Community Gathering

Assembly Now! CUNY & The Climate Democracy We Need

Tue, Sep 22, 2026

4:00 PM–6:00 PM

Hemmerdinger, East Building, Screening Room 706, Hunter College.

Student leaders present waste solutions to the Hunter administration on August 24 as part of the The CUNY Climate Assembly Project on Waste at Hunter College (CCAP).

Curious about climate assemblies? Join us during Climate Week NYC to celebrate the CUNY Climate Assembly Project on Waste at Hunter College (CCAP)!

In spring 2026, The Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College made history, convening the first university climate assembly in the US. CCAP gathered a group of 43 Hunter College and 14 CUNY Graduate Center students for nine sessions over three months to assess and improve waste management strategies on campus. Through this process, they built community, gained democratic experience, and honed their collective vision toward the common good.

A climate assembly brings together a randomly selected, demographically representative group of participants to study all sides of a pressing environmental problem, deliberate on possible solutions, and develop policy recommendations. The model broadens mass engagement, deepens public understanding of the assembly topic, and removes barriers to civic participation and decision-making. While assemblies generate creative solutions and community engagement from the ground up, their full impact ultimately depends on how institutions respond to the recommendations.

Come learn about CCAP and its impact directly from Student Assembly Delegates, Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center Leadership, and experts in diverse sectors reimagining democracy, sustainability, and the humanities as key tools for social flourishing in the age of climate change. Students will reflect on the democratic process, share assembly’s recommendations for sustainable waste strategies at Hunter, and chart the path ahead.

After the event, please join us for a reception in the Leubsdorf Gallery (West Building) to mingle and view the current exhibition Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Injustice .

Speakers:

Nancy Cantor

President of Hunter College

Joshua C. Brumberg

President of the CUNY Graduate Center

Gianpaolo Baiocchi

Professor, NYU

Kelli Stephens

Sustainability and Energy Specialist at Hunter College, CCAP Administration Lead

Kendra Sullivan

NYC CJH Co-Director, CUNY

Annie Stoeth

CCAP Climate Democracy Fellow

Hunter College Student Assembly Delegates and CUNY Graduate Center Small Group Facilitators (TBD).

Learn more about how students and administration are preparing to turn their ideas into action: “Student -Led Waste Assembly Recommends New Ways for Hunter To Go Greener“

“The assembly is a proof of concept: With enough time for deliberation, space for learning, and support for the implementation process, students can enjoy the social, environmental, and educational benefits of democratic engagement as part of their college experience.” –Kendra Sullivan, Director of the Center for the Humanities