EarthX Announces Speakers and Sessions for Earthx2026 Conference

EarthX just unveiled the speakers and programming for Earthx2026, a three-day “Congress of Conferences” to promote positive environmental actions. The conference is set for April 20–22 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

Founded by businessman and environmental philanthropist Trammell Crow in 2011 to coincide with Earth Day, the event has brought together leading voices from across the environmental spectrum to explore how innovation, markets, and culture can define the next chapter of environmental leadership.

“Earthx2026 is happening at a moment of real global instability, deep political polarization, and accelerating environmental pressure,” Crow said in a statement. “What makes this community different is our willingness to be honest about where past environmental strategies have fallen short or pushed people away and instead work collaboratively.”

Now in its 15th year, this event brings together policymakers, investors, scientists, business leaders, artists, technologists, and civic leaders to move beyond polarization and toward pragmatic, scalable action that supports both human prosperity and planetary health. EarthX said that the nonpartisan summit will offer an honest environment to identify common ground solutions that align incentives—not ideology—and aims to set a course towards a healthy and flourishing future for the planet.

“Our mission at EarthX is to create a space where leaders from business, policy, conservation, and advocacy can cut through division and work toward pragmatic outcomes,” said EarthX CEO Peter Simek. “This event is about moving beyond rhetoric and building solutions that people across cultures, industries, and political lines can actually support.”

Congress of Conferences Speakers

Earthx2026 will feature globally recognized leaders and compelling new voices, including:

Bob Ballard, Oceanographer and Founder, Ocean Exploration Trust
Xiye Bastida, Executive Director of Re-Earth Initiative
Felipe Calderón, Former President of Mexico
Kristy Drutman, Founder Browngirl Green and co-founder of Green Jobs Board
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder, Mission Blue
Isolde Fair, Grammy Award-winning Singer-Songwriter and Performing Artist
Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua, Prime Minister, Kingdom of Tonga
Peter Fiekowsky, Founder, Foundation for Climate Restoration
Torrei Hart, Comedian, Actress, and Social Impact Entrepreneur
Danielle Holly, Executive Lead, North America, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Dr. Serena McCalla, Ph.D., Founder, iResearch Institute; nationally recognized science education pioneer
Juan Carlos Monterrey, Special Representative for Climate Change of Panamá
Steven Nickel, Director, Consumer Hardware Operations, Google
Adam Peer, Senior Director, Plastics Sustainability, American Chemistry Council
Charlie Schwarze, Senior Director, Keurig Dr. Pepper & Board Chair, Circular Action Alliance
Jeff Seabright, Former Chief Sustainability Officer, Unilever North America
Bershan Shaw, Entrepreneur, Global Speaker, and Leadership Coach
Stormy Simon, Former CEO, Overstock.com
Dr. John Warner, CEO, The Technology Greenhouse and the founder of “green chemistry”
Andrew Winston, Author of Net Positive; Thinkers50 “#1 Management Thinker in the World”

These speakers will join an additional roster of leaders, innovators, and changemakers spanning different sectors including Ed Begley Jr., actor and environmentalist; Rachelle Carson Begley, actor and environmentalist; Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, oceanographer; Mariel Hemingway actor, author, and environmentalist; Commander G. Mark Miller, Co-Founder, GMSO; Margaret Trilli, CEO and Chief Investment Officer, ImpactAssets; Richard Wiese, President, The Explorers Club; with more to be announced.

“I have visited the wonderful EarthX event in Dallas several times over the past 20 years, and I always walk away impressed with the size and scope of this, the largest Earth celebration anywhere,” said actor and environmental advocate Ed Begley Jr.

“But now, it’s in a position to do much more,” he added. “I’ve been asked to come on board and be part of the team that will help promote common sense ways to tackle air and water pollution, and of course, climate change in ways that make financial and environmental sense.”

Framing the Global Conversation on the Main Stage

New for 2026, the EarthX Main Stage will serve as the narrative anchor of the event, showcasing the biggest ideas facing the planet and the leaders advancing real-world solutions.

Per EarthX, programming will focus on five core questions shaping the future of environmental leadership:

America at 250: Can Nature Still Be Our Common Ground? At a moment of deep polarization, can land, water, and wildlife once again serve as a unifying national project—or has environmentalism become too politicized to repair?
Innovation, Capital, and Corporate Leadership: Who Actually Drives Environmental Change Now? If government sets the rules but markets move the world, how are companies, investors, and entrepreneurs shaping the future of energy, conservation, and resilience—and where are they falling short?
Nature Under Pressure: How Do We Manage Land and Oceans in a Resource-Hungry World? What frameworks allow conservation, restoration, and responsible extraction to coexist—without pretending tradeoffs don’t exist?
Health, Culture, and Connection: Why Environmentalism Lost People—and How to Win Them Back discusses the question, “Has environmentalism failed by becoming abstract and moralizing—and can a renewed focus on human health, beauty, place, and lived experience rebuild broad public support?”
Designing for Nature and Life: What Comes After Sustainability? If “sustainability” is no longer ambitious—or honest—enough, what does a life-centered model of growth look like in practice across cities, infrastructure, food systems, and industry?

Congress of Conferences in the EarthX ecosystem

Earthx2026 includes more than 20 summits, stages, and forums, each designed to address a critical dimension of environmental leadership. Together, these conferences form a single ecosystem designed to foster collaboration across sectors, geographies, and ideologies.

According to EarthX, here are the conferences running during the event:

The Family Office Summit is a peer-to-peer convening for high-net-worth individuals, family foundations, and family office principals with more than $100 million in assets or net worth from the U.S., Latin America, and around the world. Designed as a confidential forum for principals and decision-makers, the summit focuses on long-term capital stewardship, intergenerational leadership, impact investing, and navigating geopolitical, environmental, and market volatility through pragmatic, values-aligned strategies.
The 2026 E-Capital Summit convenes, inspires, and catalyzes action from thousands of the country’s and world’s leading investors, family offices/foundations, innovators, startups, established companies, industry leaders, policymakers, and innovation ecosystem leaders including incubators/accelerators/federal labs with the goal of driving substantial, positive impact on investments, businesses, people, and our planet.
EarthxEnergy: Texas & the Next Nuclear Era Convened by the EarthX Institute, this new research-driven initiative brings together leading scientists, policymakers, investors, and technologists to examine how Texas’s track record in energy leadership can inform the next phase of nuclear deployment. Through focused discussions, the convening will translate Texas’s experience into a practical policy framework to accelerate advanced nuclear development, modernize the grid, streamline permitting, and position nuclear energy as a cornerstone of America’s clean-power future amid rising AI demand and grid stress.
Circle America Summit: Advancing a Circular Economy and Culture convenes leaders across policy, business, and culture to examine how a circular economy can better honor nature, protect human health, and reduce waste at scale. Through practical case studies and solution-driven conversations, the program explores innovations in reuse, recycling, and materials management, alongside the policies and market forces shaping their impact. The summit will also catalyze new partnerships and launch Circle America, a national effort to educate, engage, and mobilize the public around building a truly circular culture.
The Nature Summit is an invitation-only, exclusive convening of government leaders, family offices, philanthropists, and corporate visionaries shaping the future of the blue and green economy. Designed to unlock sustainable investment opportunities, the summit aligns public, private, and philanthropic capital around nature-based solutions that enhance resilience, restore ecosystems, and drive long-term prosperity through high-impact collaboration.
Blue Finance Convening and Workshop is where the Marine Technology Society convenes marine scientists, technologists, policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to explore how innovation and technology are advancing ocean health, resilience, and sustainable economic activity. The summit highlights cutting-edge marine technology, ocean observation, blue economy solutions, and cross-sector partnerships critical to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans.
Sport as a Force for Sustainability, presented by the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, examines how the world’s most influential cultural platform—sport—can drive environmental leadership at scale. Featuring leaders from sports organizations, teams, and host cities, the summit explores sustainability in mega-events, infrastructure, fan engagement, and climate leadership, demonstrating how competition and culture can accelerate and craft a sustainable future for the world stage.
The Monarch Corridor: Trade, Infrastructure, and Environmental Resilience in North America convenes business leaders, policymakers, and investors to examine the future of cross-border trade, supply chains, and sustainable growth between Mexico and Texas. The summit, hosted in partnership with Asociacion de Empresarios Mexicanos (AEM), focuses on nearshoring, energy, infrastructure, workforce development, and bilateral partnerships critical to economic resilience and environmental progress in North America.
Island Resilience Forum brings together government leaders, development institutions, investors, and climate practitioners from island and coastal nations to address the urgent challenges of climate vulnerability. The forum focuses on adaptation finance, resilience planning, and scalable solutions that protect communities, ecosystems, and economies on the front lines of climate change.
Texas Symposium on Climate and Energy Transition convenes legal, corporate, and financial leaders to examine the legal and regulatory frameworks shaping climate and energy transition projects. Through expert-led sessions, the program, organized by the Environmental & Natural Resources Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, explores dispute resolution, private capital deployment, community engagement, and the evolving role of legal professionals in enabling low-carbon technology, infrastructure, and project success.
Climate Restoration Summit challenges conventional climate thinking by focusing not only on reducing emissions, but on restoring a safe and stable climate. Centered on the science, policy, and scalability of atmospheric carbon removal, the summit, organized by the Foundation for Climate Restoration, explores how nature-based and engineered solutions can reduce legacy CO₂ and create a future where both humanity and ecosystems can thrive.
Citizens in the Arena: Leadership for Land and Energy, presented by The Roosevelt Initiative. Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt’s call to those “in the arena”, this inaugural convening examines the intersection of conservation, markets, and policy through the lens of civic responsibility and engagement. The summit challenges leaders to move beyond rhetoric and engage directly in the work of environmental stewardship, democratic leadership, and pragmatic problem-solving at a pivotal geopolitical moment.
North Texas Day convenes leading regional environmental organizations, NGOs, government agencies, policymakers, and advocates to take stock of the year’s work on the ground. Through workshops, panels, and collaborative sessions, the conference sets priorities and strengthens partnerships to advance the North Texas environmental agenda for the year ahead.
9th Annual North Texas Climate Symposium serves as a platform for sharing the latest research, innovations, and strategies in climate action and sustainability focusing on how these critical issues affect the Dallas community, local businesses, and overall quality of life of city residents. Hosted by the City of Dallas Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability, this year’s symposium theme is “Climate Resilience,” focusing on the capacity of social, economic, and environmental systems to support mitigation and adaptation efforts.
The Solutions Stage is a fast-paced, public-facing platform showcasing tangible, real-world solutions emerging across the EarthX ecosystem. Featuring rapid-fire talks from innovators, businesses, governments, NGOs, and academics, the stage highlights actionable ideas, scalable models, and on-the-ground progress driving measurable environmental impact.

Throughout the three days, EarthX will also offer curated side meetings, small group conversations, hands-on workshops, and designated meetup spaces created to encourage meaningful exchange around shared interests and real-world challenges. In-app tools allow participants to create or join meetups, whether planned in advance or formed organically on site.

EarthX is intentionally paced to create shared moments and rituals, from hosted lunches and evening networking hours to banquets, keynote moments, and awards celebrations that bring the full community together. EarthX said that these moments are not side events, they are at the center of how EarthX builds connection, trust, and momentum.

Learn more and get tickets here.