In 2025, the Summit team focused on strengthening the relationships that make our Summit community real, creating more chances for people to find one another, build trust, and stay in close conversation as their work evolves. It’s a rare kind of community - rooted in shared principles and real mutual support - and it only stays strong when we keep investing in the relationships that hold it together. After hosting leadership summits in each of the past two years, first in Antarctica then in the Arctic, this year was intentionally designed to support what those gatherings sparked: a steady rhythm of connection, collaboration, and shared problem-solving so our people feel supported and better equipped to turn ideas into impact.

Walking Softer builds the infrastructure that turns ideas into movements. Our integrated approach connects young leaders with seasoned changemakers, policy experts with grassroots organizers, and visionary thinkers with the resources to act.

Walking Softer Young Leaders is an innovative, six-month accelerator for visionary climate entrepreneurs.

In 2025, we reimagined the programming to include a balanced representation of nonprofit and for-profit leaders, reflecting our belief that addressing complex environmental challenges demands diverse, cross-sector approaches. In evaluating nominees, equal weight was given to both the individual and the project, recognizing that lasting, systemic change is driven by both the quality of character and strength of execution. 

Recipients received a unique blend of individual executive coaching and cohort-based learning, an all-expenses paid Leadership Retreat in Lake Tahoe, and $50,000 in non-dilutive funding. Cohort 3 will culminate in a Pitch Showcase in San Francisco in February 2026 with an external network of investors, funders and advisers.

Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist, was interviewed by Josh Johnson on The Daily Show to discuss her organization’s mission to build a pipeline in the climate sector for Black women and gender-expansive people to create more environmental equity and provide resources for the next generation of green leaders.

Walking Softer’s Kosmos Farm, located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, seeks to serve as a global model for regenerative farming and regenerative solutions. Through educational and research initiatives, the center will welcome learners and leaders, offering a collaborative space for innovative ideas and forward-thinking solutions.

In 2025, Kosmos Farm advanced its mission to become a regenerative education center, working to inspire landowners and agricultural producers to adopt profitable regenerative practices that restore natural ecosystems and move away from harmful conventional methods.

This year, the team implemented two syntropic agroforestry systems designed to: provide biodiverse food for wildlife, supply forage for livestock, offer fresh food for workers and visitors, and regenerate soil. Native tree planting and the establishment of fruit forests also took place in priority areas, including riparian zones and degraded, erosion-prone sites.

The farm is integrating all components of its regenerative model—bio-input production, holistic livestock management for education and revenue, and agroforestry systems that both produce food and serve as hands-on learning sites. Protecting water resources and restoring forested areas remain key priorities.

Walking Softer Education is a free program designed for high school youth to learn about sustainability and become empowered to participate in community-based environmental solutions.

In 2025, Walking Softer Education completed the 2024-2025 program year, in which students from 32 groups implemented environmental  projects in their communities. Through reporting, we gathered evidence of the program's impact on students and their communities, from increased feelings of empowerment and teamwork among students, to the distribution of native plants to community members. 14 students were awarded scholarships, and we look forward to engaging with them for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year as we aim to support their educational journey through resources, connections, and community. In addition, the 2025-2026 program cohort already includes 41 groups. Thanks to program modifications based on last year’s feedback, we have been meeting regularly with those teachers to help support them in successfully implementing impactful projects in their communities. 2025 was an exciting year for Walking Softer Education, and we look forward to continuing to expand and improve in 2026.

32 participating groups consisting of 623 students for the 2024-2025 school year, with all participating educators reporting they are likely to participate again.

$90,460 distributed in project funds and teacher stipends.

Impactful projects were implemented across 10 states, including a sustainable food systems event in St. Louis, MO, native crop gardening in Orange County, CA, and mangrove restoration in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

14 exceptional students selected as scholarship recipients.

Showcased the program at two national conference presentations, NSTA and NAAEE.

In 2025, Walking Softer marked five years of continuous support to leading non-profits advocating for sustainable bipartisan policy to America's energy and environmental challenges. Each partner organization working on policy at a federal or state level brought a unique blend of expertise and perspective to promoting durable policies. Together, they leverage decades of experience and proven insight on national security, renewable energy, data modeling, policy development and conservative grassroots constituency-building. Partners include the largest network of conservative "eco-right" policy organizations in the country as well as the most sophisticated policy research and advocacy operations in Washington D.C.

In supporting their collective work, Walking Softer provided: general operating support to develop talent and capacity; our own network of influential leaders in the private and charitable sectors; and world-class convenings and venues in the inspiring natural environments that aspirational policies are meant to protect and steward. Walking Softer also aimed to instill a spirit and ethic of "conscious leadership" to bridge ideological and cultural divides.

Saving gigawatt-scale clean-energy financing from elimination, including $1 Billion for the Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office credit subsidies, which enable higher-risk clean energy, storage, and transmission projects to access project financing they likely would struggle to secure in private markets.

Extending federal tax credits for nuclear, geothermal, hydropower, and battery storage into the mid-2030s, enabling many major clean-energy projects that would otherwise have stalled or disappeared to move forward.

Advancing three national energy permitting initiatives out of the U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis, a step toward making federal permit reviews more transparent to meet America’s AI-driven rising energy and infrastructure needs.

Achieving new disaster resilience policy in the annual bipartisan Pentagon authorization, and protecting critical federal climate and disaster-response programs at NOAA and FEMA through continued bipartisan engagement on Capitol Hill focused on national security and climate risks.

Securing decarbonization policy wins in Florida, Texas, and Utah, including bipartisan permitting reform in Utah that cuts some critical permitting timelines from six months to two weeks; and defending Texas’ competitive electricity market, the nation’s renewables superpower.

Reaching over 2,500 policy makers through 1,400+ events in 92 countries, helping leaders understand data-driven climate impacts, for example, a new Temperature Change by Location map, which uses MIT-developed AI to show regional warming projections in seconds instead of weeks -- and then test strategies that drive real-world emissions reductions.

Marketing plays a crucial role at Walking Softer, amplifying the voices of our community while informing, inspiring, and supporting Changemakers to take bold, immediate action for the conservation and regeneration of our planet.

In 2025, marketing supported Walking Softer’s mission by increasing the reach and effectiveness of its programs. Our approach, amplify with purpose, prioritized usefulness over volume, focusing on clear, credible storytelling that reflects the work being done within our community. The team executed integrated digital and print initiatives, including website updates, video production, social media campaigns, and brand-aligned asset development. These efforts emphasized substance over visibility in an increasingly crowded communications landscape. Marketing increased awareness of Walking Softer and reinforced its role in advancing a healthier planet. By highlighting Changemakers, marketing supported individuals, projects, and companies beyond financial contributions - providing visibility, strengthening connections, and extending impact through practical, purpose-driven communication.

Climate Town Collaboration

Produced 21 videos with Young Leaders Alumni and Climate Town host Rollie Williams, reaching 677K YouTube and 27.8K Instagram followers with engaging climate content.

Ambassador of Change

Collaborated with Young Leaders alumnus Pooja Tilvawala to produce behind- the-scenes social content for COP30 and Climate Weeks in New York, San Francisco, and D.C.

Young Leaders

Released 37 pieces of content showcasing Young Leaders, including a new “Who Is” video series highlighting each participant and their climate project.

Education

Created social-first content highlighting Education program scholarship recipients and events that empower high school students as agents of change.

Community

Covered events on social media, including New York Climate Week, Progression 2025, and the Net Zero Conference among others, highlighting the broader climate community’s work.