Climate Action Museum

Last night the Climate Action Museum had the privilege of hosting a wonderful panel on food and agriculture systems. Thank you to moderator Bob Benenson and panelists Erika Allen, Jake Tepperman, and Bob Kopach for leading this important discussion! Thank you to our attendees for asking amazing questions!

We had in-depth conversations on food sovereignty, waste, corporate responsibility, emissions, transportation, and more. We are grateful for the teaching the panelists provide and the curiosity they inspire. They are doing exactly the kind of work we would expect from our Climate Action Hero Award honorees!

Three Skilling award winners will be at CAM next Thursday for a discussion on food! Join some of the most distinguished members of CAM's community to learn about Chicago's food system and how we can make it sustainable.

Panelists:

2025 Authentic Advocate Winner Erika Allen: Urban Growers Collective

2026 Food & Agriculture Winner Jake Tepperman: Chicago Food Rescue

2026 Climate Technology Winner Bob Kopach: The Eco-Friendly Mobile Farmstand Project

Moderator:

Bob Benenson: Local Food Forum

RSVP Link Here: https://buff.ly/B1LYAVV

A new film celebrating the centennial of Route 66, Route 66: The Main Street of America, premieres in Chicago on Tuesday, September 1st at the Art Institute, the first stop on the film’s screening tour down the historic highway.

The documentary, produced by Chris Elisara and directed by his partner, John Paget, tells the story of how Route 66 shaped American culture and highlights the wildly diverse institutions along its 2,500-mile stretch.

On the following day, September 2nd, CAM will host a special panel discussion with producer Chris Elisara. The conversation will explore what we can learn from the history of Route 66 and how CAM adds its own chapter to that story. The discussion will touch on a related public art project: the Route 66 river mural, painted by artist Thomas Melvin, located on the Chicago River just outside CAM.

Art Institute premier tickets: https://buff.ly/anLfTjh
CAM panel discussion tickets: https://buff.ly/wJnRQl6

CAM's Meeting of the Whole is tomorrow at 5:30 PM!

We're working on CAM 2.0, a community led effort to take our exhibits into the future. All are welcome! Join us to bring your voice and perspectives to the conversations!

RSVP Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-lJBAlATQoVIf3ukmGxVVZmkJsUcjaDrpNMuef9P4ehfj_A/viewform?usp=dialog

A new film celebrating the centennial of Route 66, Route 66: The Main Street of America, premieres in Chicago on Tuesday, September 1st at the Art Institute, the first stop on the film’s screening tour down the historic highway.

The documentary, produced by Chris Elisara and directed by his partner, John Paget, tells the story of how Route 66 shaped American culture and highlights the wildly diverse institutions along its 2,500-mile stretch.

On the following day, September 2nd, CAM will host a special panel discussion with producer Chris Elisara. The conversation will explore what we can learn from the history of Route 66 and how CAM adds its own chapter to that story. The discussion will touch on a related public art project: the Route 66 river mural, painted by artist Thomas Melvin, located on the Chicago River just outside CAM.

Get your tickets for the premier here: https://mainstreetofamerica.myeventscenter.com/event/Chicago-Il-Screening-Route-66-The-Main-Street-Of-125717

RSVP for the panel discussion here: https://givebutter.com/route66

Climate change is a generation-defining challenge. The magnitude of need for first-of-a-kind solutions makes the venture capital (VC) model an obvious choice for funding climate technologies and services. However, is the traditional venture capital model actually suited to find success in climate tech? If not, are we relying too much on the venture model to solve climate change?

Join Chicago’s Climate Action Museum (CAM) and Lost The Plot (LTP) during Chicago Venture Week to explore these questions. First, Kara Rodby - founder of Lost the Plot and a Principal at an energy hardware-themed VC fund - will share her perspective on why our overreliance on an ill-fitting funding model will fail the climate movement. Pulling from her five years of experience working in climate tech VC, she challenges us to think critically about the free market approach the US and Europe have taken to fighting this time-sensitive issue.

Then Kara will lead a fireside chat with Michelle Carr and Matt Orsagh. Michelle is the CEO of Evergreen Climate Innovations, pioneers of the 501vc® model for philanthropically-funded venture investing. Matt Orsagh is a co-founder of the Arketa Institute, a think tank on post-growth finance. This conversation will explore the opportunities and challenges of alternative financing models to VC for climate hardware.

RSVP Here: https://givebutter.com/climate-finance

The Climate Action Museum is excited to host a panel discussion on Environmental Ethics on Tuesday, September 22nd at 5:30pm!

This conversation will navigate the ethical questions around humanity's role in environmental management in light of human-driven changes in the global climate. The panelists will discuss the evolution of environmental ethics, engaging participants in reflections about the natural world and its value to Chicago and beyond.

We hope to see you there! This is a Pay-What-You-Can event, spots are limited!

RSVP Here: https://givebutter.com/environmental-ethics-past-present-and-future

This past Tuesday for Chicago Climate Week we partnered with the Chicago Donut Economics Coalition for a game night!

We played a reimagined version of the traditional Game of Life. Instead of racing to accumulate the most wealth, players worked together to create the most meaningful change — building a world of social and climate justice without burning out along the way.

The game reminds us that the challenges we face are connected, and that our actions are more powerful when we build solidarity and work together. Folks stuck around for a full hour and a half after the event ended, and we can't wait to see what new projects and collaborations come out of this evening!

Thank you to facilitators Julie Wang and Nicole Mammano for leading this amazing session. Thank you to all of the ChiDEC volunteers who put this together. Thank you to all of the participants for bringing your passion and ideas to the event. CAM is excited to work with you all in the future!

Shout out to Julie Wang and David Sarmiento for the photos.

Join us for a Meeting of the Whole tomorrow at CAM! The Meeting of the Whole is CAM's standing monthly meeting for community feedback and ideas.

This month we will be focusing on our strategy for CAM 2.0, a museum effort to develop new exhibits, plan expansions, and center our message around the perspectives of our diverse community.

RSVP Here: https://buff.ly/PPrB2Hh

Chicago Climate Week is off to a great start at CAM! For our first event, we partnered with the Climate Reality Project for a workshop on how to design and execute climate policy campaigns.

Thank you to facilitators Charlotte Giff and Adam Schwartz for facilitating this wonderful event. It was inspiring to see a diverse crowd of participants talking about climate solutions through expressing their different ideas, experiences, and creativity. That's what CAM is all about.

Join us for more events this week! On the agenda is:

Monday: Climate Storytelling, more info and RSVP here: https://buff.ly/d8B6CAk

Tuesday: Life Reimagined Game Night with the Chicago Donut Economics Coalition, more details and RSVP here: https://buff.ly/Lg8HzcL

Wednesday: The Meeting of the Whole, more details and RSVP here: https://buff.ly/PPrB2Hh

Friday: Impact of Data Centers on our Climate, full, but join the waitlist here: https://buff.ly/hFyQVFj