EPN Signature Earth Day Event: Building Local Coalitions for Climate Action in Ohio

Register for this free event here!

Free attendance for everyone for EPN's Signature Earth Day program is generously sponsored by Bansk Beauty and EPN's Annual Sponsors (listed here). Thank you, sponsors!

Program Overview

On Earth Day 2026, the Environmental Professionals Network will bring together climate action leaders from across Ohio for a free public event highlighting the momentum behind local climate solutions in Ohio. Cities big and small are developing innovative sustainability and resilience strategies, and this program invites attendees to see how their own communities can participate. Working closely with municipal partners in Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, and beyond, the EPN aims to ignite interest in local climate plans, showcase practical tools for getting involved, and demonstrate how community‑rooted climate action can thrive when new voices are invited to the table.

The evening culminates in a series of Pecha-Kucha story-telling presentations featuring inspiring tales of how Ohio communities are successfully engaging myriad partners in climate action. Speakers representing city sustainability offices, regional collaboratives, nonprofits, and the private sector will highlight programs that bring in corporations, faith communities, renters, neighborhood associations, youth groups, and residents who are not usually involved in climate planning.

Speaking of collaboration and partnerships, at this Earth Day celebration, we will also officially launch EPN Connect, a dynamic new platform designed to transform how Ohio’s environmental community collaborates. This debut marks a major milestone for the EPN, introducing a digital hub where professionals, students, community leaders, and partners across the state can share ideas, build relationships, discover local projects, jobs, events, and sustain the momentum inspired by events like this one.

What's more, the program will feature posters from nearly 25 Ohio State Environment and Natural Resource senior capstone projects as well as the induction of the Class of 2026 ENR Honorary 100!

Event speakers and agenda to be announced soon!

Agenda

3:30 p.m. Doors open.

3:45 p.m. Workshop on the Central Ohio Climate Action Plan (COCAP) 

• 3:45 p.m. Presentation on the newly updated COCAP: Ballroom
• 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Breakout workshops for building collaboration and coalitions around the climate action plan: Fairfield, Franklin-Hamilton, Hancock Rooms

4:45 p.m. Interactive exhibits, student capstone poster session, and general networking.

• Food and refreshments are served: Ballroom
• Climate Action Resources and Exhibits: Ballroom and Hallway
• SENR Senior Capstone Posters: Clinton and Delaware Rooms

5:45 p.m. Event transitions to Ballroom and guest are seated.

6:00 p.m. Welcome remarks in Ballroom; livestream service begins. Tim Haab, PhD, director, Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) provides welcome remarks and ENR Honorary 100 Induction. 

6:15 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Climate coalition-building success stories from leaders across cities and sectors in Ohio. The speakers listed below will give “Pecha Kucha”-style presentations, which is a story-telling format where presenters share 20 photographs for 20 seconds each (6 minutes). 

• Meg Maloney, Sustainability Manager, City of Dayton
• Roberto Burga, Community Relations Coordinator, Sustainable Columbus
• Jason Cervenec, Education and Engagement Director, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University
• Madeline Fleisher & Andy Leber, Co-Founders and Co-Directors, Electrify Central Ohio
• And additional speakers from the City of Cleveland Mayor's Office of Sustainability and Green Umbrella, and students who have developed climate action projects supported by Columbus' Youth Climate Action Fund.

7:20 p.m. Closing remarks from Harrison Fried, PhD, EPN Program Director, including the official launch of EPN Connect. Livestreaming service concludes for virtual attendees. 

Speakers

Jason Cervenec, Education and Engagement Director, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University

Jason Cervenec serves as the Education and Engagement Director for the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, where he leads programs that reach more than 12,000 learners each year across science, climate resilience, history, and the arts. His team develops geoscience visualizations and public‑facing tools to make climate and polar research accessible, and he regularly supports Central Ohio communities by convening climate resilience efforts. Before joining BPCRC, Jason spent over a decade as a high school science educator, founding Science Olympiad teams and serving as a lead instructor on statewide science‑education initiatives. He regularly collaborates with Ohio educators, community organizations, and university researchers to strengthen climate literacy and broaden public engagement with Earth systems science. Jason holds a B.S. in Biology and an M.Ed. in Secondary Science Education from Ohio State University. 

Madeline Fleisher, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Electrify Central Ohio

Madeline Fleisher has spent more than 15 years practicing energy and environmental law, including roles in both the public and private sectors. She currently works as regulatory counsel at Oracle, and volunteers as Co-Director of Electrify Central Ohio. She co-founded ECO in 2022 as a community-based effort to support Central Ohio residents in planning and implementing home electrification and other clean energy solutions to reduce household greenhouse gas emissions. 

Meg Maloney, Sustainability Manager, City of Dayton, Ohio

With the City of Dayton, Meg Maloney leads major initiatives in renewable energy, climate resilience, community‑wide aggregation, and long‑term sustainability planning. She oversees projects aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint, advancing equity in environmental decision‑making, and helping Dayton residents benefit directly from city clean energy programs. She has also conducted greenhouse gas inventories, developed climate‑stress GIS analyses, secured state and federal grants, and collaborated with agencies on stormwater and resilience planning. Previously, Meg served as Dayton’s Sustainability Specialist, co‑authoring the city’s first sustainability plan and helping design its 100% renewable‑energy aggregation program. As a result of her efforts, Dayton has received multiple statewide sustainability awards. Meg earned her M.S. in Environmental Science and B.S. in Environmental Biology from the University of Dayton.

Additional Information 

We strive to host events that are inclusive and accessible to everyone. If you have a disability and require accommodations to fully participate in this activity, please reach out to Hallie Stelzle, EPN Program Assistant (stelzle.2@osu.edu). Requests made five business days in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access. However, we will make every effort to meet requests made after this time frame. You will be contacted by someone from our staff to discuss your specific needs.