Evergreen brought eight students, staff, and faculty to the region’s largest higher‑ed sustainability conference (WOHESC 2026) and, with a small team, made a big impact! Thanks to support from the Clean Energy Committee (CEC), CCAS partnered as a conference sponsor, putting Evergreen’s name on materials and giving us time on the main stage to spotlight our sustainability work.
Evergreen’s breakout session “From Vision to Action: Creating Solarpunk Strategies for a Sustainable World,” led by Assistant Director Michael Joseph, with Evergreen Adjunct Faculty Sam Saltiel, and MES Fellowship Student Enija Reed, was an incredible success.
The session drew about 80-130 participants, filling the room and generating lively discussion. The interactive workshop invited attendees to imagine what a Solarpunk future could look like. And, more importantly, how we begin building it now.
Participants explored real-world examples of Solarpunk design and community projects, and tools like Regenerative Design Thinking and Backcasting to design collaborative processes for building local climate action strategies.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with many noting that the workshop helped them bridge imagination with practical, systems-based action.
That evening, Evergreen also hosted a “Games for Education and Change” meetup, highlighting Evans Library’s sustainability game collection and exploring how play can help us learn about climate, cooperation, and systems thinking. The event brought together educators, sustainability professionals, students, and even colleagues from our own SPSCC! Many of them were excited to explore gaming as a legitimate tool for education and behavioral change.
For Evergreen students, attending WOHESC was both energizing and eye‑opening. Many shared that seeing how other colleges manage resource conservation while supporting student well‑being helped expand their understanding of what’s possible. They came away inspired by:
- Campus free-stores and repair cafés
- Models for student-run bike shops
- Energy-saving initiatives that cut emissions and operational costs
- New models for sustainability governance and collaboration
WOHESC 2026 affirmed something important: Evergreen’s holistic, justice-centered approach to sustainability resonates in the wider higher education landscape. By showing up with students, staff, faculty, and cross-campus partners, the college demonstrated both its collaborative spirit and its commitment to imagining bold futures as well as taking concrete steps to build them.
The work continues, and Evergreen will be there leading, learning, and creating sustainable pathways for generations to come!