Written by Midwest Climate Collaborative intern, Ella Hyman, Class of 2025
The Midwest Climate Summit brought together leaders tackling issues in climate change, allowing for cross-sector collaboration and sparking conversation about what work is being done. With over twenty-five workshops, nearly 300 in-person attendees (and even more on Zoom) learned about current work in agriculture, energy, sustainability, and more.
Attendees learned about the importance of the circular economy and the work that still needs to be done regarding environmental racism; additionally, many attendees ventured out into St. Louis for a mobile workshop to experience firsthand some of the issues being researched and addressed today. This was a great opportunity for climate leaders to join together to continue the conversation about how to tackle climate impacts in the Midwest.
We were fortunate to have two key people fighting the climate crisis present during the opening session: Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Dr. Sylvia Hood Washington, Lecturer at North Carolina State University, Global One Health Academy, and Data Science Academy.
While this experience was about sharing information, it was also about gathering insight into what work still needs to be done and what questions remain unanswered. The Midwest Climate Collaborative is eager to move forward to tackle these questions and continue working toward a more climate-resilient Midwest.
