Climate Week NYC: Nourishing People, Planet, and our Future [Sept 25]

Food Tank at Climate Week NYC: “Nourishing People, Planet, and our Future.”

Presented by Food Tank and The Rockefeller Foundation

📍 WNYC-NPR Studios’ The Greene Space, 44 Charlton St, New York, NY 10014

📅 Thursday, September 25, 2025 | 9:00AM–1:00PM

SOLD OUT

Join Food Tank and The Rockefeller Foundation for an unforgettable morning at Climate Week NYC!

This invite-only summit will feature a delicious thematic breakfast and lunch, live performances, and more than a dozen luminary speakers sharing innovative solutions to nourish people and build climate resilience. Held in the iconic Greene Space at WNYC-NPR Studios, this event brings together leading thinkers, changemakers, and storytellers who are transforming food systems for the better.

This event will also be streamed live on Food Tank at FoodTank.com and on Food Tank’s YouTube Channel. Subscribe to us on YouTube HERE and please join the Food Tank newsletter list for reminders. Livestream here: https://youtube.com/live/t9QNtTySEvc?feature=share

Agenda:

9:00AM. Thematic delicious breakfast in collaboration with Great Performances and live music performance.

Special musical performance by Cajai Kennedy, a Broadway dancer and actress currently appearing in Wicked, who began her professional career at age 10 in The Lion King national tour and previously performed in Frozen on Broadway. Confirmed

Accompanied by Micah Elijah Caldwell, OBIE Award–winning pianist, vocalist, and multifaceted artist based in New York City, featured in the Pulitzer Prize– and Drama Desk Award–winning musical A Strange Loop. Confirmed

Welcome

• Sara Farley, Vice President, Global Food Portfolio, The Rockefeller Foundation Confirmed

• Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank Confirmed

In Conversation with Eitan Bernath 

• Eitan Bernath, Chef, Influencer, Author, and High-Level Supporter, World Food Program USA Confirmed
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank Confirmed 

A Young Poet’s Perspective: Sloan Spiegel

• Sloan Spiegel, 10 years old Confirmed

Panel Conversation “School Meals for Climate” 

• Aulo Gelli, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Confirmed 
• Prof. Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Confirmed 
• Emily Weedon Chapman, Senior Social Protection Specialist / Human Development Economist, Social Protection & Jobs Global Practice, World Bank Confirmed
• Liz Neumark, Founder of Great Performances and the Sylvia Center, advancing sustainable catering and youth food education in New York City. Proposed 
• Moderated by Deena Shanker, Journalist, Bloomberg Confirmed

A Farmers Perspective: Gerardo Martinez

• Gerardo Martinez, the founder and owner of Wild Kid Acres in Edgewater, Maryland Confirmed

Keynote Presentation: Jennifer Burney

• Jennifer Burney, Professor of Environmental Social Sciences & Earth System Science, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Confirmed

In Conversation with Adam Met and Will Brikerhoff

• Adam Met, multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated musician with AJR and Founder of Planet Reimagined Confirmed
• Will Brikerhoff, PhD Candidate, University of Michigan studying crop-livestock integration and agroecology Confirmed
• Moderated by Sweta Chakraborty, behavioral scientist and U.S. President of We Don’t Have Time Confirmed

Panel Conversation “What’s Working Where” 

• Kate Mackenzie, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, New York City Confirmed
• Isabelle Kamariza, Founder & President, Solid’Africa, Rwanda Confirmed
• Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Confirmed
• Anna Lappé, Executive Director, The Global Alliance for the Future of Food Confirmed

• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank Confirmed 

In Conversation with Paul Polman

• Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever and co-author of Net Positive, known for championing sustainable and inclusive business practices. Confirmed
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank Proposed

Reflections

• Sara Farley, Vice President, Global Food Portfolio, The Rockefeller Foundation Confirmed
• Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank Confirmed

Delicious lunch in partnership with Great Performances

If you would like to request to be considered for an invitation or for press passes, please email Bernard at Bernard@FoodTank.com. This event is also open to all for live-streaming.

A livestream will also be available for virtual participants.

Checkout Food Tank's full lineup of events during Climate Week NYC from Sunday, Sept 21-Friday, Sept 26 by clicking HERE.