About Us
In Collaboration with Colorado State University's School of Global Environmental Sustainability, The Climate Leadership is organized by a select group of twenty-two students representing five high schools in the Poudre School District, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The Climate Leadership Summit is a well-established event designed by high school students, for high school students, for the purpose of building climate literacy, environmental career awareness, and collaborative leadership. Opportunities (both in school and out of school) for youth to collaborate and learn about climate and environmental issues and leadership are not accessible for many. Since its founding 2017, over 1,200 students from across Northern Colorado have attended the Climate Leadership Summit. Now a co-organized event between CSU and Poudre School District, we seek to expand access and serve many more students.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is this free?
-Yes, the Climate Leadership Summit is free! Attendees will need to get lunch on their own in the CSU Lory Student Center's food court. We will have some free boxed lunches for student attendees unable to afford lunch.
What's the deal with parking?
-We have parking information on our "Parking" website. Busses will be able to drop off at the Lory Student Center. We will provide more parking details and updates to registered attendees, so please register so we can keep you in the loop.
Who are the presenters?
-CSU is a major leader in the world of Climate Science and policy. Many of the presenters and workshops for this event will be from CSU's faculty, which represents a terrific opportunity for high school students to interact with climate experts who normally may not be accessible to a high school aged population. On the bottom of the main page of this website, we'll continually update the growing list of confirmed presenters, as well as post drafts of our program.
Who usually attends? Who's the target audience?
-This year we're hoping for around 400 attendees, in the past we've had students representing high schools from the northern front range, as far away as Denver. Students who are in their school's environmental clubs, taking environmental classes, or are just interested in climate, leadership, and networking with renown experts and other students should attend. Register now!
Our Story
This event was originally started in 2017 by the Environmental Club at Fossil Ridge High School by an exceptionally motivated group of students who sought to design an educational, interactive, and impactful experience geared toward high school-aged students in our region. Now, the Climate Leadership Summit has expanded into a collaboration that includes high school student coordinators from across the Poudre School District, as well as the incredible support of CSU's School of Global Environmental Sustainability and Student Sustainability Clubs.
