Boston Globe Sustainability Summit

In April 2025, the Boston Globe hosted its annual Sustainability Summit at BU’s fossil fuel-free Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences. The event brought together policymakers, researchers, and advocates to explore climate solutions and strategies at the local, national, and global level. Key sessions anchored the day:

• Climate Change in Boston and Solutions to Reduce Impact
  A panel on local climate research featured Boston University faculty who examine how scientific findings can inform solutions to protect Bostonians from the impacts of climate change. Distinguished Professor Lucy Hutyra (College of Arts & Sciences) highlighted a modeling tool she developed to help urban planners assess cooling solutions; Assistant Professor Anna Goldman (Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine) discussed her work helping patients manage energy costs with solar energy; and Associate Professor Madeleine Scammell (School of Public Health) presented her research identifying and cooling Boston’s urban heat islands. The panel was moderated by David Abel, a professor in the College of Communication and a former reporter at The Boston Globe.
• The Future of Climate Policy
  S. Senator Ed Markey (Hon. ’04, D-Mass.) spoke about environmental policy in Massachusetts and the role of grassroots support in driving sustainable energy, while former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy discussed federal rollbacks on emissions, land use, and air and water quality, and the strategies driving progress toward a climate-resilient future.

New Growths Part II: A Conversation on Indigenous Sovereignty & Sustainability

In partnership with the University of Southern Maine (USM), BU Sustainability hosted the second installment of the New Growths dialogue series, exploring the nexus between Indigenous sovereignty and sustainability. The series brought together speakers and audiences across two cities, Boston and Portland, Maine, both significant as centers of historical injustice and as active sites of ongoing conversations surrounding Native sovereignty.

Part II featured a panel of Massachusett, Mashpee Wampanoag, and Aquinnah Wampanoag Indigenous leaders and tribal law scholars, who examined issues of land stewardship, cultural integrity, and ecological sustainability within the context of Indigenous sovereignty. The event drew students, faculty, staff, and community members from both institutions into a dialogue designed to build relationships that extend beyond the event itself.