SUSTAIN brings regional trailblazers to Miami in 2026 conference

Miami University hosted the European American Chamber of Commerce (EACC) SUSTAIN 2026 conference on Thursday, April 10. The conference showcased Miami’s growing sustainability efforts while providing educational and networking opportunities for students, faculty and outside businesses.

EACC executive director Stacy Hanna said the group connects European and American business leaders, manufacturers and service providers. EACC also includes community partners such as Miami University.

Hanna said the SUSTAIN conference began years ago to address the sustainability challenges their members faced. She said with fluctuating oil and gas prices, this year’s conference focused on energy diversification.

Hanna said they chose Miami to host partly because of its cost-effective solar panel installation by Melink Solar, the presenting sponsor of the conference.

“It just seemed like a natural fit to be able to show off what Miami University is doing as a best practice in the region,” Hanna said. “[President Crawford] seemed like the perfect person to relay the benefits that Miami has seen from alternative energy sources.”

Miami’s director of sustainability Olivia Herron said EACC looked for a host who could demonstrate their strengths in sustainability for attendees. Crawford’s keynote speech showed these strengths through sustainability programs, rankings, partnerships and strategies.

The conference itinerary included presentations about the economics of sustainability, networking breaks, a panel discussion and tours of the Sharon and Graham Mitchell Sustainability Park and Western Geothermal Plant.

Crawford said sustainability at Miami relies on three key areas: Geothermal, steam pipes and solar panels. Crawford also said Miami’s leadership in sustainability wasn’t just because of these facilities, but because of Miami students.

“No matter what we do, we’re always asking the question ‘How can we be more sustainable?’ or ‘How can we lead in our sustainability efforts?’” Crawford said during his keynote speech.

Herron helped plan and coordinate SUSTAIN 2026. She said the sustainability department worked closely with other departments to ensure the event ran smoothly.

“Miami has conference and event services, so I’ve gotten to collaborate with those folks,” Herron said. “I’m just really lucky to have colleagues who do that all day.”

Herron said the conference expected around 100 attendees, including 84 registrants from Cincinnati businesses. She said the department also requested seats for graduate students studying environmental science.

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Student volunteers were given the opportunity to lead tours and explain different aspects of the Mitchell Sustainability Park and Western Geothermal Plant. Cassie Cannon, a sophomore public administration and sustainability student, was one of the tour guides at the park.

Cannon said she’s involved with Students for Sustainable Development, and has worked with Herron before on different sustainability initiatives. She was asked to help with the conference and immediately agreed.

“I’ve already seen so many students run across [the park],” Cannon said. “It’s doing good for the environment, and it’s a nice place for students to be around and incorporate renewable energy into their lives.”

Hanna said one thing that stuck out to her about the conference was seeing the increasing importance of sustainability for students. She said seeing students care gives her hope for the future.

The goals of this conference were to inform attendees about the benefits of energy diversification and help them grow their businesses, Hanna said. The EACC was appreciative of their sponsors, and wouldn’t be able to have conferences like this without them.

“It’s about developing relationships and leaning into the things that are most important to our members,” Hanna said.

feeta@miamioh.edu