Silhouettes of mountains in a variety of colors

Environment, Inequalities, and Vulnerabilities: Domestic and International Contexts

New Horizons in Conservation, 2026 Convening

May 7-9, 2026

The New Horizons Convening was held at the Yale School of the Environment. Renowned environmental professionals and activists, academicians, leaders from the food sovereignty movement, authors, leaders of local and national environmental organizations, and government policymakers were in attendance. 

The convening brought together 180  professionals, practitioners, students, recruiters, and vendors to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, to explore urgent issues in the environmental field. It encompassed multiple perspectives in environmental institutions, environmental justice, food insecurity and sovereignty, climate and energy justice, outdoor experiences, future leadership in the environmental movement, and more. Students, academics, researchers, and professionals from a wide array of backgrounds and professional environments gave talks, participated in workshops, met local leaders, and networked with each other.

Daily Schedules

 View the Day 1 Detailed Agenda and Speaker Information

Time Scheduled Activity
7:00 – 11:30 am  Arrive and check into the Omni Hotel
11:20 - 12:00 pm

Shuttle leaves Omni Hotel and drops off attendees at 205 Prospect Street (Sage Hall) for lunch. 

Walk from the Omni Hotel to Sage Hall – about 20 minutes.
12:00 – 4:30 pm Headshots
12:00 - 1:00 pm 

Lunch — Mentors and interns sit together and share initial introductions

Bowers Auditorium. Sage Hall. 205 Prospect Street.
1:05 - 1:50 pm Opening Plenary: Conservation and Sustainability in Contemporary Context 
1:50 – 1:55 pm Break
1:55 - 3:00 pm Panels 1, 2, 3, and 4 — Kroon Hall, multiple rooms
3:00 - 3:05 pm Break
3:05 – 4:20 pm Panels 5, 6, 7, and 8 — Kroon Hall, multiple rooms
4:20 – 4:30 pm Break
4:30 – 4:45 pm Group Photo — Outside of Kroon Hall (Weather Permitting)
4:50 – 6:00 pm Plenary 2: Artificial Intelligence, Data Centers, and Emerging Inequalities
6:00 – 7:30 pm Dinner — Sage Hall, Bowers Auditorium
7:30 pm Shuttle departs from Sage Hall for the Omni Hotel

 View the Day 2 Detailed Agenda and Speaker Information 

Time Scheduled Activity
8:00 - 8:55 am Breakfast — Kroon Hall, Third Floor
9:00 - 10:15 am Plenary 3: Environment, Energy, Inequalities
10:15 - 10:25 am Break
10:25 - 12:00 pm Plenary 4: Climate, Hazards, and Vulnerable Communities
12:00 - 12:55 pm Lunch — Sage Hall, Bowers Auditorium
1:00 - 2:15 pm  Plenary 5: Pollution, Toxic Exposure, and Vulnerable Populations
2:15 - 2:20 pm Break
2:20 - 3:35 pm

Planning Session 1: Mentor and Interns Summer Planning — Kroon Hall, Third Floor

Panels 9, 10, 11 — Kroon Hall, multiple rooms
3:35 - 3:45 Break
3:45 - 5:15 pm Plenary 6: Community-Based Research, Organizing, and Action
5:15 - 6:15 pm Dinner — Sage Hall, Bowers Auditorium
6:15 pm Shuttle departs from Sage Hall for the Omni Hotel

View the Day 3 Detailed Agenda and Speaker Information

Time Scheduled Activity
8:00 am Shuttle departs from the Omni Hotel for Kroon Hall
8:15 - 9:00 am Breakfast — Kroon Hall, Third Floor
9:00 - 10:20 am Plenary 7: Navigating the Foundation Funding Landscape
10:20 - 10:30 am Break
10:30 - 11:40 am Plenary 8: Youth and New People Entering the Environmental Grantmaking Space: Opportunities and Challenges
11:40 - 11:45 am Break
11:45 - 12:15 pm Plenary 9: Closing Plenary
12:15 -1:15 pm Lunch — Kroon Hall, Third Floor
1:15 pm Depart for Airport or Train Station

Plenary Speakers

View Student & Young Professional Abstracts

Registration 

Free - 2026 Yale Conservation Scholars - Early Leadership Initiative (YCS-ELI) and the Environmental Fellows Program (EFP) program participants and mentors

$160 – Students and workers of grassroots community organizations. This also applies to alumni of the University of Michigan’s or Yale’s Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP), Yale Conservation Scholars - Early Leadership Initiative (YCS-ELI), and the Environmental Fellows Program (EFP). 

$265 – Early career 

$375 – Mid to senior career 

The registration fee covers the cost of attendance for conference sessions and meals. 

Register through Eventbrite

Scholarships

Limited scholarships are available to cover the cost of registration, lodging, and/or travel, and recipients will be expected to volunteer during the conference. Scholarship application is now closed. 

Location

New Horizons in Conservation is convened in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Travel and Lodging Information | Learn More about New Haven

Register Now!

Sign-up for the 2026 Convening

Consider Supporting JEDSI

Donate to JEDSI

Special thanks to our 2026 supporters

Sponsors 2026 Updated