Upcoming Events


Past Events

Scroll down the timeline below to see ESI’s past events

ESI Climate Justice Program Public Launch

April 27, 2023

ESI Climate Justice Program Public Launch

ESI celebrated the public launch of our Climate Justice Program with a reception, distinguished guest speakers working on climate justice initiatives in New York City, a showcase of MIT climate justice projects, music and food.

Legacies of Coal

April 25, 2023

Legacies of Coal

Guest speakers from Greene County, Pennsylvania joined ESI to discuss a just transition from coal power in communities where the coal industry is a major employer.

TILclimate Live Show: America’s Big Year of Climate Action

April 19, 2023

TILclimate Live Show: America’s Big Year of Climate Action

Special guest Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds joined ESI’s TILclimate podcast for a liveshow exploring the major climate legislation of 2021-2022.

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Climate and the Classroom

April 13, 2023

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Climate and the Classroom

Expert guests joined ESI to discuss how schools and communities can support K-12 teachers in providing a meaningful climate education.

MIT Conference on Mining, Environment & Society

September 7, 2022

MIT Conference on Mining, Environment & Society

This three-day conference brought together social and natural scientists, policymakers, industry stakeholders, and environmental organizations from six continents to examine the social and environmental impacts of expanded mining for clean energy materials.

A Reckoning in Boston: Film Screening

December 2, 2021

A Reckoning in Boston: Film Screening

A screening, hosted with the MIT List Visual Arts Center, of James Rutenbeck’s documentary, with a Q&A with the filmmaker and the film’s coproducer/subject Kafi Dixon.

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Artists and Scientists Together on Climate Solutions

November 29, 2021

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Artists and Scientists Together on Climate Solutions

Electronic musician Tony McGuinness and aerospace engineer and MIT Media Lab director Dava Newman were among the panelists in this discussion of the music industry’s opportunities to make a difference on climate change.

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Connecting with Americans on Climate Change

November 4, 2021

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Connecting with Americans on Climate Change

ESI’s five inaugural journalism fellows joined author and sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild to share their experiences reporting local climate stories in regions of the U.S. where many are still skeptical of climate science and solutions.

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Educating for a Sustainable Future

September 29, 2021

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Educating for a Sustainable Future

ESI hosted a discussion of sustainability curricula in higher ed and cross-university collaborations for teaching sustainability, with speakers from MIT, Stanford, Arizona State University and Carnegie Mellon.

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Biodiversity & Cities

May 26, 2021

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Biodiversity & Cities

Nine speakers from five continents came together to address the emerging field of urban policy and design for biodiversity conservation.

MIT Climate Radio

April 22, 2021

MIT Climate Radio

A broadcast of a few favorite episodes of our TILclimate podcast, with live listener Q&A with the production team and the experts featured on the show.

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Vanishing Amazon

October 14, 2020

People, Prosperity & the Planet: Vanishing Amazon

Luis Gilberto Murillo, Mabel Torres, and Carlos Nobre discuss the loss of the Amazon rainforest and local economic opportunities in conserving it.

Urban Rewilding

September 30, 2020

Urban Rewilding

ESI partnered with MIT undergrad Jacob Fine to host a virtual panel on the revitalization of green spaces in cities, and what this could do for communities and to protect urban residents from the impacts of climate change.

People & the Planet: Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sec. of State Alex Padilla

June 25, 2020

People & the Planet: Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sec. of State Alex Padilla

Dan Sullivan is a Republican U.S. Senator from Alaska and sponsor of the Save Our Seas and Save Our Seas 2.0 Acts. Alex Padilla is the Democratic Secretary of State for California and author of that state’s plastic bag ban.

Plastics and the Environment: Science Meets Public Policy

June 18, 2020

Plastics and the Environment: Science Meets Public Policy

This two-day virtual workshop joined scientists with policy makers, advocates and corporate partners to explore the strongest, most scientifically informed policy avenues for eliminating plastic waste from the environment.

Overcoming Challenges of Climate Policy: Beyond the Climate Symposia

December 12, 2019

Overcoming Challenges of Climate Policy: Beyond the Climate Symposia

ESI co-sponsored a student-moderated panel of Boston-area climate activists and organizers to discuss their theories of influence on climate action.

Mining the Deep Sea: World Film Premiere

December 5, 2019

Mining the Deep Sea: World Film Premiere

“Mining the Deep Sea” is an original documentary from MIT exploring the new practice of extracting materials from the sea floor, featuring ESI seed grant recipient Prof. Tom Peacock as he seeks to understand the ecological consequences of deep-sea mining before it becomes big business. This world premiere screening was sponsored by ESI, the MIT Policy Lab, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Modelling Plastics in the Oceans

November 6, 2019

Modelling Plastics in the Oceans

This ESI Plastics and the Environment Program workshop convened researchers and corporate and nonprofit representatives to discuss the challenges of predicting the behavior of microplastics in the ocean, and opportunities to gain a clearer picture of the world’s plastic pollution problem.

SimPlanet

September 3, 2019

SimPlanet

In this interactive game hosted by ESI and Prof. John Sterman, incoming MIT students had a chance to dig under the hood of a real state-of-the-art climate model as they negotiated policies to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees C by 2100.

Earth Week 2019

April 23, 2019

Earth Week 2019

A week packed with environment and sustainability events on campus, including the inaugural MIT Climate Night.

People & the Planet Lecture: Sen. Edward Markey

November 30, 2018

People & the Planet Lecture: Sen. Edward Markey

Ed Markey represents Massachusetts in the United States Senate, where he is one of the most active U.S. Senators on climate issues and serves on the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

People & the Planet Lecture: Veronica Coptis

November 5, 2018

People & the Planet Lecture: Veronica Coptis

Veronica Coptis is the Executive Director of the Center for Coalfield Justice in Pennsylvania. CCJ pushes for economic and environmental justice with coalfield communities through advocacy, education, and organizing.

October Environment-Sustainability Lunch: Paul O’Gorman

October 18, 2018

October Environment-Sustainability Lunch: Paul O’Gorman

September Environment-Sustainability Lunch: Siqi Zheng

September 19, 2018

September Environment-Sustainability Lunch: Siqi Zheng

2018 Welcome Party

September 6, 2018

2018 Welcome Party

ESI’s 3rd annual welcome party, featuring Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and games.

SENSE.nano Symposium

June 5, 2018

SENSE.nano Symposium

This full-day symposium highlighted needs for new SENSE technologies, showcased research and innovations, and presented the impact of these technologies in Water, Environment and Agriculture systems.

May Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Genetically Engineered Solutions to Environmental Nitrogen Paradoxes

May 17, 2018

May Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Genetically Engineered Solutions to Environmental Nitrogen Paradoxes

Bioavailable inorganic nitrogen limits the fertility of many environmental systems, from local lakes and rivers to coastal bays to much of the global ocean. Denitrification is a multi-step microbial pathway by which environmental bacteria naturally consume inorganic nitrogen. Thank you to Andrew for a great seminar and to all of the attendees!

One Sustainable World

May 12, 2018

One Sustainable World

The One Sustainable World lounge featured environment and sustainability-related work at MIT curated by the ESI.

Earth Day Celebration 2018

April 21, 2018

Earth Day Celebration 2018

#CPWHunt

April 13, 2018

#CPWHunt

ESI’s first ever Twitter scavenger hunt, #CPWHunt featuring sustainability-related spots on campus.

April Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Decarbonized Energy Systems for the New Volpe Center

April 12, 2018

April Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Decarbonized Energy Systems for the New Volpe Center

Leslie Norford, Architecture; David Hsu, DUSP; Christoph Reinhart, Architecture MIT’s redevelopment of the Volpe Center demands a vision for energy infrastructure and systems commensurate with the intellectual and social benefits the revitalized center will bring to the Institute and to Cambridge. This close-to-home project will focus attention and discussion within the MIT community about our efforts towards climate change, and how we can better exemplify efforts in the broader city and academic community.

March Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Lawrence Susskind and Gabriella Carolini

March 15, 2018

March Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Lawrence Susskind and Gabriella Carolini

Lawrence Susskind and Gabriella Carolini, DUSP shared their research on achieving water affordability in America’s shrinking cities. “As steeply rising water rates have outpaced low-income customers’ ability to pay, especially in cities like Detroit and Baltimore, mass water disconnections and ‘pockets of water poverty’ are signaling the onset of a water affordability crisis in urban America…We propose to work with all the relevant stakeholders to invent alternatives to cutoffs.”

Chasing Coral: Documentary Screening

February 24, 2018

Chasing Coral: Documentary Screening

Chasing Coral is the winner of the 2017 US documentary audience award at Sundance. Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. This screening was sponsored by ESI, UA Sustainability, and Fossil Free MIT.

From the Ashes: Documentary Screening

February 15, 2018

From the Ashes: Documentary Screening

From the Ashes invites audiences to learn more about an industry on the edge and what it means for their lives. This screening was sponsored by ESI, Sustainability Initiative, and Fossil Free MIT.

February Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Julie Newman and Tim Gutowski

February 15, 2018

February Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Julie Newman and Tim Gutowski

Julie Newman, DUSP & Director of MITOS, and Tim Gutowski, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, shared their new class for the semester, Solving for carbon neutrality (11.S938 / 2.S999). Their approach to the class involves 5 major themes, multidispinary speakers from different facets of the MIT Plan for Action on Climate Change, and a final project for students to create their own proposed solutions.

Microfibers and Microplastics Workshop

January 17, 2018

Microfibers and Microplastics Workshop

Researchers, industry leaders, and governmental representatives alike gathered for a workshop on microfibers and microplastics, an emerging field with a limited body of research. The featured speakers lectured on this finite knowledge and neighboring subjects. The workshop concluded with working groups to uncover current gaps in knowledge and potential solutions.

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Jessika Trancik

December 13, 2017

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Jessika Trancik

Professor Trancik is an Associate Professor at the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS). Her talk focused on evaluating the environmental costs and impacts of energy technologies.

People and the Planet Lecture: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

November 20, 2017

People and the Planet Lecture: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Camrin Braun

November 16, 2017

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Camrin Braun

Camrin Braun, PhD candidate in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography, gave an intriguing lecture on his dissertation research. His dissertation explores the relationship between movements of pelagic fishes, particularly sharks, and their ocean environment and how studying these interactions can directly improve fisheries management.

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Newton Harrison

October 23, 2017

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Newton Harrison

Newton Harrison, pioneer in the eco-art movement, spoke about his recent work, The Force Majeure, which encapsulates problems of climate change, sea level rise, drought, and over-consumption across the globe.

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Tom Peacock

October 18, 2017

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Tom Peacock

Prof. Tom Peacock of the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering spoke on his ESI funded Seed Grant research studying the environmental impacts of underwater plumes that may occur if deep sea mining becomes a reality.

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Dr. Lily Pollans

September 21, 2017

Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Dr. Lily Pollans

Dr. Lily Pollans, MIT Alum and now Associate Professor at Hunter College, talked about how despite efforts to reduce, reuse, recycle, we are still diverting most of our municipal solid waste to landfills. However, many cities nationwide are ramping up their recycling and organics programs to reduce landfill waste.

People and the Planet Lecture: Johan Rockstrom

September 19, 2017

People and the Planet Lecture: Johan Rockstrom

ESI/CI Artificial Intelligence Workshop

September 19, 2017

ESI/CI Artificial Intelligence Workshop

Early on a Monday morning in September, scientists, engineers, and problem solvers from a diverse collection of backgrounds trickled into the Samberg Conference Center on MIT’s campus. In the following two days, numerous presentations were given that centered on conservation-oriented, and technology-focused projects.

2017 Welcome Back Party

September 7, 2017

2017 Welcome Back Party

People and the Planet Lecture: Bob Inglis

April 25, 2017

People and the Planet Lecture: Bob Inglis

Earth Day Celebration 2017

April 22, 2017

Earth Day Celebration 2017

ESI Earth Week Mini-Symposium

April 20, 2017

ESI Earth Week Mini-Symposium

ESI welcomed guests for presentation and discussion of interdisciplinary environment and sustainability research conducted by our 2015 Seed Grant Recipients. Topics included metals and mining, sustainable resource policy, healthy cities, and climate risk and mitigation. See the detailed program here.

April Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Steven Barrett

April 15, 2017

April Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Steven Barrett

Prof. Steven Barrett of the Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics spoke about his work as director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. The lab focuses on advancing aircraft technology to reduce its impacts on the environment as well as reshape regulatory and policy framework. Photo: MIT LAE

People and the Planet Lecture: Deborah Cramer

March 22, 2017

People and the Planet Lecture: Deborah Cramer

March Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Janelle Knox-Hayes

March 8, 2017

March Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Janelle Knox-Hayes

Prof. Janelle Knox-Hayes of the Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning shared her new book, The Cultures of Markets: The Political Economy of Climate Governance. The “book explores the establishment of emissions trading as a form of environmental, market-based governance.”

February Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Antoine Allanore

February 15, 2017

February Environment-Sustainability Lunch Seminar: Prof. Antoine Allanore

Prof. Antoine Allanore from the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering spoke on his new center, Metals & Minerals for the Environment (MME), recently funded through ESI’s 2015 Seed Grant. MME works to link industry with academia to shape a more sustainable future for the metals and minerals industry.

Hackathon for Climate 2017

January 27, 2017

Hackathon for Climate 2017

People and the Planet Lecture: Conservation International

October 18, 2016

People and the Planet Lecture: Conservation International

People and the Planet Lecture: Nathaniel Stinnett

September 20, 2016

People and the Planet Lecture: Nathaniel Stinnett

Welcome Back Party 2016

September 8, 2016

Welcome Back Party 2016

Designing the Climate Workshop

June 23, 2016

Designing the Climate Workshop

Earth Day Celebration 2016

April 22, 2016

Earth Day Celebration 2016

Hackathon for Climate 2016

January 29, 2016

Hackathon for Climate 2016

The first annual ESI Hackathon for Climate Change was hosted to produce inventive ideas for solutions to pressing environmental issues.