ChiCW 2026 Press Release - May 2026
CHICAGO CLIMATE WEEK LAUNCHES JULY 18–25, 2026
Community-Powered Climate Platform Unites Chicagoland Organizers, Innovators, and Changemakers for a Region-Wide Week of Action
CHICAGO, IL — Chicago Climate Connect today announced Chicago Climate Week (ChiCW), a new coordinating platform connecting and amplifying climate-related programming across Chicagoland from July 18–25, 2026. Developed in collaboration with more than a dozen regional organizations, ChiCW builds on the extraordinary momentum of Chicago's existing climate ecosystem — creating the critical mass needed for a shared regional moment around climate action and innovation.
A Platform, Not a Conference
Chicago Climate Week is not a single marquee event. It's coordinating infrastructure — a shared calendar and public platform that lets independent organizers across Chicagoland become part of one connected, regional week.
Organizers can self-submit events through the Chicago Climate Week platform, making their programming part of a region-wide moment visible to press, partners, funders, and the broader public. From panel discussions and innovation showcases to neighborhood cleanups and policy-centered “hours of action,” every event advancing climate action in Chicagoland has a home during ChiCW.
How It Came Together
Chicago already has an extraordinary concentration of major climate convenings — including Aspen Ideas: Climate, Co_Invest, and others — and community-led programming across the city. Founding Co-Chairs Jacob Moeller and Mackenzie Siren saw an opportunity to build coordinating infrastructure around that momentum — a shared platform that could help all of it connect, become visible as one regional moment, and reach people who might not know where to plug in.
The platform launched with a kickoff event at mHUB in May 2026. Volunteers showed up. Organizations leaned in. ChiCW is now a coalition of over a dozen organizations with a growing volunteer base and a public calendar opening this month.
Quotes — Mackenzie Siren and Jacob Moeller
“Through Chicago Climate Connect, we've had a front-row seat to how much climate work is already happening across this city — extraordinary organizations doing serious work across every sector and neighborhood. What was missing was a connective layer that makes all of it visible as one shared moment. That’s what Chicago Climate Week is trying to do: help people find each other, show up together, and build something that lasts well beyond a single week.”
— Mackenzie Siren, Founding Co-Chair, Chicago Climate Week, Co-Founder, Chicago Climate Connect
"Climate weeks have become a real format for cities to create a shared moment around climate action. NYC, SF, and DC, have each built something meaningful, and other cities are recognizing this as an effective model for amplifying local work and building connectivity between organizations in the space. Chicago deserves its own. It has the diversity of industry, the local leadership, and the work is already happening. ChiCW is just the platform that helps it all connect."
— Jacob Moeller, Founding Co-Chair, Chicago Climate Week
Built in Collaboration
Chicago Climate Week is developed in collaboration with organizations helping shape climate action across the Midwest. Co-collaborators and co-organizers include:
Chicago Climate Corps · P33 · World Business Chicago · Evergreen Climate Innovations · Chicago Innovation · 1871 · mHUB · M. Harris & Kern · The Marketplace of the Future · Chicago Environmentalists · and more
Part of a Strong Summer for Chicago Climate
Chicago Climate Week arrives at a moment of significant climate momentum for the region. ChiCW is designed to connect with — and amplify — programming already converging on Chicago this summer, including:
Chicago Innovation’s 2026 Climate Summit
Aspen Ideas: Climate
TechChicago Week, by P33
Co_Invest Climate
Together, these activations reflect a city stepping into a larger role in the national climate conversation.
Get Involved
Submit an Event — Organizers are encouraged to self-submit climate-related programming to be featured as part of ChiCW before July 14.
Volunteer — Join the team helping bring Climate Week to life.
Sponsor — Sponsorship opportunities are available at the Supporting ($2,500) and Lead ($5,000) levels.
Spread the Word — let others know that ChiCW is coming to Chicago.
Learn more: chicagoclimateweek.org
Media inquiries: Jen Panattoni — media@chiclimateweek.org
Chicago Climate Week is fiscally sponsored by Chicago Climate Connect and co-developed in collaboration with organizations across the Chicagoland region. Chicago Climate Week (July 18–25, 2026) is a distributed, community-driven platform connecting and amplifying climate-related programming across the greater Chicago area.
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