Join Blue Forest at Climate Week NYC 2025

Climate Week NYC is the world’s biggest climate event of its kind, convening leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society for a diverse program of discussions and collaborations on climate, investment, and innovation. Hundreds of events hosted across the city will span policy, finance, community action, and culture, creating a platform where global perspectives converge and new ideas take shape.

📅 September 21-28, 2025 | 📍 New York City

Blue Forest’s Role

As a leader in conservation finance and wildfire resilience, Blue Forest is participating in a series of Climate Week NYC Events that highlight how financial innovation can scale durable climate solutions. Across these sessions, our team will share perspectives on:

  • Building respectful partnerships with Tribal Nations to expand Indigenous-led stewardship and unlock new pathways for climate finance
  • Reimagining the U.S. role in global conservation through collaborative, forward-looking approaches
  • Using outcomes-based financing to reduce risk and mobilize private capital for nature-based solutions
  • Advancing forest restoration through cross-sector leadership and finance at scale
  • Shaping the next decade of Forest Resilience Bonds and other nature-based finance solutions to accelerate resilience investments

Where to Find Us

  • How Nonprofits and Tribes Are Rewriting the Story of Climate Finance
    📅 Sunday September 21, 5:30-8:30pm 📍 Treehouse at Doris Duke Center
    Blue Forest’s Indigenous Partnerships Senior Manager, Saraya Hamidi (Cherokee Nation), will join leaders from BlueCommons, River Partners, and Trees, Water & People to share how partnerships rooted in Tribal leadership are opening new pathways for climate finance. The session will highlight models that blend Indigenous knowledge with policy and capital, offering practical lessons on how collaboration can unlock resources long absent from stewardship and drive durable solutions for water, fire, and community resilience.
    🎟️: Request an invitation here
  • The Future Is Ours to Build: Reimagining U.S. Leadership in Global Conservation
    📅 Monday, September 22, 3-5pm | 📍 Pier 57
    This forward-looking conversation hosted by the Reimagining Global Conservation focuses on how the U.S. can contribute to a stronger global conservation system in a time of transition. Gregg Verutes, Blue Forest’s Director of Conservation Science, will join leaders from across sectors to ask what kind of approaches are needed now, and how U.S. engagement can help bring them to life. Rather than revisiting past models, the session will focus on new ideas, honest debate, and collaborative design aimed at building a more inclusive and effective path forward.
    🎟️: Register here
  • Using Outcomes-Based Financing to Scale Nature-Based Solutions
    📅 Tuesday, September 23, 10-10:45am | 📍 The Yale Club, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue
    Hosted by the Sorenson Impact Institute as part of its day-long forum ‘Scaling Nature-based Solutions Through Innovative Finance,’ this panel will explore how outcomes-based financing can help overcome barriers that keep investors from engaging with nature-based solutions. Zach Knight, Blue Forest’s CEO, will join fellow experts to discuss how creative financial models can reduce risk, unlock liquidity, and align incentives to close the $500+ billion annual funding gap for NbS. The session will be followed by a reception and networking.
    🎟️: Join the waitlist here
  • Panel: From Catastrophe to Resilience: Forests in a Changing Climate | Roundtable: Forest Finance Pathways
    📅 Tuesday, September 23, 2-4pm | 📍 Treehouse at Doris Duke Center
    Now in its third year, the Forest Restoration Leadership Forum convened by 1t.org US will gather leaders across business, government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector to accelerate U.S. forest restoration. As part of the afternoon program, Zach Knight, Blue Forest’s CEO, will join peers for a panel followed by a roundtable discussion, which will explore how finance and cross-sector collaboration can drive forest restoration at scale.
    🎟️: Request an invitation here
  • Shaping the Next Decade of Financing Resilience through Nature-Based Solutions
    📅 Thursday, September 25, 4-6pm | 📍 The Rockefeller Foundation NYC Headquarters
    Marking a decade of science, finance, and collaboration, this celebratory convening will bring together funders, investors, and partners to reflect on Blue Forest’s first 10 years and chart the path ahead for scaling Forest Resilience Bonds and other nature-based finance solutions. Zach Knight (CEO), Gregg Verutes (Director of Conservation Science), and Seren Pendleton-Knoll (Managing Director of External Affairs) will join the discussion, which includes breakout sessions on catalytic capital, impact reporting, and the development of future funds. Small bites and beverages will be provided.
    🎟️: Request an invitation here

Why These Conversations Matter
Blue Forest’s model has helped shape conservation finance by creating new ways for Tribes, scientists, investors, and public agencies to collaborate. The next decade will demand even more of this innovation—fresh partnerships and new flows of capital to meet the challenges ahead. Forums like Climate Week NYC are where early connections are made and ideas are tested with new partners. For potential collaborators and investors, they are an entry point to help advance the models and financing needed to deliver the next generation of resilience projects that protect the ecosystems and communities we all rely on.

Stay Connected
Interested in connecting with our team during the week? Reach out to connect@blueforest.org or leave us a voicemail at 916-234-3690.