HBCU CLIMATE VENTURES-Mecca Moves: Climate Leadership for an Inclusive World

The Mecca Does Not React to the Future. It Designs It.

On Earth Day, HBCU Climate Ventures in partnership With Howard University convenes students, scholars, policymakers, technologists, investors, creatives, and community leaders for a bold, interdisciplinary climate leadership summit rooted in justice, innovation, and systems change.

🔹Speaker, Vendor, and Sponsor Participation Form: https://www.hbcuclimateventures.com/participate

🔹Our Agenda: www.hbcuclimateventures.com/schedule

Mecca Moves is a one-day climate and systems leadership symposium that furthers Howard University's, The Mecca as a national and global convener at the intersection of:

• Climate Justice

• Infrastructure & Urban Resilience

• Energy Equity

• AI & Climate Tech

• Capital & the Climate Economy

• Circular Economies & Regenerative Design

• Media, Culture & Narrative Power

Hosted in partnership with the Howard University Water and Environment Association and aligned with Earth Day and DC Climate Week, this convening activates the extended HBCU ecosystem and the African Diaspora to design community-rooted solutions for a rapidly shifting world.

Why This Matters

Climate change is not just environmental, it is economic, technological, geopolitical, and cultural.

Black communities globally are disproportionately impacted by:

• Energy burden

• Water insecurity

• Infrastructure failure

• Climate capital gaps

• Waste colonialism

• Narrative exclusion

This summit moves beyond awareness.

It is about institutional power, career pipelines, research visibility, and system redesign.

What to Expect | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sustainable Innovation Exhibition & Career Activation

• Climate ventures marketplace

• Student research showcases

• Corporate sustainability recruitment tables

• Graduate & fellowship engagement

• Community partner booths

Executive Keynotes & Institutional Leadership Dialogue

Centering Howard’s role in infrastructure modernization, environmental equity reform, and global climate systems leadership.

Five High-Impact Panels

Energy Equity & Grid Justice

Powering inclusive renewable transitions.

Water, Infrastructure & Urban Climate Resilience

Modernizing aging systems in historically marginalized communities.

Capital, Policy & the Climate Economy

Who controls climate capital and how do we democratize it?

Culture, Media & Climate Narrative Power

Shifting the global story of climate leadership.

Circular Economies & Textile Waste Justice

Reimagining material systems and regenerative design.

The Mecca Climate Innovators Circle

A culminating student dialogue spotlighting bold climate solutions across:

• AI + Sustainability

• Infrastructure modernization

• Climate tech ventures

• Community data systems

• Regenerative fashion models

Extended HBCU Ecosystem Engagement

Students from the following institutions are invited to attend:

• University of the District of Columbia

• Bowie State University

• Morgan State University

• University of Maryland Eastern Shore

• Virginia State University

We are also strategically aligned with major DC Climate Week convenings, expanding networking and impact pathways across the region.

Who Should Attend

• Students exploring climate, tech, infrastructure, finance, media, or policy careers

• Researchers and faculty

• Corporate sustainability leaders

• Climate tech founders and investors

• Policymakers and federal agencies

• Designers and cultural strategists

• Diaspora-focused organizations

If you are building, funding, researching, governing, or redesigning systems, this room is for you.

DC Climate Week is not responsible for this event. It is organized by the organizing group, and being listed on the DCCW calendar is not an endorsement of content or partners.