Sustainability Insights for You:
UNH Alumni Sustainability Webinar Series
In this webinar series, you’ll hear from UNH alumni who are leading experts in sustainability across industries and sectors. They’ll share diverse perspectives on the key trends, and you’ll gain practical knowledge that you can use professionally and personally.
While sustainability challenges can feel overwhelming - climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, growing inequality, food insecurity, global pandemic - there is exciting collaborative action taking place world-wide and across the private, public and non-profit sectors to bring forward innovative solutions.
25 years ago, UNH committed to sustainability action and impact. Today, you can be proud to know UNH is leading the way. We’re one of the most sustainable schools in the country and one of just a handful to achieve STARS Platinum rating, so it’s especially fitting that we’re bringing together alumni around sustainability topics.
The webinar series is a partnership of UNH’s Sustainability Institute and Alumni Relations.
Sustainability Webinar series
2022 Dates
All webinars are from 12-1 p.m. EST
October 27: Kick-off: Celebrating 25 Years of Sustainability
December 7: Sustainable Goods & Holiday Gift Giving
January 11: Sustainable & Renewable Energy
February 15: Sustainable Investing
March 21: Sustainable Food & Food Systems
June 6: Wrap-up: UNH's 2030 Sustainability Vision
October 27, 2022
12:00-12:45 p.m. EST
Celebrating 25 years of sustainability at UNH
25 years ago, UNH set out to be one of the most sustainable universities in the country. Because of a collaborative commitment, today we’re rated 5th and still going strong! It’s no secret we all need each other to solve the sustainability challenges of our time. In this kick-off event, we'll bring you creative ideas, diverse perspectives on trends and knowledge from your fellow Wildcats that you can use in your personal and professional lives. Hear from Tom Kelly, founding Executive Director of the Sustainability Institute and Chief Sustainability Officer, who will share reflections on 25 years of leadership, and the path ahead. Tom will be joined for a conversation with UNH alumni Clara Miller ’72, President Emerita of the F.B. Heron Foundation, a recognized leader in advancing economic opportunity for people and communities, and Austin Perea ’13, Manager, New York Policy and Market Development, Arcadia, an innovative company advancing community solar and other decarbonization efforts.
December 7, 2022
12:00-12:45 p.m. EST
Sustainable Goods & Holiday Gift Giving
There is power in purchasing. This month, learn how your voice can be heard through purchasing sustainable goods during the holidays, and year-round. You’ll hear from UNH alumni who are leading experts in sustainability in the field of consumer goods. They’ll share diverse perspectives on key trends, and you’ll gain practical knowledge about purchasing sustainably that you can use professionally and personally. Guest alumni speakers include:
- Betsy Blaisdell ’99, Director, Supply Chain Decarbonization, Guidehouse
- K. Corley Kenna ’00, Head of Communications and Policy, Patagonia
- Jason McBriarty '92, Director of Communications and Operations, Controller for the Levi Strauss Foundation, the corporate foundation of Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.)
- Matt O’Connor ’92, Senior Director of National Sales at Cotopaxi, a company that creates sustainably designed outdoor gear that fuels both adventure and global change
January 11, 2023
12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
Sustainable & Renewable Energy
COP 27, the United Nations climate change conference in November 2022 has been gaining a great deal of media coverage, but what does this mean for you professionally and personally? While there is now broad acknowledgement of the urgent need to scale up our global response to climate change, navigating the options and knowing how you can best contribute, can be overwhelming. In this webinar alumni who work in the sustainable and renewable energy field will help demystify the sustainable energy landscape and share actionable insights. Guest alumni speakers include:
- Dan Clapp '00, Co-Founder, ReVision Energy
- Tricia Dinkel '12G, Director, Cleantech Navigate Northeast at Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC)
- Charlotte Harris '18, Trade Officer, Offshore Wind and Clean Energy – Northern Powerhouse, British Consulate-General Boston
- Scott MacDonald '90, Vice President and Managing Director, Usource - a Nextera Energy Company
February 15, 2023
12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
Sustainable Investing
How we invest our money can be even more powerful than the products we choose to buy in shaping a sustainable future. Sustainable investing, where investors combine traditional investment approaches with environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) insights, has seen substantial growth over the last few years, now accounting for over 35% of professionally managed assets around the globe. Investors are choosing to align their portfolios with a sustainable future by selecting investments, not solely for the potential for short-term financial gain, but also on what and how those investments can contribute to society. Join us as alumni experts in the field of sustainable investing discuss what these trends mean for you and your own investing. Guest alumni speakers include:
- Molly Betournay '05, '09G, Director of Social Research and Shareholder Advocacy, Clean Yield Asset Management
- Ed Farrington '93, Head of North American Distribution, Impax Asset Management
- Alison Pyott '92, Partner and Senior Impact Wealth Manager, Veris Wealth Partners
- Scott Sorensen '92, Principal and Founder, Vigilant Wealth Management
March 21, 2023
12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
Sustainable Food & Food Systems
Food is fundamental to human well-being and dignity. This month we’ll explore how food connects all aspects of our world and how foundational it is for sustainability. With the help of a panel of UNH alumni working in different parts of the food system we'll discuss what this means for you, personally and professionally. Guest speakers include:
- Eileen Liponis '95, Executive Director, New Hampshire Food Bank
- Aaron Neiderhelman '97, Co-Founder, OneHealthAg
- Matt Smith '08, Research Program Lead, USDA National Agroforestry Center
June 6, 2023
12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
Series Wrap-up
Looking Forward: UNH’s 2030 Sustainability Vision
UNH is a proud national leader in sustainability - and our work is not done!
Our public service mission, our commitment to our students and community partners demands that we more fully engage with local and global efforts to confront the accelerating climate and biodiversity crises; and in ways that centers human rights and equity to ensure a just transition.
A shared vision is essential to the development of a strategic roadmap, to define and guide the sustainability investments and initiatives that will be needed across all aspects of our public mission, and so UNH is developing a 2030 Sustainability Vision.
As alumni, we value your thoughts and ideas to help ensure that the vision is bold, grounded, and inspirational. During this interactive webinar, UNH President James Dean Jr., as well as leadership of the UNH Sustainability Institute, will provide an overview of the vision developed by the Sustainability Task Force, followed by an invitation to share your ideas.
