Youth Activists Archives

How can gen z support each other during the climate emergency?

We’re the first generation to face the possibility of an uninhabitable planet within our lifetimes. Although my generation is the least responsible for the man-made pollution causing climate change, our jobs…our homes… our families… and our future are being impacted the most.

ACE INTERVIEW: Maureo on Queerness in Climate Activism

Raquel Martinez

Maureo Fernandez y Mora (he/they) is a youth activist based in Northampton, MA and Associate State Director of Clean Water Action Massachusetts.

HIGHLIGHT: Wisconsin Youth Activists

Jennifer Gonzalez, Senior Director of Video

Wisconsin’s climate is changing. In the past century, most of the state has warmed about two degrees (F). Heavy rainstorms are becoming more frequent, and ice cover on the Great Lakes is forming later or melting sooner. In the coming decades, the state will have more extremely hot days, which may harm public health in urban areas and corn harvests in rural areas. We’d like to introduce you to some youth climate activists based in Wisconsin and what issues are most important to them and their community.

ACE INTERVIEW: Alex Silva on Influencer Power in Activism

Raquel Martinez

Alex Silva (he/him) is a recent high school graduate, climate content creator, and founder of the EcoTok collective. He uses his voice on social media to advocate for different environmental causes and previously led an environmental club at his school for three years. Alex also volunteers for Chispa NV, a grassroots climate organization that focuses on environmental justice.

ACE INTERVIEW: Philip Aiken on Being an Environmentalist in the Digital Space

Raquel Martinez

Philip Aiken hosts the eco podcast ‘just to save the world.’ He is an environmentalist, creative and a community organizer in Austin, Texas with a background in Engineering and a Masters degree in Renewable Energy. Phil is currently a videographer working with sustainable brands and environmental organizations, a prominent eco TikToker, and founding member and director of media production at Intersectional Environmentalist 501 (c)(3).

ACE INTERVIEW: Aryaana Khan on COP26

Raquel Martinez

Aryaana Khan (she/they) is a 20-year-old youth climate organizer located in New York City. She has been a part of the Youth Fundraising Advisory Board (YFAB) and a Senior Fellow at ACE, and is currently a Biologist in the making at the City College of New York. As she prepares to attend COP26 with ACE, Aryaana has shared some thoughts around the conference and the outcomes she is hoping for.

ACE INTERVIEW: Nico Lovejoy on COP26

Raquel Martinez

Indy (he/him) is currently in his third year at American University in Washington D.C., where he is based, working towards a B.A. in Legal Studies and Sociology, and will be attending COP26 in Glasgow next month as part of ACE’s delegation. Before working for ACE, he worked as an Engagement Intern for The Climate Reality Project where he is most proud of organizing a webinar on Indigenous Leadership within the climate movement, featuring many Indigenous climate speakers. He is now a part of the ACE team as a Storytelling Intern after working to grow the organization’s social media accounts – most notably on TikTok – as a Social Media Intern.

ACE INTERVIEW: Alaina Wood on Digital Climate Activism

Raquel Martinez

Alaina Wood (she/her) is a 25-year-old Sustainability Scientist based in the mountains of Tennessee. Alaina conducts science communication work and is the co-founder of EcoTok, a collective of Environmental Creators conducting climate activism on TikTok.

ACE INTERVIEW: Abbie Richards on Combating Misinformation As a Young Person

Raquel Martinez

Abbie Richards (she/her) is a 25-year-old Researcher and Science Communicator from Boston, MA. Abbie has been engaged in environmental work since she was sixteen and is currently pursuing her second degree in Climate Sciences. She spends much of her time researching and combatting misinformation — something the environmental community is all too familiar with — while also co-running EcoTok, a collaborative environmentalist TikTok account and collective of eco-creators.

ACE INTERVIEW: Tonyisha Harris on Conservation Work in Illinois

Raquel Martinez

Tonyisha currently serves as the Chicagoland Conservation Manager at the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC). Beginning in September 2019, she has worked with the energy, conservation and Chicago teams on facilitation, organization, legislative education and policy development.