The 2026 Environmental Conference will address:
What can and should we do as an Island community in rising seas?
Sunday, March 29, 2026, 1 – 4pm
at IslandWood
Registration is now live at this link!
The Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference (BIEC) inspires participants to become educated and take individual and collective action around environmental issues vital for Bainbridge Island.
The conference is an annual collaborative effort of multiple community organizations. BIEC brings local experts across a range of topics addressing the environment and sustainability into conversation with community members to increase learning and knowledge sharing across the community, energizing and encouraging action(s) to take as a follow up to conference participation. Additionally, BIEC aims to provide new perspectives and solutions to environmental issues facing the Puget Sound region.
This year’s Bainbridge Environmental Conference: Rising Seas will bring participants into learning and conversation about the science and impacts of sea level rise, and how we as an Island and Puget Sound community can and should respond. The conference will include:
- talks on the science of sea level rise and its impacts
- tabling by local environmental organizations with additional resources and opportunities for conversation
- multiple breakout sessions where participants can take deeper dives into several aspects of this topic including:
- visualization and art;
- local and regional government planning for sea level rise;
- addressing sea level rise impacts on recreation and shoreline access;
- ecosystem impacts and solutions for helping our non-human friends adjust and respond to changing sea levels;
- and more!
There are also two optional Saturday field trips before the conference where participants can learn about shoreline landowners addressing coastal protection, and learn about how our Parks department is approaching sea level rise impacts on parks resources and accessibility.
You can also take a DIY field trip to visit sites around the Island that are/will be affected by rising sea levels. Get your copy here!
Also new this year: an optional add-0n for lunch before the conference made by the amazing IslandWood kitchen!
You can register for the conference and optional add-ons here or at the link above. We look forward to seeing you!
Our Steering Committee
The Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference is a joint project of Sustainable Bainbridge, EcoAdapt, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, IslandWood, and the Bainbridge Parks & Trails Foundation. This group sets the annual theme and shares the responsibilities of planning and coordinating the conference. We welcome your ideas for topics for future environmental conferences. Please contact us if you have ideas or suggestions!