On Site for the Multi-Day “Aspen Ideas: Climate” Event Series in Miami Beach
An impassioned convergence of international experts, policymakers, young leaders and concerned public participants
One of the most critical topics of our age, climate change looms over the future of our shared home and the vital resources it provides to every living creature. To seek solutions for its increasing impact on the planet, the multi-day Aspen Ideas event series will return to Miami Beach this 6-9 March for the second year of Aspen Ideas: Climate. This open-to-the-public initiative (which will see one tree planted in Dade County for every person registered) allows international experts, policymakers, young leaders and concerned public participants to join forces. Action is as much an intended result as open dialogue and inspiration.
COOL HUNTING will be present at the two host venues—the Miami Beach Convention Center and New World Center—for this year’s diverse array of programming. Exciting main stage speakers range from Vice President Kamala Harris to pop star Gloria Estefan and science communicator and TV personality Bill Nye. Talks from marquee speakers are bolstered by additional sessions dedicated to life beyond plastic, rising water levels, the future of food and transportation, and how to educate individuals on climate change. Additionally, on-site art installations are coupled with off-site tours of Miami Beach’s world-renowned attractions.
For Aspen Ideas: Climate, Miami Beach is more than a sunny place to visit in March. “Miami Beach is a living laboratory for climate change. We are a vibrant city with a unique sense of place but with considerable risk being near sea level. We need solutions to not only protect our environment but for future generations that will call Miami Beach home,” Amy Knowles, Chief Resilience Officer and the Environment and Sustainability Director of Miami Beach, tells COOL HUNTING. The programming reflects this. “I am looking forward to sharing our story and learning,” she continues. “We are hosting tours to share how we are building our resilience through climate change adaptation and mitigation. This includes visits to Sunset Harbour and our dune system, which is seven miles of nature-based infrastructure.”
Our changing climate is the most major challenge facing mankind
City of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber shares with us that, in many ways, this partnership with the Aspen Institute is a further demonstration of the future-forward drive of Miami Beach residents. “With Art Basel in December, the City of Miami Beach is the center of the art world. Hosting Aspen Ideas: Climate allows us to center the conversation around climate solutions,” he explains. “Our changing climate is the most major challenge facing mankind. I’m looking forward to the unexpected things we’ll witness when the greatest minds and doers in the world come together to discuss solutions.”
On view within the Miami Beach Convention Center for Aspen Ideas: Climate, artist Petroc Sesti‘s sculpture “Heart of Okeanos” is a beacon of hope, saturated with ideas. The work replicates the life-sustaining organ of a real blue whale that washed ashore in Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland in 2014. More than an artwork inspired by lush oceanic life, “Heart of Okeanos” is a teaser to a greater act. Sesti developed the heart-inspired sculpture from a carbon-capturing material called CarbonXinc (a blend of eco-friendly concrete and carbon capture crystals). A first of its kind, it will be seeded into Miami Beach’s The ReefLine with the assistance of marine biologist Shelby Thomas. There, in this underwater art center, founded and curated by Ximena Caminos, it will not only provide a new marine habitat but also act as a PH-neutral and climate-change-resistant artificial reef.
Isaias Hernandez, the digital creator otherwise known as Queer Brown Vegan, is part of the event’s slate of future leaders. Hernandez and the other leaders are in the unique position of translating the Aspen Ideas: Climate happenings into momentum worldwide. “I hope to have thoughtful, engaging discussions around climate solutions centered on community-based approaches,” Hernandez says. “There is still enough time to work with business leaders, non-profits and foundations to have thoughtful, critical dialogues.” Hernandez adds, “Many young people are looking for mentorship and I believe Aspen Ideas: Climate can provide a generation of environmental leaders.”
“I plan to apply what I learn at Aspen Idea: Climate by redesigning the way I communicate online,” Hernandez continues. “As a digital media creator and public speaker, the terms ‘climate change’ or ‘climate crisis’ can sometimes be confusing for the general public. I want to bridge science, lived experiences and pop culture to bring an accessible form of climate literacy.” Hernandez hopes to deliver actionable and solution-oriented frameworks to his audience. It’s moves like this that may change the future for everyone.
Register for the Aspen Ideas: Climate online now. Ticket options range from $250 for a single-day pass to $7,500 for a patron pass ($3,000 of which enables the attendance of a Future Leader Fellow).
Hero image of “Heart of Okeanos” in the Faena Hotel Miami Beach courtesy of Petroc Sesti
