USC Student Sustainability Summit 2025

This mini conference is an opportunity for USC students, of all years and majors, to learn from their peers, participate in hands-on workshops, engage in critical discussions, and contribute to community service initiatives. Each session at The Summit connects to climate change, with topics ranging from environmental justice to sustainable consumer habits. Our goal is to encourage participants to think about how they can take climate action in their own lives. Participants will leave with concrete ideas for contributing to a sustainable future, making this event a vital part of the ongoing dialogue on climate action at USC and in the Midlands. 

This summit also ties directly into  Eco Ambassadors , where students are challenged to participate in one of each of our five types of engagements within the calendar year. Any student at USC is eligible to become an eco-ambassador. Conference participants have the potential to make substantial progress in their checklist to become an eco-ambassador as they progress through The Summit! 

Check-in begins at 12:40pm. If you are arriving later, please check in at the desk in the hallway before jumping into the mix. 

Summit attire is anything you feel comfortable in! We recommend leaning more towards casual rather than professional. Please wear closed toe shoes, as that’s preferred for most service activities. There’s no need to buy any new clothes for this. If you’re feeling like you’d like to wear something new-to-you, consider shopping the campus free store, Gamecock CommUnity Shop, open M-F 8am-7pm in the Coliseum.  

• Something you can take notes with 

• Reuseable water bottle 

• Reuseable Silverware Kit (if you have one)

• A food container if you’d like to take leftovers 

• A bag for any materials you receive  

• Any clothing or nonperishable food to donate to Gamecock CommUnity Shop 

We invite you to bring your own reuseable utensils, as well as a to-go container in case there’s leftovers. Any dietary accommodations shared in your registration have been communicated with catering.  

Vegan Cavatappi 

Cheese Tortellini 

Vegan Tomato Sauce 

Pesto Alfredo Sauce 

Grilled Herbed Orange Chicken 

Shrimp & Garlic Sauté 

Roasted Portobello Mushrooms 

Broccoli Rabe with Garlic 

The Summit will take place in the Green Quad Learning Center (sometimes referred to as the Learning Center for Sustainable Futures). This building is across the street from Blatt Field and is in the middle of Green Quad Residence Hall.  

The primary entrance can be accessed from the Green Quad fire lane, accessible from Sumter Street or Main Street.

Thank you to our planning team (pictured below)!

Our Summit swag includes a t-shirt designed by Natalia Berti (Senior, Supply Chain Major). Inspired by The Summit’s name, Natalia incorporated an accurate topographical map into her design.  

We’d also like to thank Skye Slater (Senior, Environmental Science Major) for using her ArcGIS knowledge to build this site. Thematically, we love that a conference named The Summit uses a Geography tool. We hope you find it useful too!  

The Student Sustainability Summit is funded by The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by way of a Climate Conversations Mini-Grant from The Central Midlands Council of Governments. In an effort to spark more conversations about climate impacts, climate action, and climate resilience. 

We are also grateful for the local businesses that kindly donated door prizes. Participants will receive a raffle ticket at each session they attend. At the closing of The Summit, we will raffle off door prizes. You must be in attendance to win!  

Rise Columbia

Gardner's Outpost

Mad Platter

Sweet Skin Studio

Piecewise Coffee

Bitty & Beau's

Tupelo Honey

GroupX (USC Campus Recreation)

Listed alphabetically by first name, sorted by session type.

Thank you to all of our partners and attendees for making this possible!