Youth Climate Activists
IN THE NEWS
This volunteer is creating a world that buzzes with life
Danielle Romaine is creating a beautifully flowered world that buzzes with life. The 27-year-old from Montreal, Que., volunteers with Let's Plant, a project of Sierra Club Canada in partnership with Dutchman’s Gold, an Ontario-based honey and beehive wellness company, to help plant 10 million wildflowers and plant seeds across Canada. In 2025, she ensured 500,000 seeds were planted in Quebec.
Alberta teen helps young people to influence decision-makers
Seeing parallels between Canada and his mother's hometown in India, Mihir Rao realized his own stories of the impacts of climate change on the places he loves needed to be told.
Meet the 12-year-old who found a better way to keep beaches clean
Dane Currie is cleaning up for good. The 12-year-old from St Catharines, Ont., and his Thursday classmates, the Green Herons, got tired of doing beach clean-ups, so they figured out how to stop pollution at the source. They are 2025 winners of the I-SEA National Youth Climate Activism Award for their Earth Day video.
Earthly Bros' collect and recycle used electronics
Alexandre Bourré and his brother, Samuel, will help you declutter your home, reduce landfill waste and assist Canadians in need. The teenager from Richmond Hill, Ont., started Earthly Bros, working with the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) to collect used electronics and make them useful to people who cannot afford new equipment.
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 launches reusable cup initiative at local coffee shops
Abby Van Helvoirt thinks globally and acts locally. This 13-year-old, Grade 8 student from Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, builds networks, relationships and partnerships to reduce waste.
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.
A template for a national youth climate corps
As youth unemployment soars and climate anxiety deepens, a youth training and employment program focused on climate resiliency offers hope.
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.
Salt Spring Island Youth Honoured as Environmental Changemaker
Eighteen-year-old Cleo Nickels has been recognized as a 2025 Youth Changemaker for Environmental Justice for her outstanding grassroots leadership on Salt Spring Island.
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.
When age isn't an obstacle to climate action
Elle Larsen, a 14-year-old student from Saanich, BC, has been helping shape a better future since she was eight. This fall, as she enters Grade 9, she is intent on transforming beverage services at the University of Victoria.
Student helps others step into the future
Quinn MacAskill helps us imagine a better future. This 20-year-old Dalhousie University student asks groups, 'What is your dream for your community?' Then, she helps participants work together to step into that future.
Teen urges others to embrace climate education
Lily YangLiu is a social media educator and advocate who ensures youth voices are represented at international climate talks. This 16-year-old also advises the BC government on climate curriculum and is designing a 135-hour climate education program for elementary school students.
Students learn to love the ocean
Kanchan Lal helps young people fall in love with the ocean. As managing director of Vancouver-based Sea Smart, she oversees programs that inspire thousands of students to explore, understand and protect marine life and coastal ecosystems.
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.
How best to arrive at a low-carbon future together
Lauretta Pearse is depolarizing Canada’s energy conversation. As a Fellow at Alberta’s Energy Futures Lab (EFL), she is part of a diverse group searching to understand people’s perspectives on how best to arrive at the low-carbon future most want. She is Canada’s Clean50 Emerging Leader winner.
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.
Students educating students about climate change
Juliana Janot wants all post-secondary students to understand climate change. This 20-year-old University of British Columbia student co-founded ‘Climate Education for All’ to make sure every student is educated about the causes and impacts of the climate crisis and its solutions.
From smog to solutions: A journey of climate activism
When YangLiu moved to Canada, she was captivated by Canada’s beautiful nature and fresh air. The stark contrast to the smog in Beijing gave her a profound appreciation for the environment and motivated her to lobby for better education around climate change and nature in schools.