DC Climate Week Returns Bigger Than Ever, Uniting the Region Around Climate Action
Attendance and programming double in year two, bringing together policymakers, builders, and community leaders across 250+ events
WASHINGTON, D.C. — DC Climate Week (DCCW) concluded its second annual gathering, bringing together over 7,500 attendees with more than 250 events across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia — double the scale of its inaugural year.
Over seven days, DCCW hosted events for every corner of the climate community, from builders, policymakers, investors, operators, and community leaders, united by a shared mission: confronting the realities of the climate crisis while accelerating solutions already reshaping our future. DCCW’s flagship events convened finance, business, and policy perspectives around discussions on clean energy, grid capacity, climate workforce development, emerging technologies, and community-led solutions.
“Bringing together the DC climate community for another year was inspiring and energizing,” said Justin Brodie-Kommit, Co-Organizer of DC Climate Week. “We are moved by the quality of the conversations, the commitment of our sponsors and partners, and everyone who showed up. We can move the needle on climate change, together — and this week proved it.”
A key focus this year was building the climate workforce. Career Development Day—spearheaded by former U.S. Department of Energy leader Zainab Mirza—brought together job seekers, career switchers, and early-stage professionals for hands-on workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions, and more. The programming emphasized practical pathways into climate, equipping participants with the tools, networks, and clarity needed to move from interest to action.
“Breaking into climate and clean energy shouldn’t require insider access,” said Zainab Mirza, Co-host of Watts the Tea and DCCW Advisory Board Member. “We designed Career Development Day to make the ecosystem more approachable, so people can understand where they fit and take concrete steps toward roles that have real impact.”
What started as a conversation at a happy hour has grown into one of the region's defining climate convenings. The community-powered events offer a demonstration of what's possible when a city commits to climate leadership. As the region's climate community continues to grow, DCCW aims to be the annual moment that brings it together.
“Leaders are not merely debating climate solutions; we are actively working to implement action at scale, across sectors, communities, and in ways that are equitable and durable for everyone across this city,” said Jerome Foster, who served as MC of the Leadership Forum. "DC Climate Week represents a universal commitment to advancing the protection of nature and our shared planet. This week displayed a stubborn commitment held within the people of this city to keep pushing forward solutions which look after everyone."
Alongside DCCW, Future Food Week 2026 featured more than 40 participating restaurants across Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, offering special menus, dishes, and events centred on climate-friendly, plant-forward dining. The week generated strong engagement both in person and online, highlighting growing interest in sustainable food experiences and setting the stage for future expansion.
“Food is one of the most powerful tools we have in our daily lives to address climate change, and Future Food Week helped bring that to life across the DMV,” said Joseph Perez, Founder of The Ark of Compassion and organizer of Future Food Week. “Through plant-forward menus and creative specials, more than 40 restaurants and small businesses demonstrated how delicious climate-friendly choices can be. We’re incredibly grateful to the chefs, businesses, and community members who made this first year such a meaningful step forward.”
Photos by Cedric Craig.
As a community-driven week, the impact of DC Climate Week is best seen through the events themselves, spanning policy, innovation, and real-world implementation. These recaps were submitted by the event organizers to be featured and are included below, reflecting the breadth of events across the week:
Maryland Day @ DCCW
Organizer: Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator (MEIA),Description: MEIA hosted Maryland Day at DC Climate Week alongside the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute, Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), University of Maryland, SustainableUMD, and several outstanding partners.
We were thrilled to welcome nearly 300 attendees to the event. The day featured a strong mix of policy insight and technology innovation, from a high-level plenary lunch to a dynamic showcase of emerging climate and energy technologies.
We were honored to hear from:
Dr. Jennifer King Rice, Provost, University of Maryland
Senator Brian Feldman, Chair, Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee (District 17)
Delegate Lily Qi, House Economic Matters Committee (District 15)
Serena McIlwain, Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment
Kelly Speakes-Backman, Director, Maryland Energy Administration
Thank you to Snyder Cohn for sponsoring the lunch and to all of the attendees, speakers, and startups who contributed to the success of the event.
Messaging Beyond "Green"
Organizer: Leslie Talmadge, Sam Fallon, Satsuki Sokol, Zarana Shah-DurhamDescription: This is working session to help you create compelling narratives that include a nuanced approach for consumer-facing clean energy and climate businesses. While the work continues, the narratives and messages that resonate include energy independence, resilience, affordability, and predictability.
Climate Innovation Studio
Organizers: Monica RashkinDescription: We co-created innovative solutions to decarbonize the DMV, the US, and the Global South. Ideas were open-source, and available to all after the session.
Solar to System: Productizing Whole-Home Energy
Organizers: Leslie Talmadge, Sam Fallon, Satsuki Sokol, Zarana Shah-Durha,Description: From Solar to System: Productizing Whole-Home Energy
Focus: Defining the core consumer energy product as an integrated home energy system, rather than a collection of individual technologies.
The Case: As incentives decline, differentiation is shifting away from individual components and toward product design. This panel examines how to sequence adoption and how to present a system-level value proposition that consumers can understand and trust.
The Equity Mandate: Scaling "Solar for All" in the Post-Credit Era
Organizers: Leslie Talmadge, Sam Fallon, Satsuki Sokol, Zarana Shah-DurhamDescription: The 2026 Sunset: We explored the upcoming sunset dates for "Solar for All." This program has been a cornerstone of equity in DC, and understanding these timelines is critical for anyone working to ensure the energy transition doesn’t leave our most vulnerable neighbors behind.
The 80% AMI Gateway: We addressed the 80% Area Median Income (AMI) threshold not as a barrier, but as a gateway. Thomas Bartholomew shared how the DOEE and DCSEU are working tirelessly to ensure that electrification remains accessible and that the benefits of clean energy—lower bills and healthier homes—reach those who need them most.
A Shift in Strategy: The conversation highlighted that success in 2026 requires a move from ambition to precise execution. This means focusing on process improvements and organizational efficiency to give residents on the long-term stability and resilience that these systems provide.
The Power of Collaboration: The partnership between city agencies and local installers is the only way to maintain our deployment momentum. Thomas’s insights into the District’s Transportation Electrification Roadmap and the Clean Energy DC plan remind us that equity must be baked into the policy from day one.
DC Climate Week extends its deep gratitude to the volunteers whose work made the week possible, as well as its advisory board, sponsors, media partners, and supporting partners:
Advisory Board
Daniel Barker, President and CEO, Halcyon
Justin Brodie-Kommit, General Partner, Lichen Ventures
Erich Brokas, Chief Strategy Officer, Builders + Backers
Alexander Bryden, Director, Americas, Browning Environmental Communications
Tom Chinnock, Co-Founder, Tech for Climate Action
Cedric Craig, Co-Organizer, Climate DC
Dr. Naamal De Silva, Vice President, Together for Birds at American Bird Conservancy
Sean Doran, Founding Partner, Supernova Law
Vincent Drader, Director of Communications, Casey Trees
Uri Fishelson, Climate Tech Consulting Leader
C’pher Gresham, Co-Organizer, DC Climate Week and Co-Founder, GridVolve
Simon Hayman, Co-Founder, Tech for Climate Action
Chess Jakobs, Executive Director, Culture Amp Foundation and Senior Manager, ESG
Marissa Jennings, Partnership and Youth Engagement Leader
Lex Kiefhaber, COO, Haddy
Michael Luciani, Managing Partner, Juniper VC
Shelby Luzzi, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Destination DC
Ben Margolis, Director of Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator
Zainab Mirza, Co-host, Watts the Tea
Mark Rupp, Director of External Relations at The Earth Commons, Georgetown University
Uros Simovic, Senior Specialist, Motive Power, Inc
Claire Smalley, Founder and creative director, small c studio
Dave Smith, Vice President, Enduring Planet
Joshua Weinberg, Vice President, Strategic Communications and Marketing, American Geophysical Union
Sara Lee Wolfe, Climate Talent Initiative Director, IREX
Jamil Wyne. Founder, The Hazelwood Network
Eric Zimmerman, CEO, TripZero
Platinum sponsors
Gold sponsors
Silver sponsors
In-kind
The Baltimore Banner
S&P Global “All Things Sustainable”
Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Institute
Media Contact:
Amalia Grobbel
DCCW@browningenvironmental.com