At a celebration dinner for the 2026 TIME Trailblazers at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on September 14, honorees shared their hopes and achievements. Alex Honnold, professional climber and founder of The Honnold Foundation, emphasized his nonprofit’s impact through $11 million committed to solar projects but noted that more work is needed for global renewable transitions. Erika Woolsey, a marine biologist, highlighted the resilience of reef-building corals in recovering from cyclones at the Great Barrier Reef. Saket Soni, labor organizer and strategist, praised recovery workers as essential "white blood cells" in climate response, advocating for better conditions through his Resilience Force nonprofit.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 14, at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, professional climber Alex Honnold celebrated his achievements as a TIME Trailblazer alongside other notable figures. Though proud of his climbing career spanning nearly two decades, he emphasized that his work with The Honnold Foundation, which has committed over $11 million to 75 solar projects this year alone, holds significant impact for human lives. Honnold sees access to reliable energy as a fundamental necessity akin to food and shelter.
Meanwhile, at the same event, Aicha Evans, CEO of autonomous vehicle company Zoox, discussed how her firm prioritizes rider experience by eliminating any thought of driving within their vehicles, aiming to provide a sense of solitude in a positive context. Jason Ballard, another TIME Trailblazer, echoed the importance of focusing on people rather than just technology, highlighting the need for capacity and resources to pursue more projects globally. The event underscored the intersection between technological innovation and human-centric design in shaping a sustainable future.
Written for “TIME Trailblazers Honors Influencers” on 2026-09-15,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 9710 · logged 2026-09-15
At a dinner event celebrating the 2026 TIME Trailblazers at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Sept. 14, some of the honorees offered toasts to their collective achievements in shaping a brighter future and reflecting on what continues to inspire them.
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what → celebrate → them
Professional climber Alex Honnold said that while he was proud of his athletic feats in his nearly two-decade career, he believes those will all someday be surpassed.
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those → say → career
But his work at The Honnold Foundation, a nonprofit supporting solar energy use in communities, “has a real impact on human lives, and that can’t really be taken away.
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that → support → lives
Traveling around the world and seeing communities in need of reliable power sources has helped Honnold see access to energy as a basic human need as important as shelter and food.
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Honnold → travel → shelter
While the organization has over $11 million committed to 75 solar projects just this year, Honnold says that it is “literally a tiny, tiny drop in the bucket in terms of the global transition of renewables.”
But he said what gives him hope is the power of “dreaming small,” and he continues to draw inspiration from communities that need better access to energy.
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that → have → energy
“These are people that know the solutions to their problems, and all they really need is the opportunity to execute their vision,” he added.
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he → know → vision
Marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer Erika Woolsey, another honoree, said she draws her hope from the reef-building coral.
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she → say → coral
To her, the anemone look-alikes lift much of the weight in rebuilding seabeds and coastlines wrecked by massive storms and bleaching events.
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alikes → lift → storms
Woolsey said that years ago, as she co-founded The Hydrous, a nonprofit devoted to helping people appreciate the marine environment by creating 3D models of them, one of her previous study sites at the Great Barrier Reef was wiped out by a cyclone.
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one → say → cyclone
In her recent return, Woolsey witnessed the marine site grow anew, populated with corals and fish.
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site → witness → corals
“This was in a well-protected region, and when an ecosystem has time and space, it can persevere,” Woolsey said.
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Woolsey → protect → time
“This gives me tremendous hope in the work I do.”
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I → give → work
Labor organizer and human rights strategist Saket Soni, meanwhile, celebrated recovery workers and responders—those who help rebuild communities and restore homes after natural disasters like fires and hurricanes—whom he called the country’s “white blood cells” and “indispensable workers of the climate era.”
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he → celebrate → era
Witnessing the sordid living and job conditions of these workers was once evidence of what Soni called the U.S.’s “false promise of hope,” but a mentor reminded him that it was his job to make that hope real.
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hope → witness → him
Soni said his nonprofit Resilience Force, which works with third-party contractors to ensure recovery workers get better pay and safety standards, has made a new, “highly skilled, dignified profession” out of the job.
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profession → say → job
He also touted how the years-long reconstruction and adaptation jobs these workers do are irreplaceable, not even by automation or artificial intelligence.
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workers → tout → automation
“We’re making resilience work a way to build not just homes,” Soni said, “but to build hope.”
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Soni → make → hope
Soni then directed his toast to the dinner attendees: “Standing here with all of you, I can see that we’re not alone.
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we → direct → you
You are building hope—out of 3D-printed homes in Texas, innovative reconstruction after the Los Angeles fires, greenhouses in India …
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You → build → India
To truly rebuild, it will take all of us in this room and outside of it.”
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it → rebuild → it
The TIME Trailblazers Dinner: Designing and Making the Future was presented by Autodesk.
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Dinner → design → Autodesk
The Aporia
