The first in-person symposium for members of The Climate Toolkit, presented by Phipps Conservatory and Duke Farms

OCT. 26 – 28, 2025 | PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS; PITTSBURGH, PA

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EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Tues., Sept. 23

Since 2020, The Climate Toolkit has served as a network to gather cultural institutions to share, mentor and learn how to address climate change within their institutions and inspire the communities they serve. This fall, the Toolkit is pleased to announce its inaugural in-person symposium, to be held at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. At this multi-day event, which kicks off the evening of Sun., Oct. 26 with an opening night soiree and runs through Tuesday afternoon, we seek to convene partner institutions from around the world, strengthen relationships, spark conversations and collaborations, and bond the network of the Climate Toolkit community towards achieving greater efforts in climate-aligned operations and impactful public engagement.

Keynote Speaker DAVID W. ORR

We are pleased to announce that David W. Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus at Oberlin College, and present Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, will deliver the Symposium keynote speech. He is the author of eight books, including Dangerous Years: Climate Change, the Long Emergency, and the Way Forward (Yale University Press, 2017) and co-editor or editor of five others including Democracy in a Hotter Time (MIT Press, 2023). He has been awarded nine honorary degrees and a dozen other awards including a Lyndhurst Prize, a National Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation, a “Visionary Leadership Award” from Second Nature, a National Leadership award from the U.S. Green Building Council, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Association for Environmental Education, the 2018 Leadership Award from the American Renewable Energy Institute, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Green Energy Ohio, and the John B. Cobb Common Good Award.

Learn more about the symposium using the links below.

Your $150 admission ticket ($200 after Sept. 23) includes full symposium admission and all food and beverages (buffet dinner on both evenings and breakfast, lunch and coffee service on both symposium days). The Climate Toolkit Symposium is immediately followed by the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Annual Conference, also in Pittsburgh – we encourage interested attendees to extend their stay and join both events.

Questions? Contact alampl@phipps.conservatory.org or 412-622-6915, ext. 6752

PRESENTED BY

About Phipps: Founded in 1893, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA is a globally recognized green leader with a mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse. Encompassing 15 acres including a historic 14-room glasshouse, 23 distinct indoor and outdoor gardens and industry-leading sustainable architecture and operations, Phipps attracts more than half a million visitors annually from around the world. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org.

About Duke Farms: Duke Farms is a living lab where we develop model strategies for nature restoration, wildlife conservation, and clean energy transition.  Located on 2,700 acres in Hillsborough, New Jersey, our campus is a gathering place for global decision-makers and local neighbors to spark change. Duke Farms is a center of the Doris Duke Foundation which strives to build a more creative, equitable, and sustainable future. Learn more at dukefarms.org.