Extraordinary Exchanges on the Environment in an Extraordinary Setting

Forum Overview

Nearly 60 years ago Walter Paepcke, the Chicago businessman and the Aspen Institute’s founder, brought people to the Aspen valley with the aim of creating "a center of dialogue and renewal, a place for lifting us out of our usual selves, as we strive to gain a greater understanding of our humanity."  In this same spirit, the Aspen Environment Forum will gather scientists, artists, politicians, historians, educators, activists, and other great thinkers to present and discuss some of the most fascinating and important ideas related to our shared environment.

Each day of the Aspen Environment Forum will offer a wide range of programming:

• Large plenary sessions offered at least four times a day, taking the form of panels, one-on-one interviews, and/or solo talks;
• Multiple, concurrent sessions, offered in both the morning and afternoon;
• Unique seminars each afternoon, featuring innovative ways to engage and reflect on the topics presented each day with selected presenters and fellow Forum participants;
• Luncheons each day featuring recent photography and conversation with photographers and journalists from our partners at National Geographic Magazine.
• Casual conversations, book signings, and other informal discussions on campus and off throughout the day;
• Evening exchanges and other events in venues around the city of Aspen.
• The Forum will conclude with a special awards dinner and awards ceremony.

To date, several important thought-leaders on the environment have agreed to participate in the Aspen Environment Forum - they include:

E.O. Wilson, professor and honorary curator in entomology at Harvard;

James Rogers, President and CEO of Duke Energy;

Majora Carter, Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx;

Ed Bangs, Wolf Recovery Expert at the US Fish and Wildlife Service;

Frances Beinecke, Executive Director of the Natural Resources Defense Fund;

James Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency;

Tim Wirth, former U.S. Senator from Colorado and current President of the United Nations Foundation;

Sally Benson, Executive Director of the Global Climate & Energy Project at Stanford University;

Jim Balog, noted National Geographic photographer;

Lara Hansen, Chief Scientist for the World Wildlife Federation's Global Climate Change Program;

Lester Brown, Founder and President of the Earth Policy Institute;

Steven Strong, Founder & President of Solar Design Associates;

Peter Liu, Founder and Vice Chairman, New Resource Bank;

Cathy Zoi, Executive Director of the Alliance for Climate Protection;

Van Jones, Co-founder and President of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights;

Amory Lovins, Chairman and Chief Scientist at the Rocky Mountain Institute - other acceptances continue to arrive daily.

View the full list of speakers. 

The Aspen Environment Forum promises to be interesting, engaging, and energizing - true to Aspen tradition. We look forward to seeing you in March!