The EarthX 2019 conference, expo, and film festival happened this past weekend at Fair Park, drawing attention to the challenges that our planet faces, as well as those individuals and groups rising up to meet them. New this year was the Island Resilience Forum, which explored scalable and comprehensive energy roadmaps, along with actionable and fundable projects for those on the front-line of climate change.

The Island Resilience Forum (IRF) is the official platform for the public-private Island Resilience Partnership, which helps communities on the front lines of climate change address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

This year’s inaugural Forum at EarthX brought together top civic and business leaders to discuss innovative solutions that directly impact the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Attendees included UN Ambassadors from Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, the Independent State of Samoa and a delegation from Sint Maarten, led by the Minister of Justice who is overseeing national recovery and resilience. Additional speakers included leading ocean conservationists, philanthropic champions, scientists, academic leaders, visionary filmmakers, and environmental organizations from around the world.

At the event, the Independent State of Samoa’s UN Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi Elisaia signed an MOU with GridMarket and the Island Resilience Partnership to accelerate its national transition to renewable energy and resilient infrastructure.

The MOU stated that GridMarket and the Island Resilience Partnership were committed to helping The Independent State of Samoa move to a low-cost, carbon-free future. “The Partnership will consolidate stakeholders and partners and coordinate IPP’s, EPC’s and best-fit solution providers with a blend of private, public, and philanthropic funding for the benefit of the nation, with the purpose of reducing energy rates while helping to achieve and exceed Samoa’s renewable energy goals,” the MOU said.

Following the signing, Elisaia paraphrased Caesar. “I came, I saw, and I fell in love with EarthX and Dallas,” he said.

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Social Revolt, a digital marketing agency based in Dallas, played a key role in the day-long event. CEO and Founder Marty Martinez was a speaker and helped host. Social Revolt has worked alongside the UN on several initiatives focused on sustainability and climate change, with Martinez even traveling to Apia, Samoa last year for the Samoa Pathway Summit, a convening of small island nations to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“Dallas has never had this many high-level UN officials in our city at one time,” Martinez wrote in an email. “This is a BIG opportunity for Dallas to play on the global stage.”

Matt Tranchin, executive director of the Island Resilience Partnership, said his team is honored to have EarthX as a partner, as the organization is committed to transformative change.

“Our partnership agreement with the Independent State of Samoa reinforces the guiding principle of EarthX: action-oriented impact,” he said. “The vision of Trammell S. Crow has created a platform to tangibly impact those communities on the front lines of climate change.”

Alex Edwards and Quincy Preston contributed to this report.

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