5 Years of Planet Reimagined

Imagine That:

Every good transformation started as an act of imagination. What if young researchers worldwide banded together to tackle tough problems? What if we saw how everything is connected—jobs, food, energy, the climate, and beyond? What if we could harness the energy of live music fans like never before?

For five years, Planet Reimagined asked—and answered—those kinds of questions. What started as a scrappy startup is now a global incubator that fuses research, advocacy, and pop culture to drive climate solutions.

We turned “what if” into “what’s next.” And we're just getting started. Imagine that!  Join us below for the story of our first five years. 

Below, learn more about the stories that show our spirit, the people who make us what we are, and how we pay for it

Impact Stories

See for yourself what happens when researchers, advocates, and communities join forces. From rooftop gardens to arena concerts, these stories show Planet Reimagined’s action research method at work: incubating and scaling solutions that deliver for people and the planet. None of it happens without our partners. The next story could be yours.

From Fellows to Leaders: Cultivating The Next Generation

➟ INCUBATED 2020

At the heart of Planet Reimagined’s original incubator model was the idea of training researchers and advocates from around the world to turn ideas into action. In our first five years, we trained almost 50 fellows in our signature “Action Research” methodology to generate creative ideas on climate, energy, healthcare, biodiversity, and numerous other fields. 

For example, when 2023 New Futures fellow Ripesh Kharel set out to document Nepal’s last free-flowing river, he didn’t expect the footage would become part of a national debate. His fieldwork on the Karnali River, conducted for Planet Reimagined, resulted in a short documentary and was covered by the Nepalese media, supporting advocacy and legal battles, including a case before Nepal’s Supreme Court. 

Former Planet Reimagined fellows are now working across the field—part of a growing network of leaders advancing solutions across sectors and geographies.

For example,

  • Ruwanthi Gajadeera (2021 fellow) Lead Artist at Oceanswell in Sri Lanka, showcased her project, S.O.S – Save Our Seas, in collaboration with the European Marine Board at the 2025 London Design Festival.

  • Elias Gaveta (2022 fellow) trained U.S. Peace Corps forestry volunteers and co-founded Conservation Arts Malawi.

  • Stephen Yaeger (2023) worked with Lightshift Energy to help create battery storage solutions throughout North America.

  • Astrid Juárez (2024) is now a materials engineer working with Global Landscapes Forum as a Storytelling and Content Officer. escription

  • After conducting action-research on social and environmental development in Romania’s Danube Delta, Ciprian Piraianu (2024) now serves as Chief Operating Officer at the NSDE Foundation, translating research into organizational strategy and on-the-ground impact.

Many fellows also continue collaborating with Planet Reimagined as staff members and advisors, strengthening our work with experience gained through the fellowship and beyond. Alicia Zhang, Fellowship Year 2022, finished her PhD in Earth and Environment, became a specialist in energy systems and decarbonization, and joined Planet Reimagined staff in 2026 as our City & State Policy Advisor. From the 2023 Fellowship Year,Caleb Johnson  and Li-Ya Mar also joined Planet Reimagined staff. Meet all of our past fellows

In 2025, Planet Reimagined expanded the way we incubate new projects and transitioned our fellowship program into a new phase of our Action Research Center.    In 2025, Planet Reimagined applied a key lesson from our first five years: fellows generate powerful ideas, but impact scales when those ideas are embedded in sustained systems. As part of our action research approach, we evolved the model—moving beyond standalone fellowships and integrating this work into our Action Research Center, where insights now feed directly into ongoing initiatives and long-term change.

IMPACT: Who’s doing the work
▶ 2,000+ candidates from 100+ countries.
▶ ~50 fellows from 20+ countries trained in our action research method.

WITH PARTNERS

Consider a Carrot: Urban Agriculture

➟ INCUBATED 2020-2021

The average carrot travels over 3,000 miles from farm to market. Planet Reimagined’s 2020 fellows asked: what if we could shorten that journey to a few steps? The fellows drew on their global expertise in business, governance, and environmental design to create a LEGO model to help city dwellers visualize rooftop gardens, publish academic research, and develop an advocacy plan. Our “Consider a Carrot” and other PSAs on iHeartRadio reached 100 million listeners. Then we proved the concept: partnering with Small Axe Peppers and Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, we built an urban garden for locally grown peppers to supply the stadium’s concessions, supporting local farmers and reducing unnecessary transportation emissions. Imagine that: nachos and spicy margaritas—made without 3,000 miles of travel.

IMPACT: What actually changes
Created pilot for local food production 
Reached 100 million listeners

Clean Energy: From Research Deals to Law

➟ INCUBATED 2022-2023

How could we boost clean energy production to meet rising demand, without compromising protected land? Planet Reimagined investigated that very question. We talked with stakeholders such as oil and gas producers, renewable energy developers, national and state level politicians, and community members—and came up with a groundbreaking answer. Our 2023 Common Grounds report introduced a “co-location” model for putting renewable energy on existing fossil fuel leases. Our outreach prompted a 2024 bipartisan Congressional letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which then said it would accept solar and wind proposals on oil and gas leases. The story made CNN, theNew York Times, andtheWall Street Journal. By March 2025, U.S. Senators Curtis (R-UT) and Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the Co-Location Energy Act, turning Planet Reimagined research into federal legislation. Common Grounds continues promoting co-location on state lands in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and across the Intermountain West. 

IMPACT: What Actually Changes
▶ NUMBERS: 406 GW more renewable energy potential without major interconnection upgrades, representing the equivalent of, 101.5 million homes powered across, 2.3 million buildable acres

▶ LEGISLATION: Planet Reimagined research contributed to bipartisan legislative action, including bill introduced in the Senate, bill introduced in the House, HNRC Hearing, R’s and D’s aligned!

WITH PARTNERS

Turning Fans Into a Movement

➟ INCUBATED 2023-2024

When a Billie Eilish fan went to see her concert in London, she never imagined the show would propel her to lead a volunteer team of 150 young people in a local climate organization. But that's what Planet Reimagined’s Amplify initiative does: it mobilizes collective action. And this one fan is not alone. Amplify asks a huge question for social movements: how do we get people involved? In 2023, Planet Reimagined surveyed 350,000 live music fans to understand what moves them from concern to civic engagement. They found that 72% of live concertgoers care about climate change, but only a small number take action. Action Research fellows worked with us to figure out how to bridge the gap. Our research became the Amplify report, and Adam included it in his book “Amplify: How to Use the Power of Connection to Engage, Take Action, and Build a Better World.” Then we put the research into practice. On AJR’s 2024 tour across 40+ cities, fans took 35,000 actions—signing petitions, calling lawmakers, joining local groups—contributing to climate policy wins in Washington, Colorado, and California. Amplify’s reach has grown exponentially and internationally as we’ve partnered with festivals and artists including Billie Eilish, Renee Rapp, and Tyler Childers to mobilize fans across the world. As climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe said of our fan activation work: “Shouldn’t everyone be doing this?”

IMPACT: Where we show up
▶ NUMBERS: 51,000+ fans participated in 2024 and 2025, almost 34,000 separate advocacy actions on local campaigns, 42 policies supported by local partner advocacy

WITH PARTNERS

You Say You Want a Revolution?

➟ INCUBATED 2023-2024

During New York Climate Week 2025, we launched “The Neo-Industrial Revolution: A Declaration for a New American Climate” a call to focus on collective action and to use a new lexicon that connects climate solutions to the things people care most about: jobs, family, clean air, a good life (what we call “talking about climate without talking about climate”). The response was immediate. Austin, Texas Commissioner Brigid Shea wrote: “I love your work and your declaration. How can I help?” That note led to a Zoom call, a viral social media post, and Brigid gave us advice on our newest initiative, Grapevine—an AI-powered tool for cities worldwide to share successful climate policies. That’s the spirit of Planet Reimagined: big ideas, deep research, mass mobilization—for the win.

IMPACT: What we do next

“IT’S BIGGER THAN ONE PERSON”

— Our co-founder Adam Met is a pop star with a Ph.D. On tour with his band AJR, Adam might spend his afternoons analyzing datasets in a greenroom and his evenings on stage in front of 20,000 fans. After an arena show in Raleigh, he rushed backstage to join CNN live. Before taking the stage in Denver, he gave NPR an exclusive. He was given a TIME Earth Award, testified in Congress, and is an adjunct professor of climate policy. This rare blend of pop culture and policy is Planet Reimagined’s special sauce. Building a fan base is similar to building a movement, so Adam’s night job has inspired many of the tools we use in our day jobs. This approach is fundamental to Planet Reimagined: a sparky mix of pop culture and policy.

But Don’t Just Take Our Word for It

“I have worked with Planet Reimagined for a long time and seen their advocacy for the future of our planet firsthand.” - US Congressman Mike Levin

“A sure-fire way to secure a resilient energy future for Utahns." -US Senator John Curtis

“Good news for renewable energy developers and companies.” - Forbes Magazine

Every day, scientists are learning new ways to combat climate change. Planet Reimagined finds ways to turn that data into meaningful steps that people can both comprehend and actually follow through on” -Rolling Stone

“Planet Reimagined’s fellowship program plays a critical role in elevating young leaders and equipping them with the tools to shape ambitious, impactful climate solutions.” -Sarah Gammage, The Nature Conservancy

“It's already very galvanizing to know that you can also bring other people into it, and you can, instead of just making one change yourself, if you can inspire a lot of people.” -Alie Ward, Ologies Podcast

“I felt like a part of something larger! It was such a positive atmosphere and it felt good to know that I was participating in preserving my environment while supporting my favorite artists.”-AJR Fan, Atlanta

“Every artist, every performer, every sports team needs to put this on their table, take action, and help their fans do it.”-Maggie Baird, Support + Feed

“These outcomes are exactly why we value partnership with Planet Reimagined.” -Jeff Opperman, World Wildlife Fund

“If you had told me I’d be traveling across the country on a tour bus, fully implementing these ideas within the year, I wouldn’t have believed you.” – 2023-24 fellow Caleb Johnson (now Planet Reimagined staff member)

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Financials


Planet Reimagined is entirely funded by philanthropy—and the results speak for themselves.

In five years, we’ve grown from a $20,000 startup experiment in FY20 to a multi-million-dollar organization.  

This growth reflects early validation from leading institutional partners, such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, Salesforce Foundation, Live Nation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, who recognized the potential of our model at its earliest stages.

Many of these commitments are multi-year investments—recognizing the long-term strategic planning of our programs that are  designed to sustain complex systems change. As a result, publicly reported financials reflect when funds are strategically deployed over time—not when they are pledged.

As we look ahead, we continue to strengthen institutional relationships while also intentionally diversifying our funding to support long-term stability  and scalability for our incubator model.  

For more numbers, see our:
FY24 Form 990
FY24 Audited Financials