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Emory’s 17th annual Green Networking Night helps students find their own sustainable future

Between the picaresque view of Lake Clara Meer and the stunning Midtown Atlanta skyline, Emory hosted its annual Green Networking Night earlier this month. For the past 17 years, this longstanding Emory tradition has connected students interested in careers in environmentally related fields with Emory alumni and Atlanta-area professionals who have real-world experience to share.

Building on Emory’s strategic pillar, “Emory + Atlanta: Rich History, Shared Future” Green Networking Night was hosted off campus for the first time to help introduce students to Atlanta’s engaging urban landscape. In keeping with the theme of the event, Green Networking Night was hosted at one of Atlanta’s greenest landmarks, Piedmont Park.

As guests arrived, they were greeted by the host committee, comprised of alumni Abbey Patterson, Shan Arora, David Nifong, Saneika Thomas and Kendra Ding. The evening kicked off with warm and welcoming remarks from members of the organizing committee, helping students orient themselves to the event’s purpose and the diverse professions they could learn from. In true Green Networking Night fashion, alumni and professionals sported colorful bandanas — each hue signaling their area of expertise within the vast world of sustainability.

Keynote speakers Nifong and Thomas shared their experiences in the sustainability industry and inspired students to think bigger and bolder about what sustainability can truly mean.

The event was designed to exemplify sustainability from beginning to end. Since it was hosted off campus, students traveled by shuttle to reduce car trips and carbon emissions. Green Networking Night was also a certified gold-level sustainable event at a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified venue. The event minimized waste by digitizing and recycling materials, including professional directories and name tags. The menu was all vegetarian, offering low-carbon hors d’oeuvres for attendees, and all cutlery and flatware were compostable and brought back to campus for proper processing.

Sponsored by the Pathways Center, Emory Alumni Association, the Department of Environmental Sciences, the Goizueta Business and Society Institute, the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health and the Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI), this year’s Green Networking Night attracted approximately 76 undergraduate and graduate students, along with 48 alumni and professionals.

“Green Networking Night was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the various industries and opportunities falling under the umbrella of sustainability. The fact that it was Emory alumni made learning and talking about career opportunities much friendlier and more casual while remaining informative,” says Mac Fabens, a junior at Emory College. “Green Networking Night was a great low-stakes way to learn about opportunities and what a future career path might look like! Not to mention the food was delicious.”

Alum Kelsey Adams shared, “I have been attending Green Networking Night since it helped me secure my first job back in 2018, and I love the opportunity to connect with students who are so passionate about pursuing a career in sustainability. I have hired people I met at Green Networking Night, and it is so fulfilling to see these students flourish and bring sustainability to so many different industries.” 

To conclude this night of connection, inspiration and impactful conversations, attendees received a basil plant, grown by Erik Edwards, Emory’s Educational Garden project manager, as a token of appreciation for filling out a post-event survey. Emory University extends its gratitude to all participants and looks forward to hosting the 18th annual Green Networking Night next year, promising another enlightening and sustainable gathering.


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