Staff Writer- August von Seth

From 6 to 8pm on  March 18th , The Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation will be holding this year’s Climate Teach-in event in partnership with the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar and the Gustavus’ sustainability interns. Located in the Heritage and Three Crowns banquet rooms in the Jackson Campus Center, it is expected to feature stands set up by over 20 partners, including individual professors, college offices, student organizations, and various third parties. 

“It’s an annual climate and environmental action outreach event hosted by the sustainability interns. The sustainability interns are part of the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation, which is essentially our sustainability office on campus,” Sustainability Manager and Co-Director for the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation, Kari Wallin said.

According to Wallin, the concept of a climate-centered informal series of lectures on a topic of public interest taking place on a college campus was most recently popularized by an initiative on the part of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. In 2023, the liberal arts institution reported over 285 such gatherings in 85 countries. 

“In recent years Bard hasn’t held it nationally, but we continued because it was successful,” Wallin said.

The 2026 Climate Teach-in is primarily directed by sustainability interns holding a work-study position assisting with environmental education, outreach, data analysis, and running the organic food program at Big Hill Farm. 

Environmental Science majors attending the senior-level seminar are tasked with creating individual and group projects, which are presented on the day of the event.

“They handle room reservations and most of the communication with all the organizations we invite—both on-campus and off-campus,” Wallin said.

Occurring annually since 2022, the event has evolved significantly over time. Aspects subject to change have been the venue and format, the initiative having developed from a sit-down panel in the Nobel Hall Wallenberg Auditorium to a larger, more decentralized and informal arrangement that generates “more engagement.”

Another variable is the sort of organizations that have been allowed to participate. In keeping with previous years, the event will include campus climate initiatives such as the Environmental Action Coalition, support services like the Chaplain’s Office and the Counseling Center, and student organizations. While external advocacy groups have been present throughout the course of Gustavus’ Climate Teach-ins, it was not until two years ago that event organizers began to “ramp up” invitations to the open-house style tabling fair, as Wallin put it. 

This year, there will be three of them: MN350, an activist group campaigning against “Big Oil”; Three Waters Pipeline Resistance Team, which focuses on stopping the construction of the Enbridge Mainline System; and C.O.P.A.L., a “member-based organization established in 2018 to improve the quality of life of Latine families.” They are all based in Minneapolis.

“In my Climate Justice course, we learned that marginalized groups—including many Latino communities—are disproportionately affected. It depends on where people live, proximity to landfills or factories, vulnerability to sea‑level rise, and broader systemic issues. Climate change also affects migration patterns, energy costs, and housing. It’s all interconnected,” Senior and Environmental Science and Geology Major Kaya De Bruijn explained.

Dr. Darsa Donelan, Physics professor and co-director of the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation, plans to host a table together with Scandinavian Studies Chair and Director of Comparative Literature Dr. Ursula Lindqvist. 

“I will talk about my research with the radio array at the bottom of campus near the Sjöström ILS House, and how we wanted something that not only does science but also honors the original stewards of this land, the Dakotan people. We painted it with Dakotan celestial imagery, planted native wildflowers, and made sure people know you can integrate scientific work with honoring the land,” Dr. Donelan said.

According to co-director Kari Wallin, roughly 30% of the event’s $1,000 operating budget comes from the contract that Dining Services has with Coca-Cola. The rest is funded by the Provost’s Office, of which her department is a division. The Georgia-based soft drink seller has been the subject of repeated activist scrutiny alleging “greenwashing.” In 2025, Coca-Cola scrapped a pledge to reach 25 percent reusable packaging by 2030.

“It’s an oxymoron that they send us money for sustainability, but Dining Services is locked into that contract. We’ve tried to push for more sustainable options, but until the contract ends, we don’t have many options,” Wallin said.

Dr. Donelan noted that there was a concerted effort to encourage “investment in the environment and divestment from problematic sources” before 2020, but that the ensuing global pandemic caused interest to fade.

“I understand the optics aren’t ideal. We want to ensure the money we use comes from the best possible sources, but we can’t do these projects without upfront funding. I wish I had the perfect answer. Many decisions are made beyond the Johnson Center and the sustainability interns. It would be great if Gustavus could divest from certain things in the future,” Dr. Donelan said.

De Bruijn expressed surprise upon hearing of Coca-Cola’s indirect role in financing the department’s operating budget.

“I wasn’t aware the grant came from Coca‑Cola. Ideally, it would align with our environmental goals, but sometimes you have to use what’s available to get things done. It’s above our pay grade, especially since we’re not involved in the financial decisions,” De Bruijn said.

“Ethical consumerism is difficult. It’s hard to avoid greenwashing and overconsumption. We try to make the most of what we can,” Senior Environmental Science and Biology Major Meg Balfanz remarked.

“We’ve had good turnout in the past. It would be fun to expand if possible, though time is limited. If we could add workshops or opportunities for people to make pledges about what they’ll do afterward, that would be great,” Dr. Donelan said. “We want students to be excited about the present and the future, and to leave thinking, ‘This is what I can do now, and this is what I’ll do next.’” 

In addition to worms-and-dirt desserts, attendees at the Climate Teach-in are offered the chance to win gift cards to the River Rock café, the Paddlefish Brewery, and the St. Peter Co-op grocery store.