Furniture and fixtures from Playa Studios as well as temporary art and decor brought in by The Inertia for EVOLVE featured upcycled and recycled materials to tie in the event’s conservation focus. An upcycled fishing rope piece from Ethan Estess served as the main photo backdrop while upcycled surf resin plaques from Reeco Surfboards were presented to speakers.

EVOLVE not only incorporated a wide variety of topics to engage its viewers, but they also made sure all sponsors, vendors, attendees, and panelists knew that their event was a special gathering that didn’t compromise on sustainability. Venue signage, artist displays, and opening remarks from The Inertia's founder and panelists showcased EVOLVE’s commitments to zero waste, carbon offsetting, and philanthropy including donations to nonprofits that support work related to promoting diversity, equal pay, and accessibility in the outdoors. Post-event surveys were distributed to measure attendee satisfaction and perception of the event’s sustainability initiatives so they can continue to improve for future EVOLVE Summits.

A portion of proceeds benefited STOKED Mentoring, which is a nonprofit that mentors underprivileged youth in LA, Chicago, and NYC through board sports, as well as Life Rolls On, which is an advocacy nonprofit for adaptive sports. STOKED's founder, Steve Larosiliere, and Life Rolls On’s founder, Jesse Billauer, were on the first panel titled, Surf and Outdoors as a Force for Good. The Inertia also published full profiles on each of these amazing individuals and the work these organizations do leading up to the event.

The Inertia took every opportunity to proudly support local businesses and artists that embody surf and outdoor culture as well as sustainability. Wahoo's Fish Tacos (responsibly sourced seafood), 805 Beer, Pau Maui Vodka, and Zola are all California companies along with Klean Kanteen’s reusable cups and All Good’s reef safe sunscreen products in the ChicoBag’s swag bag. A local illustrator who literally lived down the street from the venue did custom designs for each of the speakers to represent their respective backgrounds, which were featured online and printed next to the bar at the venue. To top it off, the Los Angeles-based band, Coastal Clouds, closed out the night with a solid performance.

The "Three Hearts Home Premiere + Hunting and Sustainability: Unlikely Partners?" panel touched on the marine environment, marine wildlife, and how to sustainably manage these resources with the World Champion Spearfisher and Freediver, Kimi Werner. The Cigarette Surfboards crew teased their documentary about marine pollution with Jack Johnson ripping a ‘Ciggy Fish’ and then joined a panel with 4ocean as well as professional surfer, Youtube creator, and activist, Alison Teal. These creative and entrepreneurial ocean lovers discussed the marine plastic pollution crisis and how each of them are raising awareness and tackling the problem in their own unique ways.

"Surf and Outdoors as a Force for Good" panel with Life Rolls On, STOKED Mentoring, and Changing Tides Foundation as well as the "The Art of Radical Parenting" panel with Kimmy Fasani and Hilaree O'Neill touched on the power of the surf and outdoors cultures for future generations. Each panelist had their own stunning allegory for how surfing or snowboarding or skiing has influenced their kids or mentees by teaching them the value of the natural environment and its resources.

The "Boldy Pushing Surf and Snow Culture Forward" panel accompanied by the “Social Advocate Award” focused on three female athletes—Keala Kennelly, Michelle Parker, and Bianca Valenti—and how women are continuing to raise the bar both in athletic progression as well as equality in the surf and snow industries. Discussions touched on surfing heritage as it relates to women's surfing and how this community is starting to make great strides towards gender equality in the sport compared to its disappointing past filled with gender inequality.

EVOLVE made sure the fun and flavor were served responsibly. Sustainably sourced seafood from Wahoo’s was provided on compostable serveware and event staff took 62 pounds of compostables to the Glendale Whole Foods’ compost drop-off bin (plus 38 lbs of recycling for a total diversion rate of 59%). Rise Cold Brew kept the energy high with its USDA Certified Organic offering on tap while FloWater dispensers with Klean Kanteen steel cups kept attendees hydrated between the stoke-filled sessions.

The Inertia utilized the STOKE Carbon Footprint tool to calculate its Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions which totaled to 24.76 mtCO2e (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide). EVOLVE’s event footprint as well as the staff, speaker, and attendee travel to the venue were offset with 50 Seatrees Tokens from Sustainable Surf. These ‘tokens’ are a combination of mangrove tree planting in Indonesia and 0.5 tons of verified REDD+ carbon offsets from the Southern Cardamom Project in Cambodia so The Inertia went one step further and doubled their tree planting and conservation efforts to achieve the full 25 tons of verified carbon offsets!