ESWcon25

Designing Our Sustainable Future:
Circularity, Community, and Creativity

Our next annual conference will take place from March 27-30, 2025 at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Gold Tier

Bronze Tier & Student Scholarships

Design Challenge

Student Scholarships

Engineers for a Sustainable World’s Annual Conference (ESWcon) brings together the brightest minds in sustainability, design, and engineering to find solutions to the world's toughest environmental challenge.

Career and Opportunities Fair

Make Connections

ESWcon’s annual Career and Opportunities Fair boasts top organizations from the engineering, sustainability, and higher education sectors (and beyond!).

2025 Exhibitor List

Design Challenge

We believe in the power of doing.

We want to make the most of the fact that we will have some of the brightest minds in sustainability in the same room. That is why we host an annual Design Challenge and task our attendees with engineering solutions to big environmental problems. 

Each year, it’s a surprise up until the day of the event. In 2023, groups were challenged to address community-level recycling/sorting issues with plastics by:

  • Designing a more efficient sorting bin that incorporated elements of engineering, automation, and education to increase usability and educate users on recycling

  • Developing a proposal for community-wide adoption of these bins and presenting it before “a group of community decisionmakers”, aka our panel of HQ judges

Poster Session

Every year, we have opportunities for oral presentations and a poster showcase. At ESWcon23, four chapters highlighted their projects during the Poster Session, which covered chapter projects on everything from hydroponics to loaded biochar. Take a look at some of last year’s posters.

ESWcon25 Sustainability

We’re planting a tree for every conference attendee! If you attended ESWcon25, expect a gift certificate for your tree planting via email. See the impact of our forest below.

Other ways we’re implementing sustainability at this year’s conference include:

  • No agenda or unnecessary print-outs

  • Composting of 100% of food waste, local donations of 100% of uneaten food, and 100% reusable dishes for all 6 meals

  • Sustainably-made sponsored merch from FairWare, including:

    • Tote bags: made from 100% recycled 210d polyester made from water bottles.

    • Through a partnership with 1% For The Planet, one percent of sales of our tote bag and lanyard purchases will be donated to nonprofits dedicated to protecting the planet.

  • & more!