched in 2011 through Maine Audubon, Stream Smart has been implemented in many states across the Northeast. The goal of Stream Smart is to connect fish and wildlife habitat while protecting roads and public safety, and to prepare for the large and frequent storm events that have been washing out roads throughout the Northeast. These full-day trainings will consist of lectures, a stream-table demonstration of how Stream Smart crossings work, and an optional field site visit to look at example crossings.
 

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.