Trainings & Events

Join Sustainable CT Equity Coaches for “Equity Connections” – regular opportunities to share your questions about equity actions, challenges, successes, or just listen to the conversation, and get ideas on how to approach or deepen your equity work. Municipal officials, staff, and Sustainability Team members are welcome to join the Sustainable CT team for these new bi-monthly virtual sharing sessions.
 

The LISS Sustainable and Resilient Communities Extension (SRC) Team will once again host a half-day virtual workshop to bring together local government, Indigenous, tribal, and community leaders, nonprofits, and other stakeholders from around the Sound. This year’s workshop will focus on debuting a new Long Island Sound Resilience Resource Hub website and providing information on resilience planning and implementation.
 

For Eversource's final First Thursday webinar in 2023, experts will provide an overview of programs and incentives currently available to our residential and commercial customers located in Connecticut Department of Community and Economic Development defined Distressed Municipalities. Guests will be joined by select energy efficiency consultants who will take you through the available resources and how to access energy efficiency and electric vehicle (EV) charging offers.

Why should you attend?

• You want to learn more about energy efficiency and EV charging programs and offers for Distressed Municipalities
• You want to learn about energy efficiency and EV charging programs that you can share with your community, residents, businesses, and organizations who serve Distressed Municipalities
• You want to help your community members reduce their carbon footprint through energy efficiency

Please join the Yale Center for Environmental Communication for a conversation on Puerto Rican public opinion and engagement on climate change. Sara Santiago, Assistant Director of The Forest School at Yale will moderate a conversation with Marija Verner, Postdoctoral Associate with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; Luis Alexis Rodríguez-Cruz, a Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis, scientist and writer; and Ada Monzón, Chief Meteorologist at WAPA TV and Founder & President of the EcoExploratorio: Science Museum of Puerto Rico. The speakers will cover thePuerto Rican results from the recent global survey conducted by Meta and YPCCC, challenges and opportunities in the agricultural sector, and current initiatives to engage different audiences in Puerto Rico.
 

The Connecticut Outdoor and Environmental Education Association (COEEA) is excited to announce that its 2023 COEEA Annual Conference & Annual Meeting will take place at Common Ground High School (358 Springside Ave. New Haven, CT) on December 09, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Currently, COEEA has 44 organizational members and a total of 150 individual members, and they are working with several New Haven-based partners to bring more participants from the region to the event, as they plan to expand their work and reach around New Haven. This 2023 Conference program includes workshops, a youth panel, honoring ceremony to COEEA Mini-grants and Awards recipients, and plenty of opportunities for attendees to network, catch up with old friends and meet new ones, in an environment that fosters collaborations across sectors.
 

The UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) will be running an all-day Land Use Academy – Advanced Training on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at the UConn Middlesex County Extension Center located at 1066 Saybrook Road, Haddam, CT, 06438. This will be an in-person event at which the full four (4) credits of the required CGS Sec. 8-4c training will be provided. Advanced Training topics of Bias, Predisposition, and Conflicts will be presented by Richard P. Roberts, Halloran & Sage, Advanced Training topics on Running a Meeting and Making a Decision will be presented by Kenneth Slater, Jr., of Halloran & Sage, and Mark Branse, of Halloran & Sage, will present a session on Fair and Affordable Housing Policies which will cover one (1) credit on Fair and Affordable Housing Policies as required by the State Statute.

To hold this event, CLEAR requires that a minimum of 40 attendees be registered by December 1, 2023, so register early by clicking on the registration link s.uconn.edu/lua_1292023.
 

In this session, Equity in Data Community of Practice will devote time to debriefing and reflecting on the fall sessions, & sharing ideas for what the group would like to learn in 2024.

With a full series of interesting sessions this past year, it’s time to pause, reflect, and identify actions we can take to integrate some of these ideas into our data practice. Join Equity in Data Community of Practice to recap and discuss some of the topics that we would like to apply, and share your thoughts on what topics the planning group should set up for 2024.

About this group:

Equity in Data Community of Practice is a group of data users in Connecticut who are supporting one another as we work toward more equitable data practices. We focus on racial equity explicitly but not exclusively.

Some of the topics they talk about include:

• How can we make sure we don't make certain groups invisible through how we disaggregate our data?

• How can we learn to focus our attention on the strengths, rather than the deficits, of groups we are seeking to serve or support?

• How can we learn from the people who we hope will benefit from our products or services about what their data means to them?

• How can we help the institutions that we are part of to be trustworthy so that people will trust us with their information/data?

You can read more about their past events here.
 

Sustainability in winter operations is more important than ever. With environmental impacts and costs increasing, winter maintenance professionals must employ best practices to minimize salt use and maximize their operations for both fiscal and environmental stewardship.

This class focuses on best practices for salt application on parking lots and sidewalks as well as maintenance of facilities and equipment. Demonstration sand case studies are used to illustrate the positive impact these strategies can have on the environment and your operations.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for those responsible for maintaining parking lots and sidewalks in municipal, commercial, and residential properties. If you are looking to streamline your operations by using less material and maximizing your time, join us for a day filled with tips and information on the latest technologies to help your daily operations.

Registration Fee

• $100 - Private Commercial Applicators
• $100 - State and Municipal Attendees

Please email any questions to Shannon O’Loughlin at [email protected].
 

The Sustainable CT elves are hard at work making sure that every municipality in Connecticut has a very sustainable holiday season. The Sustainable CT Coffee Hour will be back and bolder than ever starting on January 19th. Join our Program Manager for Sustainability Best Practices, Kate Richard, for a conversation on how Sustainable CT has simplified and streamlined its application process for 2024. Register in advance here.
 

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will hold a public information meeting on December 18, 2023, regarding the development of a Priority Climate Action Plan and a grant application to implement that plan with funding from the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Program, designated by the federal Inflation Reduction Act (2022).
 

New Office of Equity and Environmental Justice Open office hours will be available to all every third Wednesday. The next one is scheduled for December 20, 2023.

Connecticut is passionate about environmental justice. Everything we do is driven by the belief that all people should be treated fairly by the state’s environmental laws and benefit from them. However, research reveals that low-income and minority populations are often exposed to higher levels of environmental pollution and have poorer health outcomes.

You can help the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) address these and other injustices, ensuring that our state is safe, clean, and healthy for all citizens.

Learn more about what the environmental justice office does statewide, such as:

• Developing policies and programs that promote equity and justice
• Providing training and education on environmental justice issues
• Engaging with communities and stakeholders to foster collaboration and trust
• Supporting environmental justice initiatives and projects across the state

Get a more detailed overview of what the environmental justice office does statewide.
 

Happy New Year from ours to yours at Sustainable CT. Let's start it off on the right (not the left) foot, with a conversation on how Sustainable CT has simplified and streamlined it's application process for 2024 featuring Kate Richard, Program Manager for Sustainability Best Practices.

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

Mark your calendars! We are excited to announce the 2024 Environmental Summit will be held on Tuesday, January 23rd from 9:30 am - 3:30 pm at the Connecticut Science Center, 250 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford. RSVP for this event. More details and info coming soon.
 

The Connecticut Council of Small Towns' (COST's) Town Meeting 2024 is their premier event, widely attended by chief elected and appointed leaders from small towns and cities throughout the state. This must-attend event includes presentations and panel discussions on the top issues facing Connecticut's municipalities, including:

• Legislative Leaders Forum - Hear from the state's legislative leaders about how the 2024 legislative session may impact municipalities, including issues affecting local budgets, education, energy, the environment, housing & landuse, public health and safety, transportation, and more.


• State Constitutional Officers - Last year, Governor Lamont, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Attorney General William Tong, Comptroller Sean Scanlon and Secretary of State StephanieThomas updated attendees on a wide range of critical issues, including the state budget, the opioid settlement, early voting, and the Municipal Employees Retirement System. COST expects to have another great lineup of speakers in 2024.


• Infrastructure Funding - Hear from state agency officials regarding opportunities to assist municipalities with infrastructure funding.

In addition to outstanding speakers, this event provides attendees with wonderful opportunities to network with municipal officials, and showcase your firm's products and services by reserving sponsorships and/or exhibitor space.

For more information, please contact Betsy Gara at [email protected].
 

The Connecticut Land Conservation Conference has been the largest conservation gathering and only land trust convocation of its kind in Connecticut. Attracting over 500 attendees, the Annual Conference has provided dynamic training, networking and information sharing opportunities for board members, staff, and volunteers from Connecticut's many land trusts and conservation organizations.

Rounding out the attendees and presenters, a broad spectrum of people involved with municipal land use commissions, state agencies, private groups with conservation missions including enthusiasts from garden clubs and various grassroots-level land preservation advocates have all participated.