October 13, 2026 - Atlanta Wire

Atlanta Climate Week 2026 Runs October 10–15 With an Innovation Summit at SCADshow and a Citywide Resilience Roadshow

Atlanta Wire Staff 2 on October 13, 2026

Atlanta is hosting its first Climate Week from October 10 to October 15, 2026, with community-led programming across the metro area. The centerpiece is a daylong Innovation Event at SCADshow on Monday, October 12. The week closes Thursday with a roadshow for the city’s first Climate Resilience Action Plan.

Key Takeaways

Atlanta Climate Week’s keynote Innovation Event runs Monday, October 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at SCADshow, 1470 Spring Street NW, with six panels.
The week is part of the global Climate Week Network, which links more than 30 climate weeks worldwide.
The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience hosts a Climate Resilient ATL Roadshow on October 15 for the city’s first community-led, data-driven Climate Resilience Action Plan.
Atlanta’s stated goals include 100% clean energy for all residents by 2035 and a 59% greenhouse gas reduction by 2030.
City tracking data from August 2026 showed a 21% emissions cut from 2019 levels, below the interim 25% target for 2025.
The documentary “A Resilient Future” premiered October 11 at the Tara Theatre on Cheshire Bridge Road.

A First Climate Week Built Around Atlanta’s Own Targets

Atlanta Climate Week arrives with a clear yardstick. Organizers tied the six days of programming to the city’s published climate and resilience goals rather than to broad global themes. Those goals include 100% clean energy for all Atlantans by 2035 and a 59% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, on the way to net zero by 2050. They also call for fresh, affordable food within a half-mile of every resident by 2030, a lower energy burden for the city’s most vulnerable households, and a connected, multimodal transportation system.

Anchoring the week to those targets gives it practical weight. The city is behind schedule on emissions. City tracking data cited by SaportaReport showed Atlanta had reduced greenhouse gas emissions 21% from 2019 levels as of August 2026, short of the interim 25% goal set for 2025. Atlanta Climate Week effectively opens with a gap to close, which turns the programming into a working session rather than a celebration alone.

Atlanta’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Chandra Farley, described the city as “one of the most dynamic climate and clean-energy hubs in the country.” She said the inaugural week will put the work of local founders, organizers, and advocates on display.

The Innovation Event Puts Six Sectors on One Stage

The keynote of Atlanta Climate Week is a daylong Innovation Event on Monday, October 12, at SCADshow in Midtown. Farley delivers a keynote before six panels covering sustainable business, healthy and resilient communities, sustainable fashion, mobility and transportation, the built environment, and the influence of entertainment and sports.

The panel list reads like a map of the regional economy. Dr. Quinta Warren, senior director of sustainability at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, joins the mobility discussion alongside Terry Travis of EVNoire. The built-environment panel brings together Sam Culpepper of the Southface Institute and Adelaide Steedly of Atlanta Housing. SCAD associate dean Jens Kaeumie represents the fashion school on the sustainable fashion panel. Several of the region’s larger corporate employers also have sustainability leads on the program.

The format suits a city whose growth depends on research institutions and new technology. Atlanta’s innovation economy is drawing major commitments, including more than $1 billion that Emory University and Georgia Tech have committed to building Atlanta’s AI ecosystem. Climate work increasingly runs through the same labs, startups, and talent pipelines.

Neighborhood Programming Runs From the BeltLine to Lake Allatoona

Atlanta Climate Week describes itself as decentralized and community-led, and the schedule reflects that. The opening weekend included a BeltLine community action day on October 10 and a short nature hike at Red Top Mountain State Park on Lake Allatoona on October 11, followed by a plant-based community potluck.

The documentary “A Resilient Future” premiered Sunday, October 11, at the Tara Theatre, followed by a live Q&A. The film looks at how nearby landscapes can contribute to the planet’s recovery, a theme that connects directly to Atlanta’s tree canopy.

Flooding gets its own spotlight on Monday evening. “A Flooded City: Rethinking Infrastructure and Climate Resilience in Metro Atlanta” takes place on Richland Road SW in southwest Atlanta, where stormwater pressure is a recurring neighborhood concern. On Wednesday, October 14, the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact holds an all-hands meeting in Midtown.

The Week Closes With the City’s Resilience Action Plan

The final day of Atlanta Climate Week carries the most civic significance. On Thursday, October 15, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience hosts the 2026 Climate Resilient ATL Roadshow from 6 to 8 p.m. on Ponce de Leon Avenue. The event marks the city’s first community-led, data-driven Climate Resilience Action Plan.

Earlier that day, the Southface Visionary Awards recognize sustainability leaders at the Georgia Aquarium. The week ends with a community run on the BeltLine at 6:30 p.m.

Organizers Frame Climate Action as a Shared Civic Project

Michael Hawthorne Jr., head of planning for Atlanta Climate Week, has pushed back on the idea that climate events must feel grim. He called the week “actually a celebration about all the things we are doing.” He also pointed to Atlanta’s mix of a major airport, global companies, and a growing tech community as the reason the city is a natural host.

Atlanta Climate Week’s first edition will be judged less by attendance than by follow-through. The roadshow’s action plan and the emissions gap give residents two concrete measures to watch long after the final panel ends.

FAQs

When is Atlanta Climate Week 2026?

Atlanta Climate Week runs from Saturday, October 10, to Thursday, October 15, 2026. Events take place at multiple locations across metro Atlanta.

Where is the Atlanta Climate Week Innovation Event?

The Innovation Event takes place Monday, October 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at SCADshow, 1470 Spring Street NW. It features keynote remarks and six panels on sectors including transportation, buildings, and fashion.

What are Atlanta’s climate goals?

Atlanta’s goals include 100% clean energy for all residents by 2035, a 59% greenhouse gas reduction by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050. The city also aims to put fresh, affordable food within a half-mile of every resident by 2030.

Is Atlanta on track to meet its emissions targets?

City tracking data from August 2026 showed a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 levels. That falls short of the interim 25% target the city set for 2025.

What is the Climate Resilient ATL Roadshow?

The roadshow is a Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience event on October 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. It marks the city’s first community-led, data-driven Climate Resilience Action Plan.

Richard W. Johnson on Why Knowing When to Pivot Can Change the Course of a Career

Atlanta Wire Staff on October 13, 2026

Career success is rarely a perfectly straight line. Markets change, responsibilities evolve, opportunities appear unexpectedly, and strategies that once produced strong results can eventually lose their effectiveness. For professionals navigating those shifts, the ability to recognize when a change is necessary can be just as important as knowing how to execute the original plan.

Richard W. Johnson has spent his career leading high-performing sales teams through changing circumstances. His experience has shaped a simple philosophy that continues to guide his approach to professional growth: Adapt. Execute. Win.

For Johnson, a pivot is not an admission of failure. It is a strategic decision to respond to reality and continue moving toward a meaningful goal.

Richard W. Johnson Sees Pivoting as a Strength

People can sometimes associate changing direction with weakness. Staying the course may appear to demonstrate determination, while changing the plan can feel like acknowledging that something went wrong.

Johnson’s experience suggests a different interpretation.

A professional can remain committed to an objective while changing the strategy used to reach it. In fact, refusing to adapt simply because a previous approach worked in the past can create a greater obstacle to future success.

In sales, changing conditions can require leaders to reconsider how their teams approach opportunities, respond to customers, and pursue performance. Johnson repeatedly developed plans to help his teams continue winning when circumstances changed.

The lesson extends beyond sales.

Professionals in any field can encounter moments when the path they originally selected no longer fits the circumstances surrounding them. Recognizing that reality is not giving up. It is exercising judgment.

The Difference Between Persistence and Rigidity

Persistence is valuable. It helps people continue working through challenges instead of abandoning worthwhile goals at the first sign of difficulty.

But persistence and rigidity are not the same thing.

Persistence means remaining committed to what matters. Rigidity means remaining committed to a particular method even when evidence suggests another approach may work better.

That distinction becomes important during periods of uncertainty.

Someone may need to change careers without abandoning professional ambition. A business may need to adjust its strategy without abandoning its customers. A sales organization may need to rethink its approach without lowering its standards for performance.

The objective can remain intact while the route changes.

For Johnson, that is where the value of a pivot becomes clear.

Adaptation Creates an Opportunity to Move Forward

A pivot begins with recognizing that circumstances have changed.

That may sound straightforward, but it requires professionals to be willing to reassess assumptions. Familiarity can make an existing strategy feel safer than an alternative, even when the alternative offers greater potential.

Adaptation requires a willingness to look at the situation as it is rather than as it was.

It also requires discipline. A useful pivot is not an impulsive reaction to temporary frustration. It involves evaluating the situation, determining what needs to change, and developing a practical way forward.

The experience and knowledge accumulated before the pivot do not disappear.

They become part of the foundation for the next move.

Execution Determines Whether a Pivot Creates Momentum

Recognizing the need for change is only the beginning.

A new strategy must eventually become action.

That is why Johnson’s philosophy pairs adaptation with execution. Once a new direction has been identified, people need to understand what changes, what remains important, and what they need to do next.

Without execution, a pivot remains an idea.

This is especially relevant for leaders responsible for teams. Employees can adapt to changing circumstances more effectively when they understand the direction and expectations. Clear communication can turn uncertainty into a series of manageable actions.

The objective is not simply to make a different decision.

It is to make the decision useful.

Richard W. Johnson on Turning Setbacks Into New Directions

A pivot can become particularly valuable after a setback.

A failed strategy, missed opportunity, or unexpected career change can create the impression that progress has stopped. But the experience can also reveal information that was not visible before.

It can clarify what works, what does not, what needs to change, and what possibilities deserve further consideration.

That does not mean every setback automatically produces a positive outcome. It means professionals can choose how they respond to the information a setback provides.

A pivot turns that response into action.

Instead of remaining defined by what did not work, a professional can use the experience to make a more informed decision about what comes next.

Adapt. Execute. Win.

The three words at the center of Johnson’s philosophy provide a simple way to approach change.

Adapt means recognizing when circumstances require a different approach.

Execute means putting that new approach into practice.

Win means continuing to pursue meaningful results rather than allowing change to stop forward progress.

The framework does not suggest that every pivot will produce an immediate victory. It offers a way to approach change with intention instead of treating adaptation as failure.

Johnson explores this philosophy in The Pivot Advantage, a guide for people facing change, uncertainty, setbacks, and the need to reinvent themselves.

The larger lesson is applicable to careers, businesses, and personal growth: sometimes the most productive response to change is not to work harder at preserving the original plan, but to determine whether a better path is now available.

Learning to Pivot Can Expand What Comes Next

A career does not have to follow its original blueprint to become successful.

People gain experience, circumstances change, and new opportunities emerge. Professionals who can evaluate those changes and respond deliberately may be better positioned to continue growing rather than becoming limited by decisions made under different conditions.

For Johnson, learning to pivot is a win in itself because it develops a capability that remains useful regardless of what comes next.

The goal is not to change direction constantly.

It is to recognize when change is necessary, make the decision with purpose, and move forward with the discipline to execute.

Adapt. Execute. Win.

Explore / Learn More and Connect with Richard W. Johnson

Website: Richard Johnson Group

Book: The Pivot Advantage

Instagram: @RichardJohnson6696

LinkedIn: Richard W. Johnson

Facebook: Richard W. Johnson / Richard Johnson Group LLC