Creative Climate Forum – Full Day Access
About this Event
Registration is FREE and open to all. Priority will be given to those active in climate work from most impacted communities.
Join us for the Creative Climate Forum!
A day-long, immersive gathering on Thursday, September 24th, from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM at Pier 57 during Climate Week NYC. This free and public event welcomes artists, youth, educators, community members, advocates, and anyone ready to explore creative tools, build new connections, and take action for a more just and sustainable future. Through performances, panels, workshops, and immersive installations, we activate the power of imagination and collaboration to respond to the climate crisis—together.
What to Expect:
- Live Performances with climate artivists
- Powerful panels on fast response and systemic change
- Workshops on climate storytelling, justice, care, and community mobilization
- Morning and afternoon nature walks with climate leaders
- An all-day immersive Climate Action Room featuring interactive installations
- A vibrant networking celebration to end the day
Thanks to funding for this program from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Justice Grants program.
Agenda
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM
OPENING REMARKS & OPENING PERFORMANCE
Host: Tara DePorte, Founder and Executive Director, HII
Info: Explore the power of imagination as a catalyst for change, the responsibility that comes with innovation, and the urgency of collective action. Ask not just what kind of future we want, but what kind of future we are willing to build—and whether we have the courage, clarity, and collaboration to begin now.
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION: Fast Responses for Creative Resistance
Host: Ranjani Prabhakar, EarthJustice
Info: This panel will explore the urgency of immediate political and climate action in response to today’s overlapping crises. It will examine rapid policy shifts, the pressing need for civic engagement, and strategies for swiftly mobilizing large groups—drawing on the concept of connective action (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012). The discussion will focus on how to stay effective, responsive, and creative in an increasingly volatile political and environmental landscape. Opening performance by Somah Haaland, poet for liberation.
Facilitator: Tara DePorte, Human Impacts Institute
With Special Guests:
Melissa Jun Rowley, Communications Director, REVERB & Advisor, Creatives for Climate
Lydia Pilcher, Emmy winning, Academy Award nominated Producer, and Storytelling Arts educator, Columbia Climate School
Lily Joy Winder, Indigenous Advocate & Content Creator
Ranjani Prabhakar, Legislative Director, Healthy Communities, Earth Justice & Founder and Executive Director Flame Lily Media
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Break
🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM
Skills-building Workshops: Fast Responses for Creative Resistance
Info: Set of workshops where participants will explore how to turn inspiration into immediate and impactful climate action. Facilitated by leading voices in storytelling, legal advocacy, and community organizing, the sessions offer practical tools to mobilize communities, craft compelling climate messages, and respond to environmental crises with legal and narrative strategies. From digital campaigns to legal witnessing to frontline organizing, these workshops equip participants to act boldly and creatively in the face of climate breakdown.
🕑: 12:45 PM - 01:45 PM
Lunch Break
Host: Concetta Abbatte
Info: Food is available for purchase at vendors within Pier 57. During our break, explore our interactive climate storytelling space in the Living Room with ALL ARTS, THIRTEEN, Serica Initiative, DearTomorrow, the Mobile Poetry Cart and More! Also, enjoy a special, live performance with Concetta Abbatte performing Mythology of Greening , a 25-minute song cycle for vocalizing string quartet. Blending contemporary classical, folk, and poetic influences, the piece explores our interspecies connection with plants, using them as metaphors for queer identity, community, and care.
🕑: 01:45 AM - 02:45 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION: Communication Strategies for Long-Term Societal Change
Host: Bora Chang, NRDC
Info: Location: Joint Classroom, Pier 57
This panel explores how creative communication strategies can support long-term societal change by fostering cross-sector trust, building lasting partnerships, and applying systems thinking. Panelists will share insights on developing community-driven solutions and sustainable campaigns that prioritize care, equity, and collective impact. The session aims to spark coalition-building and equip participants with strategies for systemic, long-term transformation.
Facilitator: Hari Sreenivasan, Reporter, The WNET Group
🕑: 02:45 PM - 03:00 PM
Break
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Strategy & Coalition-Building Workshops Slow Responses for Systemic Change
Info: These workshops offer a deep dive into the structural, emotional, and intergenerational dimensions of climate justice. Participants will explore how to decolonize environmental narratives and build cross-cultural partnerships rooted in reciprocity and respect; how to foster intergenerational trust and dialogue that empowers youth and honors their future; and how to cultivate emotional resilience and community care practices that sustain long-term collaboration. Together, these sessions provide space for reflection, skill-building, and connection—laying the foundation for more equitable, compassionate, and enduring climate solutions.
🕑: 04:30 PM - 04:45 PM
Break
🕑: 04:45 PM - 05:30 PM
Collective Power in Times of Crisis- A Call to Action
Host: Tara DePorte, Human Impacts Institute
Info: In an era marked by climate disruption, social upheaval, and deep systemic inequities, how do we harness our collective power to meet the moment with courage, clarity, and care? This keynote offers a powerful call to action, urging communities, movements, and sectors to come together in bold and creative solidarity. Through stories, strategies, and reflections, we’ll explore how collective action—rooted in justice, resilience, and shared purpose—can drive transformative change in times of crisis. This session will ignite inspiration while grounding participants in the responsibility and possibility of working together for a more equitable and livable future.
Close off the day and transition together to collaborative action with an inspiring keynote from Ainissa Ramirez, PhD who offers a powerful call to action—inviting communities, movements, and sectors to join in bold, creative solidarity, and a performance from climate artivist: Green Inch Worm Dance, Karla Florez.
🕑: 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Sunset Celebration & Networking
Host: Lil Idli, Pop Duo
Info: Join us in community for networking and drinks and a live set by climate justice pop-duo Lil Idli. Come together with fellow activists, community leaders, funders, artists, and diverse climate justice leaders as we cultivate joy and a culture of regeneration overlooking a Hudson River sunset.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
