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A Blueprint for Innovation, Investment, and Impact
June 15-18, 2026
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Sun Valley, Idaho
Welcome
The 2026 Sun Valley Forum is more than a convening.
In the midst of five mountain ranges, it is an invitation to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature with others dedicated to shaping a better future for our world.
Across four days at the historic Sun Valley Resort, the Forum unites storytellers, scientists, investors, Indigenous leaders, policy shapers, philanthropists, and youth advocates to explore humanity’s most urgent frontiers. Here, we reclaim the climate narrative for a fractured world, showing how nature’s intelligence supplies the solutions for people, communities and the planet.
We connect planetary systems to human health, tracking how the air, water, food, and energy systems we depend on determine who thrives and who bears the cost. The 2026 Sun Valley Forum will champion regenerative economic systems and circular business models that restore ecosystems and communities, aligning markets with what we truly value: the enduring strength and security of nature.
In a time when we are hungry for truth, connection, and progress that advances the well-being of people and the planet, we invite leaders to step into a living ecosystem of ideas where knowledge deepens, imagination becomes action, connections deliver results, and solutions are scaled.
Join us and experience what's possible for a better world.
2026 Featured Speakers
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Elizabeth Gray
CEO and Ex-Officio Board Director, National Audubon Society
Dr. Elizabeth Gray is Chief Executive Officer of the National Audubon Society, where she leads the organization’s mission to ensure a future where birds and the ecosystems they depend on thrive. She joined Audubon in 2021 as President and Chief Conservation Officer and was named CEO later that year, becoming the first woman to lead the organization since its founding in 1905. A conservation scientist and ornithologist with more than 30 years of experience, she previously served as Global Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Climate Change program. Gray holds a PhD in ecology from the University of Washington and an AB with highest honors in psychology from Harvard University.
Joel R. Johnson
President and CEO, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Joel R. Johnson is an award-winning conservation leader and strategist who most recently served as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, advancing solutions to the global biodiversity crisis, including the Half-Earth vision. He previously co-founded Admirable Devil, an award-winning marketing firm whose clients included Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, The Orvis Company, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Earlier, he was Chief Marketing Officer at Trout Unlimited and Senior Vice President of Strategy at GMMB. Joel has also led brand strategy at agencies in Chicago, New York, and London, including Spike Lee’s Spike DDB, creating campaigns for the NBA, Pepsi, and MLB.
Amber Valletta
Founder, Beaux Beauty Inc., UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, Model and Actress
Fashion industry icon, acclaimed actor, entrepreneur, and environmental activist. Valletta was among the first to champion ethical and environmentally responsible practices in the industry. She founded the platform Master & Muse to promote responsibly made fashion and co-founded A Squared Films LLC, producing projects centered on social and environmental progress. She has collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld on sustainable capsule collections, served as British Vogue’s first Contributing Sustainability Editor, and worked as a Sustainability Mentor for the CFDA. Currently, she is the Sustainability Ambassador for the Fashion Institute of Technology, helping shape the future of fashion through education and advocacy.
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Wawa Gatheru
Founder and Executive Director, Black Girl Environmentalist
Wawa Gatheru is a Kenyan-American climate activist and the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Environmentalist, a national organization addressing pathways into the climate sector for Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people. Under her leadership, the organization has partnered with more than 80 institutions and hosted over 100 events across 15 cities. Wawa is a Rhodes Scholar and the first person to receive the Rhodes, Truman, and Udall scholarships. She serves on multiple national environmental boards and advisory councils.
David Gruber
President and Founder, Project CETI and National Geographic Explorer
David Gruber is the Founder and President of Project CETI, the Cetacean Translation Initiative, the world’s largest interdisciplinary effort focused on understanding sperm whale communication. He is a Distinguished Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at the City University of New York and a National Geographic Explorer. His research spans marine biology, animal communication, climate science, microbiology, and technology. David collaborates with the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory to develop gentle underwater robotics and is a recipient of the Lagrange Prize in complex systems science.
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Dana Gunders
President, ReFED
Dana Gunders is a national expert on food waste, deemed “the woman who helped start the waste-free movement” by Consumer Reports. Her landmark 2012 report Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill sparked a national dialogue on the issue. She has since helped drive solutions across industry, policy, and households through research, testimony before Congress, and her book Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook. Dana has spoken widely, including at the TED Dilemma Series, and her work has been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Time, and PBS Newshour.
Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl
President and CEO, National Forest Foundation
Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl is President and CEO of the National Forest Foundation, the official national nonprofit partner of the U.S. Forest Service. He leads the organization’s work to support wildfire resilience, land and watershed restoration, and recreation for all across America’s 193-million acres of National Forests and Grasslands. With nearly three decades of leadership in the nonprofit and private sectors, Dieter previously held roles at the National Park Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association, American Museum of Natural History, and San Diego Museum of Art, and began his career at Bank Austria Creditanstalt. Originally from Austria, Dieter holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Brandeis University.
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Kristy Drutman
Founder, Green Jobs Board
Kristy Drutman, known as Browngirl Green, is a speaker, consultant, media producer, and environmental educator focused on the intersection of media, diversity, and environmentalism. As a young entrepreneur, she has reached hundreds of thousands of people worldwide through speeches, digital media, and workshops on environmental storytelling at universities and in cities across the United States. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, The Nation, The Guardian, and Newsweek. Kristy is a Grist 50 Fixer, Create & Cultivate 100 honoree, and Bloomberg Green Champion. She also co-founded Green Jobs Board, a climate tech startup expanding equitable pathways into careers in the environmental sector.
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David Livingston
Chief Strategy Officer, Galvanize
David Livingston is an energy transition strategist working at the intersection of technology, markets, and geopolitics. Before joining Galvanize, he served in two U.S. Presidential administrations: as senior advisor to John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, in the Biden-Harris administration, and as the inaugural Robert S. Strauss Fellow for Geoeconomics at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the Obama-Biden administration. He is USC’s inaugural Innovation & Sustainability Fellow and advises Eni Next and Novo Nordisk. He previously worked at Eurasia Group and helped build programs at Atlantic Council and Carnegie.
Lila Preston
Partner, Generation Investment Management
Lila joined Generation in 2004 and is the Head of the Growth Equity Strategy. Prior to joining Generation, Lila was a Director of Finance & Development at VolunteerMatch. Previously, she was a Fulbright Fellow in Southern Chile where she worked on community-based forestry and conservation projects. Lila currently serves as a Board Observer at Pivot Bio, Nature’s Fynd, CiBO Technologies, and Optoro. She is on the Board of Advisors at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Lila received a BA in English Language and Literature from Stanford University and an MBA from London Business School.
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Founder, QueerBrownVegan
Founder, QueerBrownVegan
Isaias Hernandez is an environmental educator, writer, and content creator dedicated to advancing environmental literacy through storytelling, media, and public engagement. Known as Queer Brown Vegan, the independent platform he founded, Hernandez shares intersectional environmental education with a global audience. He created and produced the climate education web series Teaching Climate Together, collaborating with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to make environmental topics accessible. His debut book, Dear Environmentalist: Why Ecological Wealth Is Our Only Way Forward, will be published by Timber Press in April 2027. Hernandez has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, and The Guardian, and serves on the advisory board for Yale Climate Connections.
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Philippe Cousteau
Co-Founder and CEO
EarthEcho International
Inspired by the legacy of his grandfather Jacques Cousteau and his father Philippe Sr. Philippe Cousteau has built his career around protecting and restoring our Ocean. He is a globally recognized business leader, filmmaker, and ocean innovator. He co-founded Voyacy, including Voyacy Regen, which pioneers commercial-scale coral reef restoration, and SeaVoir, a vegan, algae-based Omega-3 brand. Through Voyacy Media, he hosts and executive produces the multi-Emmy nominated series Awesome Planet and has led programs for CNN, Discovery, and the BBC. In 2005, he founded EarthEcho International, activating more than 2 million youth in 146 countries.
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Olivia Watkins
Co-Founder and President, Black Farmer Fund
Olivia Watkins (she/her) is Co-Founder and President of Black Farmer Fund, a community-governed investment fund supporting Black farmers and food businesses across the Northeast. She serves on the Board of Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT and is co-recipient of the 2023 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award. Olivia's work focuses on creating equitable access to capital and land for farmers and food businesses building regenerative food systems.
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Vijay Vaitheeswaran
Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor, The Economist
Vijay is the global energy and climate innovation editor at The Economist, where he has led award-winning reporting and produced numerous cover stories. A former US business editor based in New York, he also opened the magazine’s Shanghai and Mexico City bureaus and previously covered biotechnology, healthcare and global innovation. He is the author of three widely acclaimed books, praised by The New Yorker and shortlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year. A frequent commentator and public speaker, Vijay advises the World Economic Forum, chairs The Economist’s sustainability summits, and is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Emmy Scott
Executive Director, Earth Guardians
Emmy (she/they/ze) is a biracial queer activist, educator, and creative who serves as the youngest Executive Director of Earth Guardians. Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, she developed a deep connection to nature through time spent outdoors with her grandparents. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with degrees in Environmental Sustainability Studies and Business Management and a minor in Communication. While in school, she led several organizations and earned national recognition in ethics and sustainability competitions. Emmy now travels widely to speak on climate and social justice, advocating for racial and gender equity and empowering youth to drive environmental action and change.
2026 Speakers
The Program
The Language of Life: How Translating Animal Communication Can Transform Our Relationship with Nature
The Language of Life: How Translating Animal Communication Can Transform Our Relationship with Nature
Investing in the Planetary Boundaries: How Planetary Health Drives Human Health
Investing in the Planetary Boundaries: How Planetary Health Drives Human Health
The Power of Intergenerational Collaboration
The Power of Intergenerational Collaboration
Healthy Narratives, Rooted in Truth: How Climate Can Bring Together a Divided World
Healthy Narratives, Rooted in Truth: How Climate Can Bring Together a Divided World
Accelerating Philanthropy for Climate
Accelerating Philanthropy for Climate
Moving Mountains: The Solutions to Secure Our Highest Regions
Moving Mountains: The Solutions to Secure Our Highest Regions
Pricing What We Value: How Markets Are Scaling for Durable Carbon Removal, Nature, and Communities
Pricing What We Value: How Markets Are Scaling for Durable Carbon Removal, Nature, and Communities
Impact Taking the Stage: How Events Can Deliver Results for Nature
Impact Taking the Stage: How Events Can Deliver Results for Nature
Transforming the Grid for Resilience
Transforming the Grid for Resilience
The New Gold Rush: Ensuring Security and Stewardship – The Race for Critical Minerals in the Age of AI and Clean Power
The New Gold Rush: Ensuring Security and Stewardship – The Race for Critical Minerals in the Age of AI and Clean Power
Building Resilient Food Systems: Showcase & Pitch Session
Building Resilient Food Systems: Showcase & Pitch Session
Why Data Is the Missing Ingredient in the Regenerative Agriculture Revolution
Why Data Is the Missing Ingredient in the Regenerative Agriculture Revolution
The Secret Force for Resilience: Small Businesses
The Secret Force for Resilience: Small Businesses
Recent breakthroughs in decoding animal communication are awakening human empathy and driving a new wave of protection for our planet.
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Culinary Experiences
The Forum features diverse culinary experiences focused on sustainable practices and locally sourced ingredients, with farm-to-table dining and regional flavors throughout the valley and beyond.
What's On the Table
Drinkers of the Wind Farm Tour
Drinkers of the Wind Farm Tour
Opening Reception at Sun Valley Lodge
Opening Reception at Sun Valley Lodge
Dinner at Trail Creek Cabin
Dinner at Trail Creek Cabin
Galena Lodge BBQ
Galena Lodge BBQ
Closing Reception & Dinner at Sun Valley Lodge
Closing Reception & Dinner at Sun Valley Lodge
On our opening day, the Drinkers of the Wind Farm immersive tour offers an on-the-ground look at regenerative agriculture in action. Walk the fields with the farm’s stewards and explore how soil health, climate, and community connect in one living system, and how regenerative practices can restore biodiversity and strengthen a resilient food future. The experience includes an outdoor networking lunch highlighting local producers, fresh produce, and plant-based foods, followed by a brief farm talk to spark deeper dialogue about growing within planetary limits, rooted in science and real-world practice.
Adventure Day
Choose Your Adventure
White Water Rafting the Salmon River
White Water Rafting the Salmon River
Redfish Lake
Redfish Lake
Rafting the Salmon River isn’t just a rush; it’s a ride through one of the West’s great lifelines. These cold, clear waters are the same currents salmon have traveled for thousands of years on their epic journey home to spawn. Their resilience tells a powerful story of how policy, culture, and conservation collide. As we float downstream, guides and local experts will share what it takes to protect this keystone species, including Tribal leadership, habitat restoration, and the policies shaping the future of free-flowing rivers. It’s an unforgettable afternoon on the water that leaves you energized and inspired to champion the wild places and species that define the American West.
Host a Multiplier Effect Workshop
Convene a curated group of cross-sector leaders to advance a specific challenge or opportunity, designed to surface practical insights, forge partnerships, and move capital, policy, or practice forward.
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Co-Create a Main Stage Panel or Forum Conversation
Shape the agenda alongside Forum leadership by elevating voices, case studies, and perspectives aligned with your priorities, positioning your organization within trusted, solution-driven dialogue.
Gather in Nature: Host a Dinner or Immersive Experience
Create space for deeper connection through a hosted dinner, hike, or nature-based activity, where relationships are built through shared experience, reflection, and time in the landscape we aim to protect.
Frequently Asked Questions
We ask that you plan to arrive by the morning of June 15th. That morning, you’re invited to join a hike in the nearby mountains or a lunch and tour of Drinkers of the Wind Regenerative Farm.
Registration opens at 1:00 pm MT when you may pick up your badge for access to Forum events. Our opening plenary will begin at 3:00 pm MT on Monday, the 15th, at the Sun Valley Opera House.Please secure your travel arrangements as soon as possible, as summer is a busy season in Sun Valley.
You may find daily non-stop flight schedules into Sun Valley’s Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) via the Fly Sun Valley Alliance. If you’re staying at the Sun Valley Resort, they have a free shuttle service from SUN to the resort (approximately 20 minute drive), so please provide them with your flight information to arrange a pickup.
Flying into Boise (BOI) is also an option, with daily shuttles or rental cars available for the scenic 2.5-hour drive to Sun Valley.
We encourage everyone to stay in our room block at the resort. Other area properties are available via Airbnb or VRBO.
If you choose to stay in Ketchum, it is ~1 mile from the Resort so please plan to arrange your own transportation, which the hotels may be able to provide. See our recommended hotels above including Limelight Hotel, Hotel Ketchum and Tamarack Hotel.