Expand your horizons with our Conservation Café series. Join us to discuss science, nature, policy, journalism, art, spirituality, justice, and so much more as we explore all the ways that people work towards conservation and environmental protection. Meet and learn from inspiring speakers and ask them questions live.
Cafés are held Jan–June and Sep–Nov. Programs typically are held 7-8:30 pm and may be in person or via Zoom. Check events for details.
Although Conservation Cafés are free, please consider donating to support Nature Forward’s Conservation advocacy, outreach, and education work! You can give any amount by clicking here.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 @ 7pm-8:30pm
FREE online on Zoom
Data Centers, Discharge, & Accountability: A Georgia Case Study
Join Nature Forward and AI expert Masheika Allgood for a timely webinar on how data centers affect the health of our local water systems. While data center conversations have focused on the staggering amounts of water that go into the facilities, there hasn’t been a study on how the water that is discharged from these facilities impacts overall water system health—until now. Ms. Allgood will share findings from her case study research in Atlanta, GA, revealing what pollutants show up in wastewater discharged from data centers and what those results mean for surrounding communities. You’ll learn practical ways to advocate for stronger protections for our water and the people who rely on it.
Thursday, September 10, 2026 @ 7pm-8:30pm
FREE online on Zoom
Join Nature Forward and Dr. Jayson Maurice Porter for a conversation about The CEDAR Gallery, a faculty and student-led environmental gallery at University of Maryland that centers ecologies, diasporas, and ancestral roots. The CEDAR Gallery creates spaces for students to reckon with anxieties that come with learning about the state of our planet and its environmental inequalities and process feelings about how the climate crisis negatively impacts daily life. Through on-site exhibits, events, and a digital gallery, the CEDAR Gallery seeks in part to provide students with the space, tools, and experiences to combat climate anxiety.
Dr. Porter will be joined by Khushi Desai (they/them), a student contributor to the CEDAR Gallery.
Registration fees, or donations for free Cafes, go to support our Nature Forward Conservation Program! If recorded, registrants will receive a link to the recording within a few days of the talk; it will later be made available to the public through the “Watch past Cafes” link on this page.