2026 Summit Highlights

We support all renewable energy options — including solar, offshore wind, battery storage (BESS), and more — for a clean, reliable, and just energy future for Long Island.

2026 Long Island Youth Climate Summit Highlights 🌎⚡

Our 2nd Annual Long Island Youth Climate Summit

On March 10, 2026, Students for Climate Action (S4CA) and Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI) proudly hosted the 2nd Annual Long Island Youth Climate Summit (LIYCS) at Stony Brook University. The summit brought together over 230 high school students from 13 schools across Nassau and Suffolk counties for a full day dedicated to learning, collaboration, and climate action.

Keynote Sessions

Session 1: Activism in a World of Misinformation
Speaker: Adrienne Esposito, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Adrienne holds a degree in Geology and Environmental Science. She is a co-founder and Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment and leads diverse environmental and public health campaigns including protection of drinking and surface water, remediation of plumes, stewardship of land and water, support for large scale renewable energy projects, fighting plastic pollution and more. Adrienne has been a significant part of the public education process that has propelled public commitment to clean water, clean air and public health protection. She is widely considered an expert on environmental protection issues and has received national, state and local awards.

Session 2: How to Overcome Climate Anxiety
Keynote Speaker: Heather White is the founder of OneGreenThing.org and author of Eco-Anxiety: Saving Our Sanity, Our Kids & Our Future (HarperCollins 2024), 60 Days to a Greener Life (HarperCollins 2024) and One Green Thing (HarperCollins 2022). Heather directed environmental education advocacy at the nation's largest conservation organization, served as executive director to an environmental health watchdog in Washington, DC, and led the nonprofit partner to Yellowstone National Park as President and CEO. Heather worked on Capitol Hill as energy and environment legislative counsel to U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) and a presidential campaign staffer and recount attorney to Vice President Al Gore. She has served as adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Tennessee College of Law. Heather graduated with a J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee College of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar. She's a frequent spokesperson in the national media on environmental issues and has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, PBS, ABC, NBC News, and quoted in the New York Times, The Guardian, and Teen Vogue.

This session included a keynote presentation, interactive breakout discussions, and a fireside chat focused on addressing climate anxiety and empowering students to take meaningful action.

Session 3: Local Climate Policy
Speaker: Edward P. Romaine began his term as Suffolk County Executive on January 1, 2024. Mr. Romaine began his career as a history teacher in the Hauppauge School District, where he taught for 10 years. In 1980, he entered public service as the Town of Brookhaven’s first Commissioner of Housing and Community Development and was later appointed Director of Economic Development. He served as a member of the Suffolk County Legislature, from 1986 through 1989, when he was elected as county clerk, remaining in that office until returning to the Legislature in 2005. Before being elected County Executive, he served as Brookhaven Town Supervisor for 12 years. Ed Romaine earned a B.A. in History from Adelphi University and an M.A. in History from Long Island University. He resides in Center Moriches, New York with his wife, Diane