St. Patrick's Day Sustainability Celebration
A St. Patrick’s Day ‘green’ celebration bringing together global universities and community partners to explore collaborative solutions to today’s sustainability challenges. Join us for a day-long celebration of workshops, door prizes, tours, panel discussions, and community perspectives.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
The George Washington University
Washington, D.C .
Register Today!
Afternoon Plenary: Universities and Communities Creating a Greener Future
1:15 p.m. - 6 p.m., 7th Floor, 1957 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20052
Universities as Catalysts for Sustainability
University leaders in sustainability from Ireland to the U.S. will discuss the successes and challenges encountered in greening their own campuses and the role of universities as community leaders to catalyze and support action by others. Featuring the George Washington University, Queen’s University Belfast, University College Cork, and UMass Lowell.
Solving a Complex Challenge: Turning Data Centers Green
The explosion of data centers has created a significant challenge for our communities, environment, and energy infrastructure. This panel will discuss data centers as examples of the challenges to a sustainable future, and how research and practice are working on greener solutions.
Creatively Green: Expressing Sustainability Through the Arts
Event Reception
Join us after the discussion for a reception featuring activities, door prizes, giveaways and local sustainable beverages and snacks.
Morning Activities
10 - 11:30 a.m., the George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (detailed locations for activities to follow)
Join us before the afternoon plenary session for guided tours, a singing sustainably workshop, and an interactive climate workshop. Please sign up for the morning activities when you register for the event here!
Museum Tour: Responsible Fashion
Led by Katrina Orsini
Source Material: Lessons in Responsible Fashion explores three strategies for addressing today’s fashion crisis: extending a garment’s longevity, promoting recycling and reuse, and embracing local materials. Drawing from The Textile Museum Collection, the exhibition highlights how cultures across time have cherished the resources needed to make textiles — mending or transforming old garments and sourcing fibers from the immediate environment. These historical examples are presented in conversation with
the work of contemporary designers who are reimagining responsible fashion today. The tour will be led by Katrina Orsini, who curated this exhibit and teaches Responsible Fashion.
The George
Washington University Museum | The Textile Museum
701 21st Street NW Washington D.C. Capacity
limited.
Singing to Sustain
Led by Dr John D’Arcy, Queen’s University Belfast
This workshop explores how collaborative vocalisation, song-making and improvisation can be used to understand, communicate and interrogate issues around environmental sustainability. The workshop introduces strategies for generating and curating content for musical interpretation - including lyric
writing, collaging found-text and archive as lyrics, using data and visual material to create melodies, and
musical games and process for collective improvisation. The activities are suitable for anyone with or
without musical experience. Participants may bring along their own sources, texts, data, or visuals that
they would like to use for the activity.
University Student Center
800 21st St NW
Washington D.C. Room
location to be announced.
Sustainable GW: Campus Tour
GW’s STARS Platinum ranking illustrates the depth of its commitment to building a healthy, efficient,
and inclusive university. The student-led tour showcases a few of GW’s many visible sustainability
features, choosing from among its 17 LEEDS certified buildings -- two platinum! -- two community
gardens, a solar-powered charging table for laptops and phones, rainwater recapture, green roofs, the first 24/7 composting drop-off bin in DC, and native plantings. Your guides will also share information
about our solar purchases, composting programs, free clothing exchange at the student-run Loop, and many other programs that make sustainability a way of life on this very urban campus. Tours typically last about 75 minutes.
GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future
2101 F Street NW Washington D.C.
What is the climate and energy future you want?
Led by Juliette Rooney-Varga
How can we get there? Join this interactive workshop to explore your favorite climate solutions. We’ll work together to propose and test real-world policy and technology solutions. We’ll use the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator to find out in real time how those solutions affect the world’s energy mix, energy costs and other economic factors, and projected global warming. En-ROADS is used by hundreds of thousands of people in 168 countries, including more than 130 members of the US Congress and thousands of leaders in government, business, and academia. No technical background is needed for this workshop – just curiosity and a willingness to wrestle with the tradeoffs and opportunities of real-world climate action.
Phillips Hall, Room 640 (Use H Street Entrance)
801 22nd St NW, Washington, D.C.
Featured Speakers
Donna M. Attanasio
Executive Director, The George Washington University Alliance for a Sustainable Future
Professorial Lecturer in Law
- About
Ms. Attanasio co-founded and now directs ASF. ASF supports and amplifies the sustainability work of GW’s schools, faculty, and students through convenings, communications, and fundraising; offers a cross-disciplinary undergraduate sustainability minor; and supports cross-disciplinary research through its Sustainability Research Institute.
Her writing and teaching focus on electric regulatory law, with emphasis on microgrids, hydrogen, advanced nuclear, and regulatory adaptation to emerging electric technologies. She previously served as GW Law’s first Assistant Dean for Energy Law. From 1988 to 2013, she practiced law in the private sector, lastly as a partner at White & Case. Education: Harvard Law, Smith College.
John D’Arcy
Lecturer in Digital Media
Queen’s University Belfast
- About
Dr. John D’Arcy is an artist-researcher based at the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. He works in live performance, installation, audio and video, and directs the vocal ensemble HIVE Choir. John also curates sound art events and exhibitions for Sonorities Festival Belfast. He is a board member of Digital Arts Studios Belfast and the Belfast Region Music Board, and was a member of the Steering Group for Belfast’s successful bid for UNESCO City of Music status. His recent projects explore how the arts can communicate science and sustainability, including environmental themes such as toxic algae in Lough Neagh, the mythology of the River Lagan, and urban community gardening.
Payman Dehghanian
Associate Professor and Director of GW SmartGrid Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The George Washington University
- About
Following his Ph.D. degree from Texas A&M University in 2017, Payman joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at George Washington University in 2018, where he is currently an Associate Professor. His research interests include electrical power systems reliability and resilience assessment, data-informed decision-making in power and energy systems, and smart electricity grid applications. His research portfolio includes research projects on power grid reliability and resilience supported with ~$7M by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), US Department of Energy (DOE), US Department of Defense (DOD), and a number of organizations and foundations. He was the recipient of the 2021 Early Career Award from the Washington Academy of Sciences and the 2022 George Washington University’s Early Career Researcher Award.
Brian Ó Gallachóir
Professor of Sustainability
Director of Sustainability Institute
Associate Vice President for Sustainability
University College Cork
- About
Brian Ó Gallachóir established energy systems modelling capacity in Ireland over the past 20 years and is a globally recognised leader in this field. Brian is currently the Chair of the International Energy Agency Technology Collaboration Programme on energy systems modelling. His research has underpinned Irish and EU energy and climate policies and energy company strategies. Brian's research also focuses on the societal aspects of the energy transition. He won the inaugural Irish Times Positive Impacts Award for Sustainability in 2024.
Andrea Limauro
Artist, City Planner, Climate Expert
Washington, D.C.
- About
Andrea Limauro is an Italian-born artist, city planner and climate resilience expert based in Washington, DC. His work bridges the gaps between art, policy, and advocacy, while examining climate change, colonial narratives and social justice themes. Andrea’s paintings, murals, sculptures and writings have appeared in the Washington Post and other publications. Currently, Andrea is a senior flood resilience planner for the District of Columbia and teaches about the intersection of climate, resilience and culture at Georgetown University. Andrea was the 2025 Georgetown Earth Commons Artist-in-Residence and the Washington Post Opinions Four Seasons Fellow.
Ruairi O'Mahony
Associate Vice Chancellor for Sustainability and Enterprise Development, Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy; UMass Lowell
Senior Advisor Climate, Energy and Sustainability, UMass Office of the President
- About
A native of Cork City, Ireland, Ruairi leads initiatives advancing climate, energy, sustainability, and economic development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Ruairi also serves as Senior Advisor for climate tech, energy, and sustainability at the University of Massachusetts President's Office. UMass is the third largest employer in Massachusetts and contributes over $8 billion annually to the innovation economy of Massachusetts. A graduate of University College Cork, he received UCC’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2024.
Katrina Orsini
Programs Associate for Academic Engagement, the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum
- About
Katrina Orsini is the programs associate for academic engagement at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. She is the curriculum designer for the Corcoran Textile and Dress Studies program and teaches courses including AMST 3950: The Social Lives of Textiles and SUST 2005: Responsible Fashion. Orsini is the curator of Source Material: Lessons in Responsible Fashion and has published on sustainability pedagogy in museums. She holds a bachelor’s from the University of Connecticut and a master’s from Parson School of Design. Orsini previously served as a Smithosian Fellow at Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum.
Renata Philippe
Lead Designer & Founder, Black Squirrel Company
- About
Renata Philippe is a practitioner focused on the intersection of industrial sustainability and brand anthropology. A veteran of the U.S. Army, she integrates disciplined leadership with creativity to advance circular economy principles. Renata holds a BS in Apparel Design from the University of Delaware, providing a technical foundation for her work in material sourcing and product design. As the founder of Black Squirrel Company, a sustainable manufacturer in Historic Anacostia, DC, she challenges traditional market paradigms by prioritizing stewardship over consumption.
David Rooney
Professor of Chemical Engineering and Dean for Internationalisation
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Queen’s University Belfast
- About
David Rooney is the academic director of the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy where his research focuses on multi-vector energy generation, materials and system integration. He has a H-Index of 57, over 10,000 citations and a grant portfolio of over £10m. He works with a wide range of industries and government bodies to advance energy resilience through specific projects as well as supporting collaboration and cooperation through diverse industrial clusters. He has been appointed by the Northern Ireland Economy Minister as a critical friend to the Department for the Economy in support of the regional economic mission.
Louise McElvanna
Senior Partnerships Manager
Queen’s University Belfast
- About
Louise McElvanna leads the development of Queen’s University Belfast’s strategic partnerships across North America. She works with academic teams and partner institutions to bring people together around shared priorities, supporting collaboration in research, student mobility, and joint initiatives.
Her role focuses on building trusted, deep-rooted relationships and connecting institutions whose goals and values naturally align. She is particularly interested in how thoughtful partnerships create the conditions for meaningful, long-term collaboration.
Juliette Rooney-Varga
Professor, Environmental Science, Director, Climate Change Initiative, Co-Director Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy; UMass Lowell
- About
Juliette Rooney-Varga directs the Climate Change Initiative, co-directs the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy, and is a professor of Environmental Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her current work focuses on translating climate change and sustainability science to support societal understanding and action. She uses dynamic modeling and interactive simulations to enable people to learn for themselves about the climate and energy systems. These simulations have been shown to motivate informed decision-making among students, citizens, and policymakers.
Mansi Talwar
Executive Director, Utilities, Energy and Engineering
The George Washington University
- About
Mansi Talwar leads George Washington University’s portfolio of energy strategy, environmental and energy compliance, sustainability, and utilities, where she focuses on advancing decarbonization, improving campus energy performance, and aligning infrastructure investments with long-term sustainability and resilience goals. She has been with GW for five years and previously managed commercial and institutional energy programs for Washington, DC through the DC Sustainable Energy Utility, bringing more than a decade of experience developing and implementing large-scale energy and utility initiatives. Mansi serves on the DC Green Building Advisory Council and the DC Sustainable Energy Advisory Board, contributing an owner’s and operator’s perspective to policy and regulatory discussions while helping drive practical, high-performance building and clean energy solutions.
Anya O’Connor
Head of International Partnerships, Queen’s University Belfast
- About
Anya O’Connor is Head of International Partnerships at Queen’s University Belfast, where she established and leads the university’s International Partnerships unit. Her team of 13 staff are responsible for developing strategic global collaborations that support international education, transnational programmes, student mobility and research engagement. Anya works closely with the university leadership at Queen’s to cultivate partnership models that create long-term institutional value and broaden international opportunities for students and staff.
Anya has been working with GW for over 10 years now and supported the establishment of the annual Global Bachelors semester abroad to Belfast. This programme sees a cohort of students from the Elliot School of International Affairs and the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences study ‘Conflict and Paths to Peace’ during an immersive semester at Queen’s. The programme exemplifies the kind of meaningful international collaboration that Anya seeks to foster through Queen’s global partnerships.
Lauren Onkey
Director, Corcoran School of the Arts & Design; Professor of Music, The George Washington University
- About
Lauren Onkey is the director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design and Professor of Music at the George Washington University. Dr. Onkey, a longtime educator, scholar, producer and museum professional, joined GW in July of 2021.
Onkey has extensive experience in presenting popular music history, in person and across digital platforms. She most recently served as senior director at NPR Music, where she led a team of journalists, critics and media makers in creating innovative cross-platform music journalism and outlets for music curation, such as Tiny Desk Concerts. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Education and Public Programming at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum from 2008-2015, developing and managing the museum's award-winning education and community programs. She was the executive producer of the museum's Annual Music Masters series and oversaw the Rock Hall's Library and Archives.
Onkey’s academic work includes serving as the inaugural Dean and Chair of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, where she created a program that provided civic engagement opportunities for students. Onkey spent fourteen years teaching literature and cultural studies at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, specializing in postcolonial literature and popular music studies. She is the author of Blackness and Transatlantic Irish Identity: Celtic Soul Brothers (Routledge 2009), an interdisciplinary study of the relationship between Irish and African-American heritage. Over the course of her career she has published many articles in literary studies, popular music studies, women's studies and pedagogy.
Frank Sesno
Founding Director, GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future; Director of Strategic Initiatives, School of Media & Public Affairs
- About
Frank Sesno loves stories. He's been telling them all his life. In high school, through his student newspaper. In college, on the radio. In his 21 years with CNN, through pictures, interviews, and documentaries. As CNN White House correspondent, anchor, and Washington Bureau Chief, Frank reported on events and people from around the world. He witnessed epic challenges and inspiring resilience. He told stories about threats to the planet along with scientific discoveries and breakthroughs driven by human ingenuity.
Frank is now the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the GW's School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) and the Founding Director of the GW Alliance for a Sustainable Future. Frank was SMPA's Director for 11 years, where he focused on the next generation of storytellers and on the future of journalism in a chaotic world. In 2009, during his tenure as director, he started Planet Forward to both launch the next generation of environmental storytellers and highlight ideas that can be transformative.
Frank's love for the world around us started before college, on horseback in the Colorado Rockies. He rode and camped. He experienced beauty and balance. Which is why today, amid all the challenges we face, Frank believes that the story of how we can move the planet forward is more compelling and more urgent than ever.