The SAIS Energy & Environment Club is excited for a new semester of panels, workshops, career-focused programs, and community events exploring today’s most important energy and environmental issues.
Our upcoming Fall 2026 events will be posted soon. Check back for updates and opportunities to get involved!
Oct 6 | 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Join SAIS IDev and E&E in room 657 for a screening of the film "The Grab," a documentary that examines the global struggle for control of food and water resources and the powerful interests shaping access to them. This will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with Dr. Erwin Villiger. Pizza, snacks, and drinks will be provided!
(Sign in to see the location)
Oct 12 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Join the SAIS South Asia Society, International Development Club, and Energy & Environment Club for “Farmers of Blue Smoke: Poetry at the Crossroads of Development and Climate Justice,” a book launch and conversation with author and international development practitioner Homraj Acharya and Ambassador Scott H. DeLisi, former U.S. Ambassador to Nepal and Executive Director of Engage Nepal. Drawing on Acharya’s ninth book, Farmers of Blue Smoke, the discussion will connect poetry with the lived experiences of communities in Nepal facing climate vulnerability, displacement, and the challenges of rebuilding after disaster. Our speakers will explore disaster risk reduction, the role of international assistance, and what recovery requires—from restoring agriculture and livelihoods to protecting access to education, housing, and health care. The conversation will also examine how storytelling can serve as a tool for diplomacy and advocacy, bringing community perspectives into debates about development and climate justice. Students will have the opportunity to consider how scholarship, public engagement, and action from Washington, D.C., can support communities in Nepal.
(Sign in to see the location)
Oct 28 | 1:00pm - 2:15pm
Join the SAIS Energy & Environment Club and Technology & Innovation Focus Area for a moderated lunchtime panel discussion exploring the technologies, infrastructure investments, and policy choices needed to meet AI’s growing energy demands. Artificial intelligence’s continued expansion depends on physical infrastructure—from data centers and computing equipment to electricity generation, transmission, and grid connections. This conversation will examine how utilities, technology companies, and policymakers can prepare for rapid and uncertain demand growth while maintaining grid reliability, affordability, and environmental performance. Topics will include energy efficiency, flexible computing demand, grid modernization, energy storage, and emerging power technologies, alongside the policies and coordination needed to put these solutions into practice. Our panel brings together Parag Nathaney, Principal Quantitative Engineer at Exelon; Steve Nadel, Senior Fellow and former Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy; and Kate Garman Burns, Director of State and Local Innovation at the Federation of American Scientists. Drawing on perspectives from the utility sector, energy efficiency research, and state and local policy, the speakers will consider how AI infrastructure can strengthen the electric grid while supporting U.S. technological competitiveness and delivering benefits to host communities. The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A. Lunch will be provided.
(Sign in to see the location)
