The Walk for Climate Hope

Sunday, July 6th, 2025 is the day of the second annual Virtual Walk-A-Thon. We made our Walk-a-Thon virtual so that way anyone could walk and donate, no matter where they live. However, our student interns plan to get together and walk in a local forest preserve to enjoy nature and build community.

The Walk for Climate Hope supports Accelerate Climate Solutions’ youth initiative Building Leadership Around Sustainable Transformation (BLAST). BLAST is a multifaceted program for high school and college students, including:

• The BLAST Competition is a challenge for high school students to come up with a project that addresses an environmental problem. Working as individuals or part of a team, students are paired with mentors, write a proposal, and then pitch their idea in front of a panel of judges with the chance to win funding for their project. Visit our BLAST 2025 page to learn about this year’s competition participants.

• BLAST Internships. High school and college students intern with Accelerate Climate Solutions to learn how putting their skills and ideas to work can truly make an impact on the community where they live. We are serving over 50 students in this program during Summer 2025. Summer projects center around environmental justice and multiple forms of storytelling to inspire climate action.

• BLAST Projects. Accelerate Climate Solutions provides ongoing support for a number of student initiated and led projects, including Seeds of Hope, AirAware, Sustainix, and Chicagoland EcoVoyager. This support takes many forms, including ongoing mentorship, fiscal sponsorship, and financing. 

Please support the next generation of climate leaders with your donation! Last day to donate is July 6!

To donate or learn more: https://givebutter.com/ClimateHopeWalk2025.