The Sun Valley Summit at Climate Week NYC: 2026
During Climate Week NYC, the Sun Valley Summit brought together community members, partners, and new collaborators across a series of gatherings focused on food systems, ocean health, youth leadership, and women working across climate and conservation. From celebrating 11 years of the Sun Valley community to convening youth climate leaders and funders, the week offered opportunities to reconnect, share ideas, and build new relationships. Here’s where we connected throughout the week:
The NAT GALA: Water is Life
The Sun Valley Summit is now a Creative Collaborator to THE NAT and Aimée Christensen is a member of its Mothership group of women nature leaders. We joined their Water Is Life gala on the opening night of Climate Week NYC, an immersive evening bringing together leaders across nature, culture, and conservation through performances, storytelling, and a focus on protecting water and the natural world. It’s a reminder that working for the planet can also be joyful! Read our full event recap here.
Fields of Connection with the Black Farmer Fund and Earthseed Farm
Sun Valley partnered with Black Farmer Fund and Earthseed Farm to host a Climate Week happy hour honoring Black agriculture. The evening brought together farmers, food-systems leaders, and land justice advocates to celebrate the legacy and future of Black farming, continuing a conversation that began in Sun Valley last June with Olivia Watkins and Pandora Thomas.
The Living Table: With Lonely Whale, Fed by Blue, and PlanetHAUS
On Monday of Climate week, we co-hosted the Living Table: Oceans Edition with Lonely Whale, Fed by Blue and PlanetHAUS. We are immensely proud of our Living Table co-founders Food + Planet and Genus to help bring together a powerful evening connecting what is on our table with the goals of the work we do each day. This intimate dinner brought together 100 leaders across food, ocean conservation, and sustainability to explore the connection between what’s on our plates and the ocean ecosystems we are collectively working to protect.
The Sun Valley Reunion & Celebration at Green Jobs Board Pavilion
Together, we celebrated the past 11 years of our community along with prospective community members for an evening of reconnection, networking, and celebration. The event also introduced the Youth Fellowship and year-round Community Partnership model. Watch the event recap on our Sun Valley Summit youtube - which also features recordings from more than a decade of conversations and insights.
Clinton Global Initiative
Aimée joined the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting where she served as CGI’s founding Deputy Chair for Energy and Climate Change, connecting with leaders working to advance commitments and solutions to global challenges and rolling up her sleeves in the Climate Change working session. During a private breakfast on Women, Climate Change and Security with Secretary Clinton, Aimée shared how women build relationships, find win-win ways to collaborate, and pull each other through. It is the trust and relationships that allow us to go farther, faster, together
Scientista x Sun Valley Michelin Star Dinner at Kebab Aur Sharab
Sun Valley partnered with Scientista to host an intimate dinner celebrating women working across science, policy, climate, and storytelling. Hosted by Aimée Christensen, Dr. Sweta Chakraborty, and Monica Medina, the evening featured a menu curated by Michelin-starred chef Salil Mehta and conversations about shared goals and opportunities for collaboration. Listen to Aimée's Scientista podcast: "It Took a Blackout: Aimée Christensen on Building Resilience at Home" .
Youth Investor Brunch: A New Era of Collaboration
Sun Valley partnered with Green Jobs Board, Earth Guardians, Earth Era Institute, and BBMG to convene youth climate leaders and funders for a working session focused on strengthening intergenerational relationships and mobilizing resources for youth-led climate solutions.
Right now, less than 1% of global social impact funding goes to youth-led climate solutions. At the same time, Gen Z is one of the largest and most influential generations, shaping politics, the economy, and culture every day. In addition, investing in youth provides a powerful return on investment (ROI). BBMG research shows that more than 65% of Gen Z feels deeply concerned about nature, but growing numbers are becoming inactive or indifferent. Youth are active, strategic, and powerful, but need the resources to support them. Young leaders will also be in the movement for decades, providing a long term return for decades to come.
The Nature Summit
The United Nations hosted The Nature Summit where leaders from several countries led critical work across two fronts: first, the initiation of the process toward a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Nature, and second, to progress efforts by governments and international accounting bodies to value nature on government balance sheets. Both of these tools - law and finance - must be aligned to right the centuries of wrongs from a system where nature is not valued nor does it have legal power of its own, and the result is a climate in crisis and seven of 9 planetary boundaries breached. The Summit is an important milestone, and the governments driving both of these efforts deserve support and partnership. Learn more here.
Thank you, Climate Week NYC!
The Sun Valley Summit will continue to be built collaboratively with our participants, partners, and speakers. Thank you to our community and collaborators who joined us throughout Climate Week NYC. We’re grateful to everyone who helped make these gatherings possible.
Stay involved with us!
Visit our youtube, which features session recordings from more than a decade of conversations and insights.
Become a Year-Round Community Partner
Attend the Sun Valley Summit June 13-17, 2027 and explore our Event-ONLY Partnership opportunities.
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