Students converge at NU to pitch ideas for sustainability

Northwestern had the privilege of hosting the Interstate Sustainability Leaders Summit (ISLS) this January; a two-day conference made up of eleven young sustainability leaders. Eric Sannerud (University of Minnesota, ’13), Allison Turner (Purdue University, ‘15), and Mark Silberg (Northwestern University, ’14) organized the event to assist in developing strong student-student professional relationships and offer the opportunity for students to pitch and get feedback on their ideas to make the world a more sustainable place. 

During the first day of the conference, attendees got to know each other and shared their personal sustainability stories. On the second day, attendees presented an emerging sustainability idea to the group and received detailed feedback about how to improve their idea. After lunch, attendees had three hours to write, practice, and deliver a two-minute pitch of their idea. The pitches were recorded for mass online publication by @interstatesustainabilityle2724 on Youtube.

The Rural Renewable Renaissance, Seeds for Stamps, and Contextualizing Consumption are just some of the great ideas attendees shared. The conference was funded by the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment’s Mini-Grant program and Northwestern University’s Sustainability Fund. 

To learn about next year’s conference connect with @ISLSummit on Twitter.