Sustainability Coffee Chats
Start your day with sustainability! The Sustainability Coffee Chats series was created to engage the University community in discussions around sustainability & climate action to increase awareness and encourage collaboration across campus departments and groups. University and community experts will present on a broad range of topics. The intention of this series is to create and foster an ongoing dialogue on a number of sustainability related topics among staff, faculty and students across campus. Grab a coffee or tea and tune in!
Coffee Chats are free and open to the public! They take place online via Zoom. Register below.
Watch past Coffee Chats recordings
Check back for Spring 2026 Coffee Chats!
Tuesday, November 11th, 2025, 9-10am Net Zero Buildings Hear from UMN Director for the Center of Sustainable Building Design, Richard Graves and Robert Ed from Darcy Solutions to learn more about the design and construction of Net Zero Buildings. We will highlight one of our newest campus buildings, the new Collections Facility - featuring rooftop solar and heating by a sustainable geothermal system known as a Darcy Well.
Richard Graves
Robert Ed
Wednesday, October 15th, 2025, 10-11am Electrifying our Fleet Hear from a group of UMN experts discuss recent progress and plans for electrifying our campus Fleet vehicles!
Rob Spector Fleet Services
Melina Helgeson Fleet Services
Coby Vanderwall
Wednesday, September 17th, 2025, 9-10am Biking 101 Hear from speakers from BikeMN, Slow Roll Twin Cities, and the UMN Transportation Program all about biking here in the Twin Cities! Slow Roll Twin Cities aims to challenge negative perceptions of the city and foster economic revival. BikeMN (The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota) engages people, provides education, and advocates for biking and walking.
Anthony Taylor
Angela Olson
John Mark Lucas
Aten-Wa Theba
Thursday, April 3rd, 2025, 10-11am Sustainability & Art - Bird Strike Mitigation This session will explore a new art installation that aims to prevent bird strikes on campus! Each year, one billion birds in the US die when they collide with glass windows and doors. These collisions occur because birds have trouble perceiving glass as a solid object and often fly into it when habitat or sky is either reflected or is visible through glass on the other side. Join us to explore creative potential solutions to decreasing bird strikes on campus. Learn more about our bird safety initiatives on campus.
Christine Baeumler
Erin Jordahl
Wednesday, March 19th, 2025, 10-11am Local Climate Action This session will look at local climate action from a variety of perspectives. Join speakers from the City of Minneapolis and two local climate organizations to learn more about how our Twin Cities community is mitigating climate impacts and creating a more resilient future.
Diamond Houston
Bharat Balyan
Kathryn Ringham
Wednesday, February 19th, 2025, 10-11am Transit 101 Join UMN Parking and Transportation staff for a high-level review of campus and public transit options. We will review campus transit routing/schedule, the Employee and Universal Transit Pass programs; and demo the transit trip planning tools.
Larry Stromberg
Nick Mabee
Lonetta Hanson
John Mark Lucas
Friday, January 24th, 2025, 10-11am Eco & Climate Anxiety Join two local University of Minnesota experts to discuss eco and climate anxiety and their impacts on our health and wellbeing. Hear from Speakers Molly Sturges: Healing-centered composer, integrative health practitioner, artistic director, activist, & Senior Researcher at the University of Minnesota’s Medical School and faculty at the Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing and Angela Gupta: Extension Educator, Forestry Regional Office Rochester.
Molly Sturges
Angela Gupta Extension Educator, Forestry Regional Office Rochester
Thursday, November 7th, 2024, 10-11am Food Security on Campus This session will look at the issue of food insecurity and its impact on local communities. Dinkytown has often been described by UMN students and other locals as a food desert. We will take a look at campus food security issues and their impacts on our student population.
Dr. Michael Boland
Jenny Breen
Priscilla Bunday
Friday, October 18th, 2024, 9:30-10:30am Climate Impacts on Minnesota Agriculture This discussion will take a look at Minnesota's changing climate and how these changes are impacting local agriculture. We will hear from a panel of experts coming from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives including two local Minnesota farmers. We will also touch on the role of artificial intelligence and how AI intersects with climate-smart agriculture.
Katie Black
Craig Laplante
Anne Schwagerl
Tuesday, October 1st, 2024, 10-11am Solar for Home and Business Owners Join three local solar professionals to learn more about the solar industry in Minnesota and the role solar energy plays in greening the grid. This session will provide diverse perspectives on topics including financial incentives, a just transition to renewable energy, and practical guidance for anyone considering solar power for their residence or business.
Jennifer Lindahl
Bob Blake
James Ayer
Friday, September 27th, 2024, 10-11am Ice Cores & Climate Change Hear from renowned Climate Scientist, Dr Peter Neff, and PhD candidate in the Neff Lab, Julia Andreasen. This discussion will dive into the fascinating world of glaciology and ice core research to better understand our changing climate. Dr Neff is also the Director of Field Research and Data for the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX), a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center that seeks to find the oldest possible ice core records of past climate preserved in Antarctica. Peter shares widely about ice core climate science via Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.
Dr. Peter Neff
Julia Andreasen
Monday, April 22nd, 2024, 9:30-10:30am Climate Resilience & the Campus Community Climate change is here. While mitigating emissions is vital we must also adapt for changes that are already happening and may worsen over time. Planning for current and future risks of climate change aims to safeguard human life; manage stressors on our campus community and natural and built environments; and proactively introduce new designs and systems to adapt. Co-creating a healthy, safe, and equitably-resourced future for all in the face of disproportionate hazards of climate change is a vital piece of this work.This one hour virtual event will discuss the impacts of climate change on our environment from a variety of perspectives from our UMN community.
Dr. Melissa Thone
Pang Lor
Wednesday, April 17th, 2024, 9:00-10:00am Climate Resilience & the Environment Climate change is here. While mitigating emissions is vital we must also adapt for changes that are already happening and may worsen over time. Planning for current and future risks of climate change aims to safeguard human life; manage stressors on our campus community and natural and built environments; and proactively introduce new designs and systems to adapt. The stewardship of the University's natural and built environments to enhance climate adaptation and safeguard human health is a vital piece of this work. This one hour virtual event will discuss the impacts of climate change on our environment from a variety of perspectives from our UMN community.
Kate Gerber
Thursday, April 4th, 2024, 9:30-10:30am Climate Resilience & Infrastructure Climate change is here. While mitigating emissions is vital we must also adapt for changes that are already happening and may worsen over time. Planning for current and future risks of climate change aims to safeguard human life; manage stressors on our campus community and natural and built environments; and proactively introduce new designs and systems to adapt. Evolving infrastructure to ensure equitable and reliable operations under climate change is a key piece of this work. This one hour virtual event will discuss the impacts of climate change on infrastructure from a variety of perspectives from five UMN faculty.
Andy Erickson St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Research Manager University of Minnesota
Thomas Fisher Professor, School of Architecture College of Design, University of Minnesota
Andrew Caddock
Richard Graves
Friday, March 22nd, 2024, 10-11am Sustainable Aviation Fuel The talk will include a high level look at sustainable aviation fuels from a variety of viewpoints. We will discuss the current market, technological advancements, and how this may impact the future of air travel.
Pat Gruber Gevo
Friday, December 1st, 2023, 9-10am Energy Efficiency 101 Aaron Backs joined the Great Plains Institute
Friday, November 3rd, 2023, 10-11am Electric Vehicles 101 Join our speakers from Drive Electric MN to talk about the benefits of EVs, the current market, and climate impacts.Alejandro Nakpil joined the Great Plains Institute in 2023 as an electric mobility program associate. In this role, he supports initiatives that improve, expand, and educate on electrified transportation systems (e.g., electric bikes and scooters, electric transit buses, electric vehicles, etc.). He also provides support to GPI-led electric vehicle stakeholder groups, including Drive Electric Minnesota and the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative. Prior to joining GPI as a staff member, Alejandro served as a sustainability project coordinator on the Communities team through the Climate Impact Corps program. During his time there, he implemented several electric mobility projects, including the formulation and launch of the EV Smart Program, the creation of an electric vehicle ordinance database for municipalities, and the hosting of ride-and-drive events for a variety of organizations. Alejandro holds a BA in sustainable systems management from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as well as certifications in project management and behavior-centered design. Moaz joined the Great Plains Institute in 2021 and serves as the electric vehicle policy specialist for the Transportation and Fuels program. Moaz supports the transportation electrification work by assisting with evidence-based policy making and adding planning, technical and research support to a variety of projects and programs. He also helps plan and facilitate GPI’s electric vehicle stakeholder groups like the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative and Drive Electric Minnesota. Prior to joining GPI, Moaz served as a public policy fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, where he worked on a myriad of projects ranging from electric vehicle emissions and cost of ownership modeling to developing transportation policy recommendations for the US presidential candidates. Moaz completed a master of global affairs with a specialization in sustainable development from the Keough School of Public Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, and a BS in economics from the National University of Sciences & Technology.
Alejandro Nakpil Electric Mobility Program Associate Great Plains Institute
Moaz Uddin
Friday, May 19th, 2023, 10-11am
Sustainability and Supplier Diversity: 3 Small Business Origin Stories On the heels of Earth Month, the Office of Sustainability is teaming up with the Office for Supplier Diversity to spotlight diverse businesses that emphasize sustainability or environmentally friendly products/services. Hear from three business owners- how they started, how it's going, and all the bumps along the road!
Marit Woods Arway
Friday, April 7th, 2023, 10-11am
Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Justice A discussion on Indigenous knowledge, environmental justice issues, and the intersections of climate change, sustainability and Indigenous (specifically on American Indian and Native Pacific Islander) struggles, with Gabriela Ines Diaz (CHamoru and Pohnpeian).
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, 9-10am
Climate Change Resilience and Water Resources A discussion on climate change, resilience, and water resources with a local lens analyzing the Mississippi River. Areas of discussion will include climate change and the intersection with water resources, specifically the Mississippi River and the resilience of local communities, and looking at indicators.
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, 9-10am Climate Change Resilience and Water Resources A discussion on climate change, resilience, and water resources with a local lens analyzing the Mississippi River. Areas of discussion will include climate change and the intersection with water resources, specifically the Mississippi River and the resilience of local communities, and looking at indicators.
Friday, April 29th, 2022, 10-11am Communicating about Climate Change A discussion on strategies to effectively talk about climate issues with your friends, family, and colleagues. Suzi Clark will discuss the importance of talking about climate change, why so many of us are hesitant to talk about it and how to have meaningful conversations.
