Global Environmental Justice Conference Report
Center for Environmental Justice
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
On April 13 and 14, 2026 the Center for Environmental Justice at Colorado State University organized a global environmental justice conference entitled “Where Do We Grow from Here: Environmental Justice and the Politics of Hope in the Planetary Age” in collaboration with an internal organizing committee and global partners and supporters from organizations around the world. The Conference website is available here. This conference is part of a rotating biannual series, and we are happy to report that European partners are working on organizing the next one in 2028. These conferences are programmatically intended to enable collaboration amongst researchers, advocates and practitioners around the world.
The final program included a total of 361 speakers — 193 in person, and 168 virtually. Fifty-six sessions and six workshops covered a wide breadth of topics, geographies, and perspectives. See this link for the full conference program.
We had 336 attendees register for the conference, including many students from CSU, other Colorado universities, and universities outside Colorado. Of those registered,169 attended in person and another 167 virtually from around the world.
In total, almost 700 people registered to present and attend the conference. Additional people from CSU and the Fort Collins community joined us too. Colorado advocates, practitioners, researchers, and students were extensively represented. Colorado State University faculty, students, and staff were very prominent, including over 40 presenters, many more attendees, and many volunteers.
CONFERENCE PRESENTERS’ LOCATIONS
CONFERENCE RESEARCH GEOGRAPHIES
Together with our CSU and external sponsors and many individual donors, we raised enough funds to cover all expenses. These included a graduate student coordinator, support for qualified applicants from the USA and abroad, our communications platform, A/V technology, the conference venue and equipment rentals, food, beverages, materials and supplies. We were able to cover the registration fees for all CSU students and reduce costs for students from other Colorado universities and colleges. We were also able to sponsor the environmental justice documentary “Sallie’s Ashes” at the 2026, 11th Annual ACT Human Rights Festival.
As of May 5, we had paid off all obligations associated with the preparation and operation of the conference, and we are now moving on to our post-conference objectives. These include storing and editing the conference presentations to share with presenters (and making public with their permission); completing a series of podcasts recorded during the conference, a joint project with the Center for Science Communication; developing a range of publications; deepening our networks with our partners through workshops and research projects; refining a statement of solidarity with environmental justice communities; and contributing to the institutionalization of environmental justice research, teaching, and practice globally.
Please stay in touch with the Center for Environmental Justice if you would like to receive future updates!
Dimitris Stevis, Conference Chair and CEJ Steering Committee
Mindy Hill, CEJ Managing Director
Isabel Van Dyke-Johnson, Conference Coordinator
Stephanie Malin, CEJ Steering Committee
KuoRay Mao, CEJ Steering Committee