2025 Theme: Sustainable Stories
​The 12th annual Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit will be held at the Sharonville Convention Center (15 miles north of Cincinnati, OH).
Stories have the power to reframe the past and shape the future. They connect us, inspire us, and motivate meaningful change. Stories communicate our values, our dreams, and our tangible impact. And they are a vital tool to bridge complex data and personal experiences, align collaborative partners toward shared goals, and create opportunities for transparency and accountability.
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Every organization and individual has stories to tell that communicate the impact they have and the vision they aspire to. We use them to market our products and services, to influence decision makers, or to get donors and grants. To effectively convey the power of our actions we must be strategic about the narratives we craft, how we share them, who tells them, and who is listening.
At this year's Summit, we invite sustainability leaders from across the Midwest to share the stories of their impact and successful partnerships. Join us to make new connections and celebrate climate solutions as we each find our place in the movement to secure a resilient, equitable, and thriving future!​
2025 Keynote Speaker:
Lyla June Johnston
Dr. Lyla June Johnston (aka Lyla June) is an Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective, and ecological healing. She blends her study of Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives and solutions. Her doctoral research focused on the ways in which pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped large regions of Turtle Island (aka the Americas) to produce abundant food systems for humans and non-humans.
Learn more at https://www.lylajune.com/
Our Call for Participation is now open!
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SPEAKERS: We invite proposals for 50-minute discussion panels, 50-minute interactive workshops, and 5-minute short talks that explore this year’s theme. The submission deadline has been extended to January 31. Learn more here.
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ARTISTS & PERFORMERS: We seek inspiring visual and performance art that aligns with the Summit theme. Our art show features paintings and sculptures, and our program integrates spoken word, music, and dance performances! Learn more here.
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POSTER SESSION: We invite scholarly and practitioner posters that focus on professional work or academic research that aligns with the showcases climate solutions and innovative or impactful sustainability efforts. Learn more here.
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AWARD NOMINATIONS: We welcome nominations recognizing individuals, organizations, businesses, and communities that have made outstanding strides in the areas of Impact, Innovation, and Leadership. Award winners will be honored at the Summit. Learn more here.
ABOUT THE SUMMIT
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The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit is the largest sustainability conference in the Midwest, bringing together 650 passionate and visionary leaders to share inspiring, forward-thinking, and solution-oriented ideas that propel us toward a healthier, more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future.
Join Fortune 500 powerhouses, innovative entrepreneurs, government officials, sustainability directors, academic, non-profit, and community leaders committed to solving some of the region’s toughest environmental problems while creating a positive economic impact.
SPONSOR THE SUMMIT
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Give your organization prominent brand recognition as a champion of sustainability by becoming a Summit sponsor! We offer a variety of options that enable you to reach a diverse and dynamic coalition of leaders committed to making our region more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.
Make your commitment early to get the most out of it and be included in all our marketing and event communications.
