Submission Deadline: January 9, 2023

You are invited to propose a session or presentation for the 2023 Michigan Environmental Justice Conference, hosted by the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate in the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy June 21-22, 2023 at the University of Detroit-Mercy campus in Detroit, Michigan.

The goal of this 2-day, in-person conference is to convene conversations, explore actions, present research and continue progress toward achieving environmental justice in Michigan.  The conference is intended for anyone interested in environmental justice, including:
  • front-line communities
  • business and industry
  • labor
  • local, tribal, state, and federal government
  • policy makers
  • public health practitioners
  • academic and community-based researchers
  • community and environmental organizations
  • environmental justice and community advocates
The 2023 Michigan Environmental Justice Conference will build upon the inaugural 2021 Michigan Environmental Justice Conference, which focused on Rebuilding Trust, Reimagining Justice, and Removing Barriers.  The 2023 conference will focus on the theme of Advancing Environmental Justice: Working Together Toward Progress. To this end, we invite proposals for sessions and presentations that will explore the following themes:

THEMES
  • Priorities/Initiatives:  Environmental justice priorities/initiatives at community, local, state, tribal, and federal levels
  • Success Stories/Case Studies:  Environmental justice success stories or case studies
  • Collaboration and Partnerships:  Innovative collaborations or partnerships, including those that are community-based or connect with industry and/or local government
  • Policy, Funding, and Action: Emerging opportunities in policy, funding, and action
  • Research, Data, Tools, or Technology: Research, data, tools, or technology to further advance environmental justice
Session Proposal Submission Guidelines
Each proposal must include the following:
  • Session Type
  • Theme 
  • Title - Limited to 12 words.
  • Summary or Abstract -  Limited to 300 words
  • Presenter Biography -  Limited to 150 words for each individual
 
Submission Deadline: Monday, January 9, 11:59 PM
Submitters of accepted proposals will be notified by February 10, 2023.  Presenters of accepted abstracts will receive a complimentary registration.
SESSION TYPES:
Workshop: Interactive educational session presented by an individual or group with the goal of developing specific participant skills.  Examples include training in the use of a particular EJ tool,  creating a particular type of EJ-related plan for an organization, or how to access a specific type of EJ resource like funding or a program, etc. Workshops should be at least 2 hours (including one 10-minute break), and not more than 4 hours (including two 10-minute breaks). Proposal must describe the specific skills that participants will gain.

Seminar: Spoken presentation - with or without slides - with time reserved for answering audience questions (as handled by a session moderator). Seminars should be approximately 45 minutes in length.  Longer presentations should be submitted as two separate presentations of equal length (e.g., Part 1 and Part 2).  Proposed shorter presentations may be combined to fill a single combined seminar session.

Panel: Presentations by a collection of individuals, typically with a moderator directing a sequence of questions to each presenter or to the group of presenters, with time reserved for answering audience questions (as handled by the moderator). Panels should be at least 30 minutes and not more than 45 minutes, in length.

Posters: Presentation that supports the content of a visual presentation.  Posters will be on display and accompanied by their presenters at the same time.  Poster or visual presentation dimensions should be no more than 48 inches long and 36 inches wide.  Presenters should prepare a 2-3 minute summary of or introduction to their poster or visual presentation that they can share to open conversations with audience members.

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