STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

A delegation from Bhutan and a renowned energy innovator whose company created the largest pipeline of clean energy projects in the United States will be among those taking part in the tenth Sun Valley Forum next week.

The Forum, themed “All in for Nature: Building a Resilient World,” will be held Monday through Thursday, June 23-26, at The Argyros Performing Arts Center and other locations in the Ketchum/Sun Valley area.

Among the speakers are the Secretary General and Executive Director of the Tarayana Foundation, which was founded by Her Majesty the Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck of Bhutan—the world’s first carbon negative country-- to address climate change impacts on the livelihoods of rural Bhutan. Also, the director of the Gelephu Mindfulness City Foundation, which tends to the world’s first global model of regenerative, values-based urban development.

They will take part in a discussion looking at Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness and its grassroots path to wellbeing and resilience.

Additionally, Sun Valley's own internally acclaimed expedition leader Gerry Moffat, who founded Thunder Dragon Fund following his ventures into Bhutan and neighboring countries, will speak. And the Forum will award its inaugural Sun Valley Forum Resilient Leadership awards.

Other speakers include Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, whose company created enough solar and storage to power 20 million homes; Shannon Wheeler, chairman of the Next Perce Tribe, which is trying to restore Pacific Northwest endangered salmon runs; Chad Nelsen, CEO of Surfrider Foundation; Justin Winters, co-founder of One Earth, and Bob Wheeler, CEO of Airstream, which claims a 94-year legacy of fostering a connection to nature and natural spaces.

It will also welcome two former federal government workers: Monica Medina, former assistant Secretary of State for Oceans Environment and Science at the U.S. Department of State, and Brendan Owens, former assistant Secretary of Defense.

A Multiplier Effect workshop titled “Engaging People, Building Community” seeks to advance public engagement through communications strategies. Another is “Catalytic Capital for Regenerative Food Systems; Financing What Works.”

Boise Mayor Lauren McLean will give the morning keynote address on Thursday June 26, talking about her city’s effort to address climate change.

“As our communities grow, so does our responsibility to create a resilient future that protects our land and resources, our jobs, and most importantly, our people,” she said.

Aimee Christensen, who founded the Sun Valley Institute of Resilience, founded the Forum in 2015 to build community resilience in the wake of wildland fire, drought power outages and snowfall changes. Among its first speakers was U.S. Sen. Cory Booker; subsequent speakers have included oceanic explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle and polar explorer Robert Swan.

It has grown to bring together leaders from all over the world to strategize solutions to environmental and energy problems.

Hosted by Christensen’s Ketchum-based global sustainability advisory firm Christensen Global, it includes four days of keynote talks, panels and workshops, dinners at Sun Valley Resort’s Trail Creek Cabin and The Roundhouse on Bald Mountain, rafting on the Salmon River, hiking and biking.

Those wishing to attend in-person should visit https://www.sunvalleyforum.com/forum-2025. Sun Valley locals are invited to use a 30 percent off discount code SVFLOCAL30.

In addition to in-person paid attendance, the Forum offers free live broadcasts available at https://www.sunvalleyforum.com/forum-2025.

“It’s coming, and I just can’t wait for everyone to get here to be here in our beautiful nature and wonderful climate,” said Christensen. “It’s a year when people really want community,  really want to come together to reconnect and continue to move forward on meaningful work for nature. They want to come together to share best ideas and best strategies and connect resources based around the common love of nature.”

At a time of so much division, we all can be all in for nature, no matter who you are, Christensen added.

“Nature is our best investment when it comes to resilience and dealing with climate impacts, whether we’re planting mangrove trees to protect from storm impacts or replanting hillsides after a fire to prevent flooding,” she said. “Together we can strengthen economies and communities with nature, shaping smarter energy and food systems, making impactful investments and designing a better future for all.”