Each year, a group of summer interns at Accelerate Climate Solutions, in partnership with NEST (Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force), puts together a community event with the goal of bringing together the local community and teaching them about climate change. For the first time ever, Chicago is hosting Climate Week from July 18-25, 2026, and this event is one of the very few that was youth-led on its calendar of 100+ events. The intern group that took on this year’s...

Youth interns and donors talking during the event Last Saturday, Accelerate Climate Solutions hosted a volunteer and donor appreciation lunch. We gathered with community members to express our gratitude for all their support for our organization’s youth program, BLAST. The luncheon, a home-cooked meal served up by summer interns, embodied many of our organization’s values: community, sustainability, and teamwork. Accelerate Climate Solutions’ supporters met new and old friends alike at our...