Youth Climate Activists
IN THE NEWS
A Calgary teen turned fruit peels into a plastic-free farming solution
Gayatri Sakharkar has invented a substitute for agricultural plastic film that leaves no toxic trace because it is made from orange and pineapple peels. She is a 15-year-old, Grade 10 student from Calgary.
Toronto teen is passing climate hope on to children — one story at a time
Ahmad Chattha is passing on climate hope to the children who come next. This 18-year-old Toronto highschool student is determined to ensure that young children have stories of climate hope and resilience to lift them up.
Montreal teen develops tool for teaching kids about climate change
Leila Pozzi is making it easier for children and youth everywhere to talk about climate change. This 19-year-old Starfish Canada Climate75 Fellow from Montreal has developed and tested a framework to allow teachers and student leaders, regardless of geography or social context, to engage young audiences.
BC teen's mission is to amplify voices impacted by climate change
Isabella Wen helps those directly impacted by climate change find their voice. This 18-year-old high school student from Surrey, British Columbia, is a Starfish Canada 2026 Climate75 Fellow. She is also media team lead for the food sovereignty conversation hosted by UBC’s Health Together project.
Vancouver sound artist turns music, stories and science into blueprint for living with nature
Mendel Skulski applies the art of conversation in service of a livable future. As a sound artist, this young Vancouverite co-produces Future Ecologies, a podcast exploring our relationships with the natural world, layered with stories, science, music and soundscapes.
Helping young people process climate anxiety and take action
With a belief that the climate crisis is as much an emotional and mental challenge as a physical one, 23-year-old Brampton, Ont. native Jashan Gill leads operations for Green Mind Canada, which aims to equip young people with the tools they need to process what is happening and take meaningful action.
Young leader harnesses AI to help streamline sustainability disclosure
Fatou Dieng, a 29-year-old Montrealer originally from Senegal, was raised to see the earth as the source of all life. Now, she dedicates hers to protecting it.
Student upcycles badminton birdies bound for landfill
Anya Yang turns badminton birdies bound for the landfill into useful works of art. This 17-year-old highschool student from Markham, Ontario, co-founded Birdie UP Canada to sell upcycled birdies. The group sends birdie proceeds to the World Wildlife Fund and other charities engaged in social and environmental justice.
Student paints a more environmentally-friendly future
Claire Lee is painting a safer future. This 16-year-old highschool student from Surrey, British Columbia, invented a recipe for high-quality, non-toxic, plant-friendly watercolour paints.
An Inuit community installs Nunavut's first wind turbine
Clara Phillips is helping Nunavut return to quiet. As development project manager at Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation, this 25-year-old engineer-in-training from Newfoundland is leading the installation of Nunavut’s first wind turbine and battery.
Young entrepreneur diverts discarded furniture from landfills
Saanich, BC-based Elwyn Thom upcycles unwanted couches so they are like new and resells them at deeply discounted prices. His work has diverted more than 100,000 pounds of waste from landfills.
How a young leader is building the circular economy
Abhi Mishra, co-founder of Mosa Technologies, has over the past two years played a key role in diverting more than 40,000 glass bottles from waste bins, instead converting them into beautifully up-cycled glasses, platters and candles.
A French podcast brings climate conversations to young listeners
Sasha Emery brings climate conversations to young francophones. This 22-year-old from Yukon and her Franco-Manitoban friend, Anne-Sophie Règnier, produce the Conversations Climatiques podcast.
Luke Wallace and The Dandelion Resistance Project
Luke Wallace’s Dandelion Resistance Project brings music, storytelling and community together to inspire hope and collective action on climate change. Discover how his work reaches choirs, schools and audiences across North America.
Helping farmers access cheaper power with solar panels
Sonia Vinogradova is helping small farmers gain more energy independence. This 25-year-old woman from Montreal and her business partner, Joe Workentin, broke new ground, persuading regulators to allow solar panels on the BeetBox Co-op Farm’s barn.
Using social media to explain the climate crisis
Karishma Porwal uses her influence with millions of TikTok and Instagram users to link their day-to-day concerns to the climate crisis.
Climate Conversations to Encourage Action
Smiely Khurana’s online platform, The Sustainable Act, showcases thoughtful storytelling about the climate crisis, and encourages us to appreciate each other and take action to protect what we love.
Helping students express their feelings about the climate crisis
Luiza Salek is using art to help high school teachers provide a platform for students to express their feelings about the climate crisis, as part of the first UBC Climate Studies and Action cohort.
How a Vancouver advocate tells the story of climate change
Chloe Fraser, a 23-year-old Vancouver writer, was named a top environmentalist under 25 for her accredited university course that teaches participants about the power of stories to motivate engagement in climate issues.
Sharing climate stories of hope not doom
Charlotte Taylor tells hopeful stories about the real impacts of climate change.