Dear Evergreen Community,

We wanted to provide an early update about some important transitions underway for the Center for Climate Action and Sustainability. A more formal in-depth announcement will be coming soon, but we felt it was important to share this initial overview now so our campus partners, students, and community collaborators have time to understand and prepare for the changes ahead.

Transition to “The Climate Center” 

Beginning this winter and continuing through spring quarter (until June), we will be operating in a transitional mode as the current Center for Climate Action and Sustainability (CCAS) transitions into The Climate Center.

This shift reflects our desire to simplify our identity, clarify our mission, and take stock of what is working well and what needs to be strengthened. During this transition stage, we will be conducting program evaluations, refining our core services, and preparing for a “2.0” launch of sustainability at Evergreen beginning after June.

A Hybrid Model: Facilities + Academics 

The biggest change will be our funding model. The Climate Center will become a hybrid unit combining elements of the former Office of Sustainability (under Facilities/Operations) with the current academic- and community-facing programs of CCAS.

This hybrid structure will allow us to:

  • Continue offering the climate literacy programming, workshops, and classroom visits our students and faculty rely on.
  • Increase campus-wide sustainability support through Facilities & Operations.
  • Help develop Evergreen’s next generation of sustainability planning through data-informed and community-informed processes.

Half of our work will directly support the campus’s long-term sustainability operations and infrastructure, while the other half will maintain our academic engagement, outreach, and public service programming. 

Programming Changes & Continuity 

Most of our public-facing programming will continue with only modest adjustments to our capacity. For example:

  • Our Climate Lecture Series will transition from ~six guest lectures per year to three larger, more ambitious guest lectures by visitors supplemented with public campus lectures by Evergreen faculty.
  • We are planning a Summer Institute where faculty can help co-select the year’s upcoming guest speakers and collaborate on grant proposals to fund them.
  • Workshops, classroom talks, and community presentations in Evergreen classrooms and off campus will continue (and in some cases increase).
  • Our Sustainability Idea Lab consulting program will grow into a more structured, recognizable resource for supporting student and community nonprofit sustainability projects.

Sustainability Action Plan & Campus Initiatives 

A major emphasis of Sustainability at Evergreen 2.0 will be helping the institution move toward a renewed and integrated sustainability vision. This includes:

  • Working with Facilities and campus leadership to incorporate a modernized Sustainability Action Plan including student well-being and health into the Master Infrastructure Plan (formerly the Climate Action Plan). Supporting renewable energy expansion on campus through projects such as the Thunderdome solar array and related efforts aimed at reducing Evergreen’s long-term energy costs.
  • Assisting in evaluating and updating approaches with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to ensure we are aligned with current state and regional sustainability best practices.
  • Focusing on campus health, well-being, ecosystem resilience, and climate adaptation.

Leadership Transitions 

The current Director of CCAS will be transitioning into full-time teaching in the MES Program. During this transition:

  • The Assistant Director will assume many of the responsibilities previously associated with both the former Director of Sustainability and the CCAS Director.
  • The role will also have a new title: Assistant Director for Campus Sustainability reporting to the Dean of Native Programs and Experiential Learning.

This position will continue to maintain community partnerships and public-facing workshops, while increasingly helping campus units design and implement sustainable operational practices.

Continued Student Support & Advisory Roles 

We will maintain our advisory and liaison roles with several campus groups and committees, including the Clean Energy Committee (CEC), the Campus Sustainability Council, Space-Land Use Group (SLUG), and various academic pathways. We will also continue facilitating student-led sustainability projects, supporting internships, and collaborating with off-campus partners across the South Sound region—focusing on youth education, community climate programming, and K–12 curricular development.

Feedback & Participation 

As part of our transition, we are gathering feedback from students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community collaborators who have worked with us. We would greatly appreciate hearing from you about:

  • What has been working well
  • What you’d like to see continued
  • What programs should expand in this 2.0 version of the Climate Center or Sustainability at Evergreen, or what new directions we might consider.
  • Any other ideas for improving the relaunched unit planned for AY 2026–2027 (including other possible names)

You can reach us at climateaction@evergreen.edu with questions, reflections, or suggestions. We will also be circulating a short feedback form soon to help us gather input systematically.

Looking Ahead

The team has many projects and upcoming events in progress, from continued expansion of regional partnerships and increased faculty collaboration initiatives to ongoing project support for students and community organizations. While some elements of the center will pause for evaluation this spring and summer, our core mission remains unchanged:

To support climate literacy, sustainability leadership, and regenerative practices across Evergreen and in the wider community.

We are excited about the opportunities this transition provides and deeply grateful to our community and campus partners. We look forward to building a stronger, more clearly focused, and more sustainable Climate Center together.

With appreciation,
The Climate Center at The Evergreen State College