Atlanta’s first-ever climate week is scheduled to kick off on Oct. 10.
Climate weeks, from San Francisco to New York, have brought together communities, advocates and entrepreneurs for years to celebrate sustainability. In Atlanta, planners for the inaugural climate week look forward to a week filled with events like an innovation day focused on technological developments, panel discussions, community action and service days, and even parties.
Michael Hawtorne Jr., head of planning for Atlanta Climate Week, said Atlanta’s the perfect place to start its own climate week, home to the world’s busiest airport, major global companies, and a thriving tech community.
“We get to have the week to bring all of these innovators, these change makers, businesses, business leaders, students even, all into one space to have the conversation and highlight the work that has been done and continues to be done, and bring what we’re doing here in Atlanta to the world,” Hawthorne said.
Hawthorne said the week’s events will offer opportunities to network, share ideas, and encourage community members to connect over sustainability and climate action. However, he also said Climate Week isn’t exclusively serious planning and strategizing: it’s also for celebrating.
“We want people to not feel like you know climate resilience has to be this doom and gloom, but it’s actually a celebration about all the things we are doing, and about coming together, being inspired, and just moving the needle forward,” Hawthorne said, “Because we believe in a better future, and we believe that we all deserve a better future.”
A list of the events can be found at the Atlanta Climate Week website, atlantacw.org.
