Inaugural Grounded Summit Highlights Innovative Climate Change Solutions, Action with Global Experts

SONOMA, Calif., March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- An audience of more than 250 climate change innovators, business leaders, impact investors, artists and entrepreneurs from around the world gathered near the epicenter of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County, California on March 20 – 21 for the inaugural Grounded Summit, a two-day event focused on scalable climate change solutions.

Grounded founder, Julia Jackson, started the organization out of frustration stemming from a wide-ranging lack of action on climate security. At the summit she announced the Grounded Foundation, which will accelerate organizations and individuals positioned to have an impactful effect on scalable solutions. Keiko Cadby will lead the foundation as its Executive Director, along with Jackson.

"Less than 3% of all philanthropic giving is going towards environmental causes, and we need both inspiration and investment to make change happen," Jackson said. "The Grounded Foundation will be a hub for accelerating solutions to climate change, and will work to increase awareness around the climate change crisis."

The Grounded Summit featured well-known environmentalists, including visionary author Paul Hawken, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Executive Director Justin Winters and FullCycle co-founder Stephan Nicoleau, as well as international leaders, including former President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson and Nemonte Nenquimo, Ecuadorian founding member of the Ceibo Alliance.

Four-term California Governor Jerry Brown and California Senator Ben Allen also spoke to various topics of significance. Dr. Paul Hessburg brought attention to the intensity of recent wildfires that have ravaged California, which were also the inspiration for the creation of Grounded. Pierce Brosnan & Keely Shaye Smith attended both days of the summit. Both are well known for their commitment to the environment spanning more than two decades.

In addition to learning about groundbreaking environmental research and innovative climate change solutions, attendees were immersed in experiences that brought the effects of climate change to the forefront. Two featured artists, Stuart Palley and Zaria Forman, showcased their work in a "Fire & Ice" display. Palley's wildfire photography was mirrored by Forman's pastel drawings of Arctic ice. Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger & Ben Kenney of Incubus donated an acoustic performance on Night 2 in honor of their shared ethos with the event.

Søren Westh, renowned chef and Co-Founder of .506, curated an exploration of food through the lens of climate change. An interactive exhibit called The Core provided a space for attendees to connect global organizations, including National Geographic and Think Beyond Plastic, and local sustainable businesses such as, Sipsong Spirits, Jackson Family Wines, Bounty + Bloom, and Rana Cohabitat Co.

To minimize the event's environmental impact, lead Summit sponsor Bank of America made a donation to Cool Effect's Affordable Cookstoves Project, which helped offset carbon emissions generated by guest and speaker travel.  The summit also partnered with Copia to donate leftover food and Green Mary to recycle waste produced, allowing the summit to target zero waste status.  

Attendees were united by the message that humanity must make substantial changes quickly in order to stave off the more catastrophic damages of climate change we are currently heading toward.

For highlights from this year's Summit, please visit grounded.org. The second Grounded Summit is planned for March 19 – 20, 2020.  

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Website: www.grounded.org

About Grounded

Grounded is an environmental summit focused on accelerating innovative, data-driven climate change solutions. Hosted in Sonoma, CA on March 20-21, 2019, Grounded united leading voices in climate action, top culinary talent and globally recognized artists & musicians for an immersive two-day summit held near the epicenter of the 2017 fires that ravaged Santa Rosa, California. www.grounded.org

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