5th Annual Climate Teach-In

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Join us for a day to discuss practical and just climate actions.

In its fifth year, this free event includes presentations, demonstrations, community vendors, and more. Led by students, faculty, and staff, the mission of the Climate Teach-In is to highlight climate science and justice actions for our community.

We're grateful to Trane® and The Park Church for sponsoring this year's Teach-In.

Below are details about the day's events and an initial schedule. A full schedule will be available closer to the event date. Be certain to check back frequently as more details unfold. You can also learn more about the event here.

Event Schedule

View an at-a-glance schedule

Upcycle Flea Market
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Class of 1963 Patio area outside of the Campus Center (Campus Center Portico if raining)

Browse a variety of items from around campus and the community that might be useful to you. Help us ditch the landfill and upcycle! All items are free. Cash donations to the EC Environmental Club are accepted.

Community Sip & Paint Mural Project
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
1855 Room

Assist us in painting an environmentally-themed mural in our coffee shop. Muralists will be on hand to assist those interested in participating. Thank you to Community Arts of Elmira - Elmira Infinite Canvas for their community partnership. Community Arts of Elmira's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Climate Hike
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Guided tours available every 20 minutes between 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m., Meet in Speidel Gymnasium

Enjoy a hike around campus, either guided or on your own. The hike begins in Speidel Gymnasium. Follow signs across campus, or join a guided tour that will leave every 20 minutes with a member of the Elmira College Hiking Club.

Keynote Speaker
9:10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
Morris Classroom, Meier Hall

Brendan Woodruff, New York State Department of Conservation’s Director of Sustainability

First Set of Discussion Sessions
10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Multiple Campus Locations–Choose from a variety of sessions, each focused on the many ways climate change affects our lives.

(List of topics as of 2/25/26)

• Stephans Lounge: Coffee with Environmental Professionals,
• GTL Lecture Hall: Religious Thought on Climate Change
• Morris Classroom: Athletics and Climate: Golf and Sustainability
• Tifft Lounge: Theatre Department, Relationships in the Anthropocene

Low-Impact Lunch Option
11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Campus Center Dining Hall

A veggie-centric low-Impact lunch option is available in the Dining Hall. Choose from apple-cider braised chicken, power bowls, mushroom burgers, grilled vegetables, pasta, a spinach and sunflower seed salad, and more: Regular lunch cost ($14.95) applies, cash or card accepted. Attendees can also "Weigh the Waste" to get a sense of how much food diners throw out.

Interactive Fair
11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Spiedel Gymnasium

From K-12 students demonstrating their science projects to EC students presenting their research to area agencies sharing how they're contributing to climate solutions, this is a chance to see, hear, and talk about climate change.

Second Set of Discussion Sessions
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Multiple Campus Locations–Choose from a variety of sessions, each focused on the many ways climate change affects our lives.

(List of topics as of 2/25/26)

• Stephans Lounge: Public Health and Climate Change
• Tifft Lounge: Science and Solutions
• Morris Classroom: Student Climate Action
• George Waters Art Gallery: Reclaim, Respect, Restore, Respond: Berkeley Commonplace Postal Collage Exhibition & Poetry Session

check out our interactive campus map