Meet 17 Promising Young Environmental Activists Selected For UN India¡¯s ¡®We The Change' Campaign

Human activities of pollution and habitat destruction are causing catastrophic damage to our planet¡¯s usual functioning and every now and then we get to know how it is affecting the environment.

The United Nations in India announced the launch of its climate campaign, We The Change, which aims to showcase climate solutions pioneered by young Indians as a celebration of India's climate leadership and selected 17 young climate champions from across India who have done pioneering work in diverse sectors and fight against global warming.

¡°We can still make a difference, restore our planet and make peace with nature. These 17 young climate leaders, the faces of the We The Change movement, are showing us the way ahead towards climate justice and climate action. Their stories have inspired me and I hope they inspire people everywhere to share their climate actions, big or small, using #WeTheChangeNOW,¡± says Dia Mirza, UN Secretary-General¡¯s Advocate for Sustainable development Goals, Actor and Producer, who has lent her support to the digital campaign.

1.Garvita Gulhati - Technology and Innovation

Garvita Gulhati/Instagram

Known as a 'Water Girl of India' Garvita Gulhati is a Co-founder of Why Waste, an organisation that prevented over 6 million litres of water from being wasted with the help of over 5 lakh and 10 million people. She was the only Indian among 60 others from 42 countries to win the 'Global Changemaker' in 2018.

Noticing that every year, over 14 million litres of water waste at restaurant tables, in 2015 Garvita and her team of ¡®waterpreneurs¡¯ reached out to over 500,000 restaurants across India, and together prevented over 10 million litres of water from being wasted and impacted over 6 million lives.

"I re-approached the problem of water being wasted in restaurants with the ¡°GlassHalfFull¡± concept - looking at the water with a positive perspective," Garvita says.

2. Kriti Tula - Sustainable lifestyles: fashion, consumption, food and food waste

Kriti Tula/Instagram

Studied at the London School of Fashion Kirti Tula is a Creative Director & co-owner at Doodlage a fashion brand that focuses on reselling, repairing and upcycling wearable fabrics. Kriti was recognised by the Lakme Fashion Week Gen Next Platform and won the ¡®Green Wardrobe Initiative¡¯ by HUL and Grazia Young Fashion Award.

"I work hard to reduce my waste and help others care more about the planet by making small changes in their lifestyle. I aim to keep working and expanding the impact of what one person can do." Kriti Tula says.

3. Akhilesh Anil Kumar - Ecosystem restoration

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A 21-year-old Akhilesh Anil Kumar is a Managing Director of Bring Back Green Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works on climate change-related problems, promoting climate education as a tool to help solve climate change and on topics associated with gender and social justice. Akhilesh has produced a documentary ¡®Theeram¡¯ that focuses on the lives and livelihoods of Kerala¡¯s fishing community and how climate change and artificial constructions have negatively impacted them.

"My first strong sense of need to protect nature came from a forest cleanup held in 2018 after the disastrous Kerala floods." Akhilesh Anil Kumar says.

4. Sneha Shahi - Waste management

Sneha Shahi/Twitter

Sneha is a PhD student at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, studying Conservation Science and Sustainability. She is a water conservationist and working to curb the use of single-use plastic that have choked India's water bodies and destroyed native diversity. Sneha manages to clear 700 kgs of waste including plastic, thermocol, glass bottles and construction debris from an urban stream that help mugger crocodiles to return to their natural habitat.

"At the end of the day, enthusiasm for the environment comes from within, a role model can just kindle the flame or help you navigate your way to a certain extent, your passion which matters the most and is the true guiding light." Sneha Shahi says.

5. Ganesh Kumar Subramanian - Waste management

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Ganesh is a Mechatronics Engineer, a self-taught programmer who loves coding. He is Co-founder and Operation Lead at Kabadiwalla Connect a firm that decentralised waste management solutions and technology for cities in the developing world. The app also helps the residents to connect with the local scrap dealers to dispose of the solid waste.

"I am a passionate believer of the fact that business as usual would lead to catastrophic outcomes in the future," Ganesh says.

6. Berjis Driver - Sustainable urban planning

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Berjis driver is an architect and urban planner who has contributed to statutory urban policy and guideline preparation in Mumbai and Amravati. Berjis believes that green ideas will reduce disparities, improve accessibility and quality of life in cities. He worked with government authorities to help Kandla SEZ secure its platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

"The promise of being able to reach out and scale up climate action, to learn the truth behind the origins and contexts of sustainability, help navigate it favourably, and to be able to safeguard the weakest in the face of climate change, is what continues to motivate me in this journey," Berjis says.

7. Heeta Lakhani - Environmental education

Heeta Lakhani/Instagram

Heeta is a climate educator and develops the ¡°Green Warriors¡± programme on climate education. She started engaging locally with school students and internationally with the official youth constituency of the UNFCCC, YOUNGO after attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris in 2015.

"We can plant a million trees but it would still be a garden - it takes ages to create natural biodiversity. Humans can¡¯t replicate the support services that ecosystems provide, which is essential for the survival of our species, too. The sooner we act, the better." Heeta says.

8. Sanju Soman - Water conservation

Sanju Soman/Instagram

Sanju has been working with vulnerable communities and wetland conservation and created the first model wetland village with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). In 2011, when he was 19 he started Save a Rupee Spread a Smile (Sarsas), a volunteer-led NGO and organised fundraising marathons for Regional Cancer Centre and Kerala Network for Organ Sharing.

"I strongly believe that the planet isn¡¯t in danger but we are, along with every other species. Change should happen now and at a very fast rate." Sanju Soman says.

9. Aditya Mukarji - Waste Management

Aditya Mukarji/Facebook

Aditya Mukarji is just 19 and became very famous around the world for his hard work against climate change. He has participated in debates organised by bodies like the UN and CII-FICCI and believes that single-use plastic is one of the most dangerous inventions by man and is trying his best to weed it out. Aditya manages to keep millions of straws and other plastic items from getting dumped in landfills. After an internship with the United Nations Development Programme, Aditya was invited to speak at the UN headquarters in India about my work and initiatives to promote a plastic-free culture and asked to be a part of the UN Youth Climate Action Summit in New York.

"...I cannot wait and watch. I wanted to do my bit to help make a difference. I want all of us to do our bit, in our daily life, to help bring about a positive impact on our environment." Aditya says.

10. Hina Saifi - Clean air & renewable energy

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Meerut-based 19-year-old Hina Saifi spread awareness about climate-friendly behaviour through several mobilization activities such as March for Clean Air, pamphlet distribution, public meetings, door-to-door visits and surveys.

"I believe that if there¡¯s public awareness first, then we can improve the environment. It will happen if people are aware of climate-friendly behaviours and actions. This is why I want to work in the space of public awareness and mobilization." Hina Saifi says.

11. Varsha Raikwar - Grassroots climate storytelling

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Hailing from the Bundelkhand region, occupying parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Varsha Raikwar is a radio reporter at 90.4FM and uses her voice to raise awareness about climate change. Using her voice she made people aware of health, cleanliness, girls marriage, voting awareness and new dimensions of agriculture.

"I have been in love with the environment since childhood. When I was young, I expressed my care by planting trees in my home garden. But when I grew up, I knew this alone would not do. My love for the environment would not be enough and I had to do something about it." Varsha Raikar says.

12. Soumya Ranjan Biswal - Marine Conservation

Soumya Ranjan Biswal/Instagram

Soumya works for wildlife conservation activities with a focus on the protection of Olive Ridley Sea turtles. Biswal managed to organize and participate in 230 beach clean-ups and also worked with the forest department, local communities, and youth volunteers across the State to restore wildlife and encourage long term wildlife management.

"As a coastal village boy, I've always been affected by ocean and beach pollution, high mortality rates of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle and mangrove destruction which have resulted in the occurrence of consistent natural calamities. This made me feel more strongly about issues like environmental degradation, climate change and its impact on the marine ecosystem." Soumya says.

13. Sarath K. R. - Sustainability through ancestral practices

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Sarath is a folk art enthusiast associated with Kerala-based Vayali Folklore Group and has built awareness about climate action through cultural expression. He became a passionate campaigner for rivers after visiting Silent Valley National Park where he saw the rivers and nature as a complete ecosystem.

"In this generation, humans and rivers are losing the connection between them. Children are unable to spend time with the river and due to the current situation nobody is able to make them aware of its importance." Sarath says.

14. Neha Shivaji Naikwade - Livelihoods & entrepreneurship

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Neha Shivaji Naikwade who was shortlisted for the Global Policy, Diplomacy and Sustainability Fellowship, is a mechanical engineer by training and co-Founder of Parvaah a youth cell working toward zero-waste initiatives. Neha built the Climate Data Program which aims to support startups tackling climate change with data technologies such as AI-ML, Big Data and Advanced Climate Modeling.

"I believe that in order to support mitigation, adaptation and resilience to our changing world, it is important to leverage innovation and technology to help understand and manage climate risk. Startups will play a key role in developing these new technologies and solutions." Neha Shivaji Naikwade says.

15. Siddhartha Sharma - Financing & Disaster Risk Reduction

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The only Northeasterner from Guwahati, Assam in the list Siddhartha Sharma is the Founding Curator of the Global Shapers Guwahati Hub an initiative of the World Economic Forum, and also co-leads its climate and environment agenda. He worked with various communities providing them with relief and rehabilitation opportunities and has engaged with nearly 10,000 flood-affected individuals.

"I have seen the cost of human displacement first-hand for nearly a decade. Floods in Assam is a 70-year old problem that does not have a permanent solution to date. One of the ways to mitigate the impact is preparedness." Siddhartha says.

16. Medha Priya - Green infrastructure

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Medha Priya is an architect who works as a Green Building Analyst who aims to make resource-efficient buildings that result in reduced emissions and have a net-zero impact on the environment. She was part of the winning team that designed the 200-acre college campus of IIM Visakhapatnam that was rated 5-stars on GRIHA, the highest rating for green buildings in India. She is currently working at the Bureau of Energy Efficiency Programme for Net Zero Energy Buildings, in collaboration with the Ministry of Power.

"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. For the longest time, I have been motivated by this quote to do my part in combating the reality of climate change." Medha Priya says.

17. Archana Soreng - Grassroots climate storytelling

Archana Soreng/Instagram

Archana Soreng belongs to the Khadia Tribal Community of Sundergarh district, Odisha. She did her schooling in village Bihabandh. Then completed 12th Rourkela and graduated from Women's College, Patna. After this, in 2018 she worked as a Research the Tata Institute of Social Science¡¯s Forest Rights and Governance Project. Archana is a member of the United Nations Secretary-General¡¯s Youth Climate Advisory Board where she amplifies and engages young people in transparent conversations about the climate emergency.

"Growing up my parents always told me that if I wanted to contribute back to society, I should enter policymaking. These words stayed with me.. in college, I got the insight that most climate action or grassroots environmental and ecosystem restoration work is done by the Adivasi and forest-dwelling communities."