One of the world’s largest Earth Charter conferences returns to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh the week of Oct. 5.

The summit is dedicated to the values and principles of creating a sustainable future for all the planet’s inhabitants.

The annual Earth Charter Community Summit will be held Oct. 5-8 and includes various activities on the UW Oshkosh campus.

Keynote speaker at the Earth Charter Banquet on Tuesday, Oct. 6, will be Paul Robbins, director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nelson guides the institute in serving as a world leader in addressing rapid global environmental change. The banquet begins with dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the program at 7 p.m. in the UW Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center Ballroom, 625 Pearl Ave.

Other events include a Poverty Simulation exercise with Erin Olson 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in Reeve Union, Room 306; Interfaith Panel Discussion on Climate Change 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Reeve Union Theater, Room 307; and Earth Charter International Webinar 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, in Reeve, Room 307.

The Summit has been taking place at UWO since 2001–and was the first institution in the state to sign the Earth Charter document. The Charter’s message advocates many important values that center around the promotion of respect, responsibility and compassion for the Earth and its many diverse communities.

The public is encouraged to be a part of the Earth Charter Community Summit. All events are free. The complete schedule of events can be found at uwosh.edu/go/earthcharter.