Isha Clarke, a 16-year-old Oakland activist, co-founded Youth vs. Apocalypse to protest a controversial coal terminal planned for an underserved community. Her early activism highlighted environmental racism and the critical need for environmental justice.

Now a leader, Isha and Youth vs. Apocalypse gained national attention confronting Senator Dianne Feinstein about the Green New Deal in a viral video. They continue advocating for radical climate action centered on frontline communities, organizing major events like the Bay Area Youth Climate Strike and actions at the California Democratic Convention. Isha champions a movement that amplifies the voices of youth and marginalized communities.

Learn more: Brower Youth Awards
Film by Storyline Media

Isra Hirsi, 16, from Minneapolis, co-founded and co-directs the US Youth Climate Strike. This organization combats the climate crisis through strikes and policy advocacy.

Witnessing environmental injustices like pipelines and the Flint water crisis spurred Isra to action. She launched the US Youth Climate Strike in March 2019. With numerous organizers and partners, the group has led multiple strikes and a petition for a climate debate. Isra prioritizes accessible, visible action, focusing on climate change's disproportionate impact on Black and Brown communities and amplifying frontline voices.

Inspired by her sister, who graduates in 2030—a critical climate year—Isra champions diverse youth voices in the fight for climate justice. Learn more at Brower Youth Awards.

Lia Harel, 18, co-founded and organizes Minnesota Can’t Wait, a youth-led movement pushing for bold climate action. She became an organizer three years ago, recognizing climate change's broad societal impacts.

Frustrated, she joined other youth activists in summer 2018 to demand Minnesota lead on climate policies, forming Minnesota Can’t Wait, reflecting their urgency. The movement united diverse groups—including Indigenous communities and business leaders—around three core demands: no new fossil fuel infrastructure, statewide greenhouse gas regulation, and supporting the Minnesota Green New Deal Bill. They organized rallies, testified, and helped draft legislation, aiming to shift conversations and elevate expectations for a just, sustainable economy.

Brower Youth Awards

Film by Storyline Media

Mackenzie Feldman, 23, from Honolulu, Hawaii, founded Herbicide-Free Campus to ban herbicides at schools nationwide. Her campaign began at UC Berkeley, inspired by Hawaii's industrial agriculture and its impact on land and people. After an herbicide spraying incident at UC Berkeley's volleyball courts, she successfully initiated a campus-wide ban.

A major achievement was the temporary ban of glyphosate across all University of California campuses. Mackenzie has since expanded her efforts nationally, mentoring students, providing resources, and training them in campaign strategy and alternative maintenance methods. She aims for a toxic-free world, protecting communities and ecosystems from harmful pesticides.

For more information, visit broweryouthawards.org. Film by Storyline Media.

Shannon Lisa, Program Director for the Edison Wetlands Association, investigates chemical contaminant dumping. Motivated by growing up in a contaminated state, she protects human health and the environment through "environmental detective work."

In Franklin, Indiana, Shannon uncovered a decades-old toxic cold case. After children fell ill, she analyzed over 40,000 hidden EPA documents, revealing a mismanaged industrial site and homes potentially invaded by poison gases like TCE. She coordinated residential air testing, finding toxins 18x over state thresholds, prompting a reopened EPA investigation.

Shannon continues to advocate for permanent cleanup in Franklin and national change against industrial pollution. broweryouthawards.org. Film by Storyline Media.

Tammy Ramos, a youth organizer with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), led a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. Living in Wilmington, home to extensive oil operations, Tammy and other youth plaintiffs challenged the city's approval of oil drilling without proper environmental review, a violation of state law.

Despite intervention from the California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA), whose claims were dismissed by appellate and Supreme Courts, the youth prevailed. This victory prompted Los Angeles to implement stronger environmental reviews for drilling projects. Tammy continues to fight environmental racism, inspiring fellow youth leaders to drive change in their communities.

Learn more: Brower Youth Awards

Film by Storyline Media

Climate activist Luisa Neubauer, co-founder of "Fridays For Future," envisions a future where humanity has overcome the climate crisis. She emphasizes that addressing this challenge is a collective responsibility, not limited to one generation, and offers four initial steps for anyone to become an activist.

TED Talks feature leading thinkers sharing insights on technology, science, global issues, and more, in 18 minutes or less. These talks can be freely shared. For commercial use, submit a Media Request. Follow TED on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to their channel.

News media must address climate change with urgency. Over 150 outlets, partnering with Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation, dedicated a week (September 16-23) to reporting on humanity's devastating impact on the planet.

Teenage climate activist Alexandria Villaseñor shares her perspective within this initiative. Explore CJR's full series: https://www.cjr.org/covering_climate_now/

This video is part of "Seeding the Field: 30 Years of Transformative Solutions," celebrating three decades of Bioneers conference highlights. Founders Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons curated the keynotes. We extend our gratitude to the Bioneers organization, its staff, partners, and community. Learn more about Youth Leadership here.

Video Credits: Directed by Maximilian DeArmon, Edited by Brandon Pinard, Sound Mix by Stephanie Welch. Produced by Maximilian DeArmon and Theo Badashi for Cosmogenesis Media Group. Photo Credits: "Greta Thunberg" by Anders Hellberg of Effekt magazine.

In this powerful talk, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg details why she began her 2018 school strike, protesting outside the Swedish parliament to raise global warming awareness. She asserts the climate crisis is "solved" with existing facts and solutions, urging us to "wake up and change."

TED Talks showcase leading thinkers and doers presenting ideas in 18 minutes or less, covering topics from technology and science to global issues and the arts. Explore more at TED.com. Connect with TED on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

The Brower Youth Awards celebrate outstanding young environmental leaders. These awards recognize individuals making significant contributions to environmental protection and advocacy.

Highlights from the 2018 ceremony were held at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, CA, on October 16, 2018.

Tina Oh, a 21-year-old from rural New Brunswick, Canada, was recognized for her work at the 2018 Brower Youth Awards. She is a key divestment organizer in a nationally-recognized, student-led fossil fuel divestment campaign at Mount Allison University.

Additionally, Tina serves on the steering committee for RISE 2019, a national climate convergence in Ottawa. This event aims to gather, skill-share, and train young people in direct action, movement building, and anti-oppressive organizing.

This is Mishka Banuri's 2018 Brower Youth Awards Speech.

Mishka, a 17-year-old from Utah, was instrumental in crafting and passing the Utah Climate Resolution. This landmark achievement marked the first such resolution in a traditionally conservative state.

Stephen O'Hanlon, a 22-year-old from Pennsylvania, delivered his Brower Youth Awards Speech in 2018.

He is the co-founder and National Field Director of Sunrise Movement. This organization mobilizes a grassroots army of young people nationwide to combat the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives and lobbyists.

This text introduces Rose Whipple's 2018 Brower Youth Awards Speech.

Rose, a 17-year-old from Minnesota, actively opposes the proposed Line 3 Pipeline. This project threatens to cross Minnesota and indigenous territories, endangering the traditional way of life for the Anishinaabe and Dakota people.

This is Valeree Catangay's 2018 Brower Youth Awards Speech. Valeree, 21, from Long Beach, California, co-founded the Environmentalists of Color Collective at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Her work with the Collective challenges mainstream environmentalism, advocating for the inclusion of narratives from communities and people of color.

Jade Sweeney, an 18-year-old from North Carolina, delivered a speech at the 2018 Brower Youth Awards.

She is actively combating Colony Collapse Disorder and promoting bee conservation. Her efforts include establishing apiaries and pollinator parks within her local schools.

Mishka, a 17-year-old from Utah, co-founded Utah Youth Environmental Solutions and helped craft the Utah Climate Resolution—the first of its kind in a traditionally conservative state. She also organized the 2016 Utah People’s Climate March.

Her work focuses on empowering youth to hold statewide organizations accountable for climate change and building Utah's youth climate movement. As a Pakistani Muslim American, Mishka also strives to build bridges and empower Muslim youth and students of color in the state.

Rose, a 17-year-old Indigenous organizer from the Isanti Dakota and Ho-Chunk Nations, actively opposes the Line 3 Pipeline in Minnesota. This proposed pipeline threatens Indigenous territories and the way of life for the Anishinaabe and Dakota people.

Rose speaks publicly at schools and organizes local events to raise awareness about the pipeline's dangers. She is also a Youth Climate intervenor, one of 13 who gained legal status in the Line 3 permitting process. Her activism extends beyond Minnesota, notably including the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock.

Stephen, 22, from Pennsylvania, is co-founder and National Field Director of Sunrise Movement. This organization mobilizes young people nationwide to combat the influence of fossil fuel executives and lobbyists, empowering them to elect leaders who will address climate change and create green jobs.

He organized the 'Sunrise Semester,' a fellowship program that engaged 70 young people in five key states for the 2018 elections. This initiative combined campaigning for progressive candidates with direct action to expose fossil fuel money. Stephen's organizing journey began at Swarthmore College, where he led a widely publicized fossil fuel divestment campaign.