
JHU Symposium on Sustainability Leadership & Practice
April 5, 2023 | Scott-Bates Commons
4th Annual Sustainability Leadership Council Symposium
Whether you are curious to learn more about sustainability issues and solutions, build new partnerships, or amplify the visibility and impact of existing environmental initiatives, you won’t want to miss this exciting convergence!
The all-day event will include interactive dialogues, panel discussions, research posters, an information fair, plant-based breakfast, lunch, and refreshments, and more.
Panel sessions will be available virtually through Zoom, primarily including audio and presentation slides. There will be no virtual moderator or virtual Q&A, but virtual participants will be able to observe the discussion and Q&A.
Contact sustainability@jhu.edu with questions
Organized by: JHU Sustainability Leadership Council
Please click on the panel topics listed below for a zoom link, abstract, panelist details, and room location.
Panel Sessions
Concurrent panel sessions featuring sustainability researchers and practitioners are organized by topic, and will take place throughout the day, each with an interactive Q&A. Panel discussions and Q&A will be moderated in-person, with the option to observe virtually over Zoom.
Panel sessions will be available virtually through Zoom, primarily including audio and presentation slides. There will be no virtual moderator or virtual Q&A, but virtual participants will be able to observe the discussion and Q&A.
The following sessions will take place concurrently from 10:00 – 10:50 am. Each session will include a series short talks from panelists, a moderated roundtable discussion, and an interactive Q&A.
10:00 – 10:50 AM | Room: Salon A | Zoom link
This Panel discussion on sustainability transportation with research and practitioner experts will explore climate-smart transportation, influences on bicycling commuting, advancing sustainable transportation on and around JHU campuses, and transit equity in the region.
Moderator: Megan Latshaw, PhD, Associate Scientist, Environmental Health and Engineering
Panelists:
- Shima Hamidi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental Health and Engineering
- Megan Latshaw, PhD, Associate Scientist, Environmental Health and Engineering
- Michelle Duren, PhD candidate, Health Policy and Management
- Nelson Greenlee, Transportation Manager, JHU Transportation Services
10:00 – 10:50 AM | Room: Barber | Zoom link
This panel discussion is centered on local efforts in Baltimore City to strengthen resilience, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and partner with community in this work. Panelists will be discussing Baltimore Social- Environmental Collaborative: Equitable solutions for climate action in Baltimore City, the CHARMED Center focused on Community-Based Research in Baltimore, and rescuing, redistributing and composting food in Baltimore with a local non-profit, 4MyCiTy.
Moderator – Matthew Aubourg, MSPH Candidate, International Health, Social & Behavioral Interventions
Panelists:
- Benjamin Zaitchik, PhD, Professor, Earth & Planetary Science
- Marsha Wills-Karp, PhD, Professor & Chair, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering
- Chris Dipnarine, Founder & Executive Director of 4MyCity
10:00 – 10:50 AM | Room: 304 East | Zoom link
This panel is a discussion session on sustainability in medicine and clinical care. Medical students from the Planetary Health Alliance group will present a “Planetary Health Report Card” on the medical school’s progress in incorporating sustainability practices. Panelists from the school of medicine, nursing, and the university/community will then share their expertise and Hopkins-specific experiences as well as highlight avenues for growth.
Moderators: Akanksha Suresh, Abigail Fleischli, & Melanie Alfonzo, JHSOM Planetary Health Alliance
Panelists:
- Akanksha Suresh, Abigail Fleischli, and Melanie Alfonzo, Students, School of Medicine Planetary Health Alliance
- Mel Pavelack, DO, Pediatric Critical Care Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology, Medicine
- Dr. Cecelia Tomori, PhD, Associate Professor & Director of Global Public Health and Community Health, Nursing
The following sessions will take place concurrently from 11:00 – 11:50 am. Each session will include a series short talks from panelists, a moderated roundtable discussion, and an interactive Q&A.
11:00 – 11:50 AM | Room: Salon A | Zoom Link
This Panel discussion on renewable energy includes researchers and leaders from the Ralph S O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute who are doing sustainable energy research or are ROSEI leaders and will include a short talk on careers in renewable energy planning and systems, roundtable discussion, and interactive Q&A. Panelists will discuss the big surprises in the past decade about each technology, and what surprises might lie ahead, and underappreciated facts about renewable technologies.
Moderator: Ben Hobbs, Professor, Environmental Health & Engineering
Panelists:
- Ben Schafer, PhD, Professor, Civil & Systems Engineering; Director, Ralph S O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute
- Ben Link, PhD, Managing Director & Associate Research Scientist, Ralph S O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute
- Sijia Geng, PhD, Assistant Research Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Yury Dvorkin, PhD, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering; Civil & Systems Engineering
- Ruggero Rossi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental Health & Engineering
11:00 – 11:50 AM | Room: Barber | Zoom Link
What happens when we view climate change as a modern educational challenge? Working under this framework, this session will delve into the ways researchers and students at Hopkins create meaningful opportunities for sustainability education. Panelists will explore questions such as: What makes sustainability education impactful? Who is sustainability education for? And what role do students’ emotions, behaviors, and attitudes play in this education? Panelists will discuss climate change as a modern educational challenge, environmental justice curriculums, and lessons on climate change’s impacts on health.
Moderator: Lisa Nehring, Doctoral student, School of Education
Panelists:
- Megan Latshaw, PhD, Associate scientist, Environmental Health and Engineering
- Hunter Gehlbach, PhD, Professor, Education
- Matthew Aubourg, MSPH candidate, Public Health
11:00 – 11:50 AM | Room: 304 East | Zoom Link
A sustainable food system is ecologically sound, socially just, economically viable, and meets the nutritional needs of the growing population. In the face of climate change, our food system must also be resilient—able to endure, adapt, and return to a functioning state following extreme weather events and other climate disruptions. During this roundtable panel discussion, JHU researchers will share an overview of their findings from a variety of efforts exploring the connection between food systems and climate change. Brent Kim will present research underscoring the urgency of addressing food systems greenhouse gas emissions for climate mitigation. Stan Becker will explore why alternative population growth scenarios—and their implications for food production and security—need to be considered as part of the policy framework to improve food systems. Lastly, the Center for a Livable Future will share an overview of a recently created guide to help local governments be prepared for, adapt from, recover from, and transform their local food system despite natural and human made disasters, including those caused by climate change.
Moderator: Raychel Santo, MSc Program Officer, Center for a Livable Future
Panelists:
- Brent Kim, MHS, Research Program Manager, Center for a Livable Future
- Stan Becker, PhD, Lecturer, Public Health
- Elsie Moore, PhD Candidate, Public Health
The following panel sessions will take place concurrently from 1:30 – 2:20 pm. Each session will include a series short talks from panelists, a moderated roundtable discussion, and an interactive Q&A.
1:30 – 2:20 PM | Room: Salon A | Zoom link
The accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contributes to radiative forcing, changes in climate, and then in turn effects on the biosphere, people, and their health. This panel presents research on investigation of sources of greenhouse gases, and then influences on heat, health and communities. The panel demonstrates the range of disciplinary approaches taken by researchers to investigate greenhouse gas emissions and their manifold effects.
Moderator: Sherburne B. Abbott, Professor, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering
Panelists:
- Darryn Waugh, PhD, Professor, Earth and Planetary Science
- Jaime Madrigano, PhD, Research Scientist, Environmental Health and Engineering
- Jana Kopelent Rehak, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Earth and Planetary Science
1:30 – 2:20 PM | Room: Barber | Zoom link
Decades ago, medical and lab supplies were made of reusable metal, cloth, and glass with little to no plastic used in their construction or packaging and sterilized before each reuse. Nowadays. virtually every piece of equipment such as surgical masks, syringes, and surgical tools as well as pipettes, test tubes, and growth flasks, are wrapped in, or composed of, plastic. The production, transport, use, and disposal of these supplies are responsible for around 80% of the health care industry’s carbon footprint, which accounts for 8.5% of US greenhouse gas emissions. Following a brief overview of the history and ethics of single-use supplies, the panelists and audience will discuss the feasibility and cultural shift needed to return to reusable supplies and reducing the reliance on single-use supplies. The discussion will conclude with a brief remark on actions the audience can implement at JHU to reduce laboratory waste.
Moderator: Leana Houser, MS, Waste Reduction and Recycling Manager, Office of Sustainability
Panelists:
- Jeremy Greene, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and the History of Medicine
- Maria W. Merritt, PhD, Associate Professor, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Department of International Health
- Ryan Weeks, PhD, Green Labs Specialist, Office of Sustainability
1:30- 2:20 pm | Room: 304 East | Zoom link
This panel will explore how different initiatives by students and staff at JHU have fostered more sustainable food systems through campus dining initiatives, education, and organization. Raychel Santo will provide a history and overview of the sustainable food procurement efforts at JHU, including the Meatless Monday campaign and its role at the university since its inception in 2003 and the implementation of the Real Food Commitment from 2013-2019. Graham Browning will share current sustainable food procurement practices within JHU Dining as well as future directions. Student leaders from the JHU Alt Protein Project will share their efforts to raise awareness around alternative proteins and their potential to both address sustainability and animal welfare concerns and foster healthy communities.
Moderator: D’Ann Williams, PhD, Assistant Scientist, Center for a Livable Future
Panelists:
- Raychel Santo, MSc, Program Officer, Center for a Livable Future
- Graham Browning, MS, Sustainability Manager, Hopkins Dining
- Emily Yao, Student, JHU Alternative Protein Project
The following panel sessions will take place concurrently from 3:00 – 4:15 pm. Each session will include a series short talks from panelists, a moderated roundtable discussion, and an interactive Q&A.
3:00 – 4:15 pm | Room: Salon A | Zoom link
The Lower Stony Run Strategic Plan was a community-driven planning effort to provide greatly needed connectivity and accessibility projects to the beloved Stony Run Walking Path, the Stony Run stream valley, and its associated park spaces. A panel including JHU faculty, planning professionals, residents neighboring the Homewood Campus will discuss the Plan from multiple perspectives. Panelists will outline vital connectivity and accessibility projects and historical context for the Plan with regard to local communities, institutions, and landscapes.
Moderator: Anand Pandian, PhD, Professor, Anthropology
Panelists:
- Tom McGilloway, Planner, Mahan Rykiel Associates
- Sandra Sparks, Chair, Strategic Plan Steering Committee, Friends of Stony Run
- James Wolf, President, Friends of Stony Run
3:00 – 4:15 pm | Room: Barber | Zoom link
Many of us who work in occupations that try to address ever-changing, significant global challenges are affected by stress, overwhelm, and burnout. These experiences can impede our ability to stay ‘in the game,’ even for issues to which we are deeply committed. In this interactive practice session, we will discuss some of these experiences, as well as the recent science from positive psychology, neuroscience, and mindfulness that support personal resilience. We will practice using several tools that can build positive mental habits and foster personal agency, to help you navigate daily challenges, increase positive emotions, decrease stress, and plan for your future in sustainability work and beyond.
Moderator: Hayley Kallenberg, MPH Candidate, School of Public Health
Panelists:
- Anita Shankar, PhD, Associate Scientist, International Health, JHBSPH, Executive Director of SEE Change
- Kate Cornwall, PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins School of Education
- Hannah Marker, PhD, Research Associate, International Health, JHBSPH, Researcher with SEE Change
3:00 – 4:15 pm | Room: 304 East | Zoom Link
Join a panel discussion on how JHU’s campuses are being used as testbeds for sustainability research and innovation and learn about the development of a new Campus as Living Laboratory Program being launched next year. This session will include presentations from panelists, a moderated roundtable discussion, and Q&A with the audience.
Moderator: Julian Goresko, Director, Office of Sustainability
Panelists:
- Elsie Moore, MPH, PhD Candidate, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering
- Dr. Kellogg Schwab PhD, Professor, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering
- Kathy Szlavecz, PhD, Research Professor, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences
- Marty Kajic, Senior Director of Facilities Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health
The following panel session will take place concurrently from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. Each session will include a series short talks from panelists, a moderated roundtable discussion, and an interactive Q&A.
4:30 – 5:20 pm | Room: Barber | Zoom link
The Environmental Justice Workshop gives students at Johns Hopkins University and other local educational institutions the chance to join the collective struggle to build equitable and sustainable urban futures in the city of Baltimore. A project of the Ecological Design Collective, this year-long community-based learning course co-taught by community organizer Shashawnda Campbell of the South Baltimore Community Land Trust and JHU anthropologist Anand Pandian has brought together over 25 graduate and undergraduate students from diverse fields in the 2022-23 academic year. This panel introduces the collaborative projects in urban environmental justice and sustainable design that the course participants have pursued over the year, including many student voices and perspectives, and showcases the work that they have produced in collaboration with community partners.
Moderator: Anand Pandian, Professor, Anthropology
Panelists:
- Anand Pandian, PhD, professor, Department of Anthropology
- Shashawnda Campbell, Community Leader, South Baltimore Community Land Trust
- Louisa Benatovich, student, Medicine, Science, and the Humanities
- Arunika Bhatia, student, Geography and Environmental Engineering
- Angelica Brooks, student, Environmental Studies
- Marcos Hernandez Canchola,Anthropology
- Larkin Gallup, student, International Studies
- Mansha Kapur, student, Physics
- Stella Lee, student, International Studies
- Lisa Nehring, student, Education
- Alaa Saad, student, Anthropology
- Carlos Sanchez, student, Ben Franklin High School
- Dorothy Thompson, student, Environmental Health and Engineering
Research Posters & Information Fair
Throughout the day in Salon B & C the Information Fair tables and Research Posters will be on display featuring JHU sustainability research as well as information tables hosted by campus and local groups.
Explore the research posters and information fair during breakfast, lunch, and breaks, as well the designated Information Fair and Research Poster Session from 2:20 – 3:00 pm.
Reimagining a Downtown through Green Infrastructure and Multimodal Transportation | Kristen Corlay, Julia Choe, Ciara Darden, Maya Mann, Gianna Murphy, Adeola Ojuade
Designing air-stable sustainable ionic-polymer-based thermoelectric devices for energy conversion and storage | Nan (Louise) Chen
Operation-Adversarial Scenario Generation and Reserve Procurement | Zhirui Liang
Decision analysis of coal decommissioning strategy | Ziting Huang
Variability of heat (and possibly air quality) within Baltimore City | Darryn Waugh
Assessment of the susceptibility of women and young children to negative nutritional outcomes through identification of risk factors for severe food insecurity, inadequate dietary diversity, and child diarrhea | Noah Baker
Cross-sectional cluster randomized survey of women of reproductive age (15-49) and children under 5 from May-June of 2022 in East Hararghe Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. | Noah Baker
Hazardous thread? Microplastic exposure and potential respiratory effects in the garment industry | Angela Aherrera
The Carbon Footprint of Cataract Surgery: Assessing the Impact of Travel and the Potential of a Vision Center Model as a Solution | In Young Chung and Nakul Shekhawat
Linking Energy Sector and Air Quality Models Through Downscaling: Long Run EGU Siting and Dispatch to Account for Spatial and Temporal Variability | Shen Wang
The Climate Emergency: Individual Choices Toward Systemic Change | Jolene Sweitzer
The opportunities and challenges of clean energy transition from the perspectives of power grids and transportation systems | Sijia Geng
Associations between a Cash Voucher intervention and food consumption and coping strategy in Refugee camp in Somalia | Theresa Fang, Andy Tran, Yunhee Kang
Interventions focused on livelihood training and food production are associated with reduced food insecurity in the Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh | Andy Tran, Theresa Fang, Yunhee Kang
- Sustainability Leadership Council
- JHU Office of Sustainability
- JHU Green Labs & Freezer Challenge
- JHU Recycling/Waste
- Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation
- Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative
- JHU Alternative Protein Project
- Community Solar
- Maryland Public Health Association
- Energy Quiz
- Green & Connected: Urban Agriculture in Baltimore
- JHU Center for a Livable Future
Directions
Parking Options
Sustainability Leadership Council



Directions

Scott-Bates Commons
4 East 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD
Please only use the entrance located on 4 East 33rd Street, located at the intersection of East 33rd Street and Lovegrove Street. The door is located to the right of the Insomnia Cookies awning, and to the left of Barnes and Noble. Once in the building, either take the stairs or elevator up one floor, and follow signs that will direct you to the conference rooms.
Sustainable transportation options to the symposium include free shuttles and circulators, local bus and rail, bicycling, and more!
JHMI Shuttle Directions:
- Homewood - Peabody JHMI Route: use the 33rd Street stop
- Keswick - Homewood - Eastern - JHMI Route: use the 33rd Street & Lovegrove Street stop
Parking Options

JHU Campus South Garage is located at 3101 Wyman Park Drive, south of Wyman Park Drive and San Martin Drive and is a 10-minute walk from the event.
Public Parking Garages are also located at 9 E 33rd St. (enter at 3271 Lovegrove) and 152-173 East 34th Street (Union Memorial Hospital parking garage) for additional costs.
Sustainability Leadership Council

This Symposium is organized by JHU's Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC), students, faculty, staff, and alumni who collaborate to further sustainability initiatives across research, academics, operations, and engagement.
Comprised of over 125 members from across the university, the Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC) provides advice and recommendations to the Provost on policies, programs, and other initiatives that build a greater role for Johns Hopkins University in teaching, research, and leadership on sustainability, both locally and globally.