What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the incredible team behind Protiva, a group of passionate, multidisciplinary professionals who bring their energy, creativity, and commitment every day to replace toxic synthetic dyes with biodegradable pigments made by extremophile bacteria driven by a shared mission to stop textile pollution. What are your next steps/goals?
We are finalizing commercial agreements following successful pilots with our first bacterial dye (brown) and developing the remaining four base colors (black, blue, red, and yellow). Our goal is to build a complete, blendable, high-performance palette, functionalize it with green chemistry, validate it industrially, and launch it to market by 2028. We are preparing for industrial-scale pilot tests and expanding our colorant range through microbial engineering. We developed our first MVP in 10 months, validated it through pilot tests, and reached initial sales. Our next step is to scale production and expand commercialization across the region through industrial partnerships. What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
Our vision is to deliver a definitive, five-color blendable palette for the industry. The methodology used to develop our first dye is repeatable for the remaining four, and to accelerate this process, we are raising capital to expand our R&D and scale manufacturing.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  
I am most proud that the Uru Uru Team is restoring Lake Uru Uru through an eco-friendly solution rooted in the traditional knowledge of my community; reviving a vital wetland that sustains seven Indigenous communities and 76 bird species in Bolivia. What are your next steps/goals?  
My next goal is to scale our solution across the entire Lake Uru Uru basin, accelerating restoration efforts while strengthening the ecological health, biodiversity, and cultural heritage of this vital wetland. This includes expanding community-led initiatives, deepening scientific validation of our traditional practices, and building strategic partnerships to ensure long-term sustainability and climate resilience. What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  
To accomplish this, we need the state to uphold Indigenous communities’ right to prior consultation, global recognition of traditional knowledge as science, and stronger alliances and funding to accelerate restoration efforts. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
I’m most proud of turning agricultural waste into a high-performance battery material that can outperform the current non-renewable incumbents. In addition to being sustainable our solution leverages a secure and resilient supply chain. What are your next steps/goals? 
We are currently prototyping batteries with our material as a solid electrolyte. We are aiming to first target the robotics industry where power and limited battery capacity is a major obstacle to deployment. By enabling robust battery systems, our goal is to bring on a more productive future powered by clean energy. What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
I am looking to connect with stakeholders in battery manufacturing, robotics, and EV.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
I am most proud of the way in which Gridbrid is creating a win-win ecosystem where decision makers can collaborate most effectively to make data driven decisions for their energy transition with clarity and confidence. We’ve built a solution that translates technical complexity into actionable intelligence, enabling better, faster, and lower-risk decisions in the development of clean energy systems that are not just good for the environment but also good for business. Seeing our platform accelerate real-world projects while bringing more resilient power systems with less emissions is deeply rewarding because I grew up in a place with regular power outages and I know how much prosperity reliable energy access brings to society.What are your next steps/goals? 
At Gridbrid, our goal is to lead the energy transition, not just during the planning stage of power projects, but across the lifetime of each project – from beginning to end. Our next steps to make it happen is to continue developing our platform and deepen our impact by deploying GridBrid in new markets. We’re building partnerships with major utilities, industrials, and governments to scale faster, reach underserved regions, and reshape how decarbonization decisions are made.What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
To realize our mission at Gridbrid to accelerate the energy transition to net zero and bring energy to underserved communities globally, we need to bring our solution into the hands of more changemakers. For that we need bold collaborators and internal champions inside large companies that are willing to rethink how energy decisions are made and who are committed to making the energy transition equitable, data-driven, and resilient. Most of all, we need platforms like One Young World, that believe in the power of youth-led innovation to drive global transformation collaboratively because the most pressing challenges of our times cannot be solved in silos.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
When I came to Delhi for my undergraduate studies, I saw the skies choked with smoke from burning agricultural waste – the root cause of much of the city’s pollution. What began as a vague thought – could this pollution become power? – became a reality after years of work: fire-safe, lithium-free zinc batteries made from nanocarbons derived from agri-waste. Turning that moment of despair into a solution now powering real pilots is what makes me proud. 
 
What are your next steps/goals?
Our next steps are to complete certification, launch pilots, and scale production to megawatt-level zinc energy storage systems. Each deployment will cut carbon in two ways – by preventing agricultural waste burning and by replacing lithium-ion with zinc, avoiding the high-emission, mining-intensive lithium supply chain. This means every battery we deploy not only stores clean energy safely but also removes pollution from the air and emissions from the supply chain, creating a truly circular climate solution. 
 
What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
We need to scale up production and secure further committed pilot deployments that prove our technology’s impact in real-world conditions. With strong partnerships, streamlined certifications, and supportive policies, we can bring zinc storage from breakthrough to mainstream – replacing polluting systems and preventing agricultural waste burning on a global scale. We also need visibility through industry networks and platforms to showcase our technology’s dual impact – reducing emissions at the source and across the supply chain.    

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
Ikshā has been a call to action for the youth in our country. What makes me most proud is that our organisation is fully youth-led at every level, driven by young people who believe in collective action and in the power of small changes to create systemic impact. By transforming paper waste into educational resources, we directly impact thousands of underprivileged students across the country while promoting sustainability, significantly reducing our carbon footprint and creating a green circular economy. While I take pride in the scale we’ve achieved, nothing compares to the joy of watching a child hold a notebook made from what was once considered waste. What are your next steps/goals?
Our next steps focus on scaling impact while building deeper roots of sustainability. Alongside expanding to more regions and increasing recycled paper volumes, we aim to create Ikshā adopted schools through partnerships with corporates and institutions. These schools will go beyond just receiving notebook – they will become models of sustainability in their everyday functioning, from waste management and resource use to climate education integrated into student life. By empowering students to lead these practices themselves, we hope to build self-sustaining, youth-driven ecosystems that can be replicated across India and globally, transforming education into a hub for circular and climate-conscious action.What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
To bring our vision to life, we need stronger partnerships, both with corporates willing to adopt schools and with educational institutions that share our commitment to sustainability. Financial support and grants will help us create recycling infrastructure and scale our operations to more communities. We aim at mobilising parents, teachers, and local youth so that schools not only receive resources but also embody sustainable practices in their daily functioning. With these collaborations and resources, Ikshā can transform schools into living models of a circular, climate-conscious future.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
That we’re building something real, rooted in local communities, grounded in science, and designed to last. Seeing degraded land come back to life and farmers find new income is what makes it all worth it.What are your next steps/goals?
We’re scaling our model across Latin America, aiming to restore over 100,000 hectares while proving that nature restoration can be investable, replicable, and community-led.What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
We need more long-term partners (incl. funders, institutions, and allies) who believe that restoration is not just a moral imperative, but a smart and scalable climate solution.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
I’m most proud of how LightEd transforms plastic and electronic waste into solar-powered infrastructure, empowering marginalized communities with clean energy while nurturing a generation of youth innovators. Through our hands-on programs and upcycled solutions, we’ve delivered sustainable energy access to over 26,000 people, including refugees and students, and turned waste into tools for opportunity and climate resilience.What are your next steps/goals?
Our immediate goal is to launch the LightEd Production Space, Nigeria’s first modular clean-tech hub dedicated to recycling and solar innovation. This space will drive local manufacturing, youth-led invention, and circular economy models as we expand our reach to 50,000 individuals and scale educational initiatives like LightEd Kids.What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
To bring this vision to life, we seek strategic partners who share our commitment to environmental innovation, youth empowerment, and circular economy solutions. With technical and financial support, capacity building, and access to sustainable manufacturing tools, we can scale LightEd into a continental model for grassroots climate action.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  
Climatize is the easiest and most transparent way to invest in renewable energy projects from as little as $10 with the potential of earning up to 10% annually. What I am the most proud of is the positive impact of our work. In 1 year since launching, over $3,750,000 have been invested via Climatize into 11 solar, community solar and solar plus battery storage projects.   What are your next steps/goals?
We will channel $1 billion dollars of investment into climate projects in 5 years.  What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
Keeping the flywheel going by continuing to do what we do at scale: faster, better and smarter. We will continue to work with projects seeking financing partners and onboarding new impact investors looking for investment options in the climate space.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
The aspects of my project which is my company Sea Going Green that make me the most proud are the community and impact we have made over the last 6 years. We have been fortunate to be able to work globally and build communities and projects worldwide, the majority of which being on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) , to tackle the negative impacts of tourism on the (marine) environment by building sustainability strategies at both the public and private level. Coming up on our 6th year anniversary in April, we’ve facilitated 43+ strategic partnerships, worked in 12+ countries, delivered 19+ successful projects, led 30+ clean-up efforts, took part in 34+ speaking engagements and collected 4,241kg+ of trash and recycling.  What are your next steps/goals? 
My next steps and goals with Sea Going Green is to continue making positive impact on the tourism industry, we have recently been more active with working directly with governments to build sustainable (maritime) tourism roadmaps in emerging destinations to ensure tourism is grown in a sustainable way leading to regeneration rather than degradation of the local communities, environment and economy. Despite our name, we are also trying to diversify our portfolio with also working on more inland desert and forest tourism destinations alongside coastal and marine destinations to have a more holistic approach on regenerative tourism with the philosophy that everything leads back to the waters. We have an ambitious goal to have completed 1 successful project per continent by 2025, a few more to go! What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
To accomplish our goals we need more global partners and access to global networks involved in sustainable and regenerative tourism including both the public and private sector. This could include partners developing sustainable services or products for the private sector that we can help facilitate , or partner with for future projects. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  
I love being at the heart of low-carbon material manufacturing because you get to see the product of your work every day. We know exactly how many tonnes of plastic we diverted from landfill or incineration every day we operate, and the value that we create in the material for our customers when we deliver it to them. It makes me proud to able to be so involved in what can feel a bit like alchemy, from the waste you see in your input stream to something really valuable on the other end of the line. What are your next steps/goals?  
We are currently shifting into high-volume manufacturing operations, which means getting to 30 tonnes of production a month by the end of this year, and 300 tonnes a month by the end of next. That will prove that our model works at high-volume and is ready to scale. What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  
We're currently at a stage in our growth where we're very sales-focussed, because our switch from low-volume to high-volume manufacture depends on repeat contracts, so we're chasing any leads within the construction and hospitality sectors. Beyond this, we're looking at plans to franchise and grow our operations internationally, which is the next frontier, so we're looking to learn from people that have made that growth journey ahead of us. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
I am most proud of how my BusMap app has grown to over 4.5 million users across nine cities in four Southeast Asian countries, facilitating over 130 million trips and becoming Vietnam's top free public transportation app without any marketing costs. This success has incentivized public transit use, resulting in a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions from motorbikes. What are your next steps/goals?
Beyond the app, our "Green Choice" feature—encouraging users to take electric buses—offers more opportunities to experience these new vehicles and exchange vouchers with our merchant partners.  My vision is to transform Southeast Asia's transportation landscape and promote sustainability and innovation. By equipping drivers with the necessary tools and resources to adopt EV technology, we can accelerate the shift towards a greener future. Additionally, fostering collaboration among regional stakeholders will amplify our efforts and drive systemic change on a larger scale What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
In the coming years, I see myself continuing to advocate for policies that prioritize sustainability and engage citizens in the democratic process. Through initiatives like the EV choice feature on BusMap and ongoing community outreach efforts, I aim to foster a culture of environmental stewardship and democratic participation, ultimately shaping climate policies that reflect the values and aspirations of future generations. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
Cverde, as a not-for-profit non-governmental organization founded and led by young environmentalists, works as a platform of sustainability projects against the climate and ecological crises and as space for the training of changemakers. We have done more than thirty projects to date, have had hundreds of members in Cverde’s family as we call ourselves, and have impacted many thousands of people in our 10 years of existence. We have learned and worked from an honest commitment and sense of responsibility of continually growing as people and improving as professionals, while ambitioning the solving of the very climate and ecological crises. What are your next steps/goals?
I plan to keep doing sustainability projects through Cverde and improving ourselves as an organization. I am on a personal journey writing both music and books with ecological content, as well as trying to make a career as an actor. I also plan to teach about sustainability and the climate and ecological crises in a formal institution and continue advocating for climate policy and the development of environmental institutions in governments and international bodies. I envision every aspect of my life being related to contributing to solve the climate and ecological crises. In the short term I am looking for interesting programs out of Chile to study a postgraduate degree related to all this. What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
A lot more, to achieve the solving of the climate and ecological crises there is a long and steep way ahead; exposure, collaborations, financing, training, and the opening of new opportunities are all needed for our efforts to reach port. One of the challenges we face as people dedicated to ecologism is to be able to support ourselves through our work; we dedicate most of ourselves to environmental and social projects but most are done in our own “free time” and self-financed. The human world seems to value and compensate things way more differently than how life and diversity are valued in Nature. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
At Nowadays we are digging into technology, gardening, and urban design, providing resources, consultations, educational content, and workshops to help us close the nature gap and build greener cities. This year we have been working on the right to grow and Glitch, a chatbug, that is building an alternative urban future through guerrilla gardening, AR, and AI.  What are your next steps/goals? 
Our next step is unlocking new levels of partnerships and funding to scale our tech platform and bring nature-based solutions to cities globally.  What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
Companies and leaders to join us in the launch of We Grow’s B2B –connecting local growing and climate solutions.   

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
DrinKicks is a sneaker themed consumer packaged goods company that is focused on repurposing food waste and recycled materials into sustainable goods that inspire, empower, and educate. I am very honored to have the opportunity to bring awareness to sustainability through culturally significant means such as art, music, and sports.   What are your next steps/goals? 
My next step is to develop a curriculum that educates on sustainability and STEM that can be deployed in schools across the US and eventually the world. In addition to a curriculum, my next goal is to expand the company's product offerings. What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
In order to accomplish my goals, I need collaborative partners, mentors, and investors.  I am looking to raise capital soon in order to build out my team, so that we have the capacity to make a significant impact on the world.  

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
It's difficult to put everything we are achieving into a few words, I'm most proud of my team. They are extraordinarily talented and passionately dedicated to fulfilling the mission of ALORA, we have this unique opportunity to touch every life, human, animal, insect, or otherwise, through our redesign of the global food system. It is truly an opportunity to change the world, at the foundations of society. When so much conflict, anger, and divisiveness are dominating our news and public opinion, I hope we can be a reason for people to believe again. What are your next steps/goals? 
We have been deep in our product development for a long time, honing each feature of our system to ensure that all environmental impact considerations have been navigated and any negative effects removed. Our next step is to introduce ALORA to the world, put our seeds in the hands of farmers, put our rice in bowls found from the Californian coast, to the rivers of Vietnam, and the streets of Japan and Singapore, it's time to reveal that the next agricultural revolution can be found on our oceans. What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
Partnerships and People.  
Partnerships with organisations to access those who will benefit from salt-tolerant seeds in any crop or a full ocean agriculture system. We are looking for partners willing to distribute that seed in their country of choice, partners willing to work with us to integrate ocean-produced grains, beans, oils, or nuts into their own product range, and aid agencies so we may access everyone. For us to make change and work with our partners we need to let everyone know what we have here, spread the word, embrace the integrity of putting our planet aligned with profit and allow us to demonstrate technological innovation goes hand in hand with protecting our environment. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
I am most proud of how Carbon Gate empowers businesses to actively engage in their carbon reduction journey. Our platform not only measures and manages emissions but also inspires actionable change within industries traditionally seen as challenging to transform.What are your next steps/goals? 
Our next steps at Carbon Gate involve expanding our reach to more industries and regions, enhancing our AI-driven analytics for even more precise emissions tracking, and continuing to drive policy advocacy for environmental sustainability on a global scale.What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
To accomplish these goals for a greener future, we need additional strategic partnerships, investment to scale our technology, and a broader engagement from stakeholders across different sectors to adopt and advocate for sustainable practices facilitated by our platform.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
I am most proud of the tangible impact Bahari Remedies is making in promoting sustainability within our community and providing critical insurance coverage to smallholder aquaculture farmers. What are your next steps/goals?
My next steps involve expanding the reach of our microinsurance products to East Africa and engaging more stakeholders to enhance the sustainability and resilience of smallholder farmers in Africa. What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
To accomplish my goals, I need financial support and partnerships with like-minded organizations to scale our operations and maximize our impact. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
I am proud of our team at Takataka Plastics for our innovations in local recycling, creating jobs, and transforming lives in our community. After years of R&D, we've built machines and developed TakaTiles, making us the first company in Uganda to locally recycle PET water and soda bottles at scale. We've also created 50 direct jobs and trained over 200 community collectors -- through employment and trauma healing, counseling, and life skills development, many of our staff have completely changed their lives and that of their families. What are your next steps/goals? 
Our next big step is to build Takataka Village -- a full manufacturing facility, office, and training institute. We've already purchased 8 acres of land that will give us enough space to scale up production as well as train more youth in recycling, social entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability. Our goal is to make Takataka Village a flagship facility for waste management, innovation, and community impact. What else do you need to accomplish your goals? 
To accomplish our goals we need additional funding for building the Training Institute (we've already secured funding for the first phase of the recycling facility). We also need more support from government in developing certifications for recycled plastic products and tax policies for social enterprises making positive environmental and social impacts. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
I am most proud of the tangible impact EcoCiclo has had on the lives of thousands of women in underserved communities. By providing biodegradable sanitary pads and menstrual education, we have addressed a critical health issue while empowering women economically and socially. 500 million people around the world face the lack access to menstrual hygiene products, affecting their education, work, and dignity. Seeing the transformation in communities where women can attend school or work without interruption due to menstrual poverty is incredibly rewarding.  EcoCiclo is the only Brazilian-based startup producing biodegradable sanitary pads that decompose in just six months. We generate income for women throughout the production, sale, and resale of sustainable products, promoting entrepreneurship. Our reliance on the circular economy helps reduce inequalities and balance carbon footprints. We are empowering communities by enabling them to produce pads tailored to their specific needs. EcoCiclo has impacted more than 15,000 women across Brazil and has become a reference in sustainability globally. We have been recognized for our efforts in achieving gender equality, receiving invitations to events like COP 28 and the World Justice Forum. We supply corporate clients with biodegradable sanitary pad displays and sustainable products, and you can join us on this transformative journey to build an ecological cycle for all. What are your next steps/goals?
Our next steps involve scaling our operations to increase our production capacity and reach the milestone of producing and distributing 1 million biodegradable pads, thereby generating income for women throughout the entire process.  We aim to establish additional production centers in various regions, particularly in rural and indigenous communities, to ensure broader access to our products.  Additionally, we plan to expand our educational programs and partnerships with NGOs and schools to reach more women and girls.  Furthermore, we are focusing on enhancing our B2B sales strategy to secure long-term contracts, providing sustainable corporate supplies and improving the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) profiles of companies. What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
We seek strategic partnerships with organizations that share our vision of sustainable menstrual health and women's empowerment.  Expertise and mentorship in scaling social enterprises and navigating the complexities of B2B sales would also be valuable.  Lastly, access to networks that can provide opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and further investment will be essential for our continued growth and impact. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?
The Mega Gas community kitchen is one aspect that I am most proud of, to walk in and see hundreds of women and men cooking their meals on clean cooking gas made from recycled plastic waste is fascinating. What are your next steps/goals?
The next goal is to scale our impact to reach 400,000 households monthly and we can do this through strategic partnerships and access to financial resources.  

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? 
I am proud of the coral restoration community we have cultivated. From our volunteers, government officials, marine biologists, friends, and family - everyone strengthens a collective desire to continue cultivating constructive change, setting in motion an endless cycle of positive influences.  What are your next steps/goals? 
Ensuring that Care for Coral thrives sustainably while my sister and I are abroad.  What else do you need to accomplish your goals?
Expanding our network by reaching out to passionate conservationists nationally, regionally, and globally. We hope to empower youth to recognize their environmental advocacy power and the conservation impact they can create.  

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  
I am incredibly proud that my project is helping underrepresented communities (including women and children), schools, and farmers in Nigeria to understand their susceptibility to flood and improve their preparedness for the Climate Change Impact. What stands out most is how volunteer youth experts are being mobilized to use their Geospatial skills and Artificial Intelligence knowledge to build flood resilience solutions that are accessible to the government, communities, and local disaster management agencies. What are the next steps/goals?  
My next step is to enhance our flood forecasting and risk assessment mapping through the integration of advanced machine learning techniques and emerging AI methodologies. Additionally, we plan to transition from our current flood-reporting web application to a publicly accessible Android/iOS mobile app. This app will empower community members to report flood incidents and their impacts in real-time, thereby improving the efficiency of disaster response and recovery efforts in Nigeria and other African countries.   What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  
To scale up our operations and methodologies, we need partnerships with other global organizations, advisors, and project collaborators. Also, to get funding/grants from donors who align with our mission of saving communities and cities from the devastating impact of floods and other environmental hazards. 

What aspect of your projects makes you most proud of? The fact that the impact of these activities can impact all living creatures and continue to benefit lives beyond my existence is what makes me extremely proud. Specifically in context to large scale restoration, afforestation and agroforestry projects.    What are your next steps/goals? My goal is to scale up my projects and target to plant 10 million trees by 2030. Along with that I am working on projects on promoting circularity in cities. My goal is to work on advocating for drastic policy and lifestyle changes to accelerate climate action.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals? Access to resources to plant trees and platform to work closely with policy makers to push for policy action. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  Being able to innovatively and uniquely use a combination of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Farming Technology, E-commerce platform (digital system), and Electric Mobility to sustainably, affordably, and effectively solve the most global pressing challenges like waste pollution, famine, poverty and climate change, is something we feel very proud of and continue to push every day with the goal of making Africa net zero carbon emission and self sustaining.    What are your next steps/goals?  our next step is to scale our solutions to serve the entire Africa and ensure reduction of solid waste, generation of youth employment, provision of valuable protein feed to livestock farms, countering soil degradation by providing valuable compost, Improved crop production through improved soil fertility, and creation of community awareness of the damages caused by poor waste management. Our other goal is to pilot the production of nutritious cooking oil for Human consumption from BSF larvae to address malnutrition challenges.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  collaboration, partnership, mentorship, funding, technical and business development support to help us in developing the largest company providing sustainable eco-friendly products and services. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? Hands down, the ability to add value to the lives of the people we serve, interacting with them and witnessing those sparks going off in their heads or when they share their experiences using our products is the ultimate motivation. This drives us to keep delivering the best as Red Diamond Compost continues to develop sustainable solutions for national, regional and international challenges in a unique way that improves food & nutrition security, agricultural productivity and organic solid waste management.    What are your next steps/goals? Our next major goal is the launching of our Journey to 1000 Acres social initiative for home gardeners and farmers, especially those most vulnerable. This initiative focuses on engaging communities in a fun and immersive experience, empowering them with the knowledge they need to successfully implement organic and regenerative agricultural practices and the initial tools to get them started.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals? More project collaborators, partners and donors who align with our mission can help bring our initiative to as many communities, cities and countries around the world as possible. Our model is one that can be replicated virtually anywhere there is a demand for increased food production and available organic waste resources and is designed to benefit participants at their individual skill levels. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  The results we have driven in less than 3 years has made me extremely proud - we have already diverted over 650,000 packages from landfill at Friendlier. This is equivalent to 37 tonnes of waste diverted, 109 tonnes of GHG emissions, and 5.2M L of water saved.    What are your next steps/goals?  I am focussed on scaling Friendlier across Canada to reach over 1M containers diverted from landfill by the end of this year. Our goal is to create the infrastructure and technology to support reusable packaging systems across North America.   What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  To accomplish our goals, we need to execute on our growth plan to scale our infrastructure across Canada. We are growing our team to ensure we have the skills and knowledge required to accomplish this goal. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  What makes me proud of my project is the fact that at the age of 17, I could inspire other teenagers to pursue their dreams through my project. I believe that too often, young people are discouraged from pursuing their dreams because they are told that they are too young or inexperienced. But I am living proof that age is just a number and that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.   What are your next steps/goals?  As someone from Lao PDR, my goal for my edible cookie cups business is to expand beyond the borders of my country and trade with other ASEAN countries. It is an exciting prospect for me to showcase the unique flavors and culture of my country. In addition, I am also committed to finding the most eco-friendly packaging for my products in order to minimize waste wherever possible while trading.   What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  My goal in the future is to not only achieve business success but also to create opportunities for the next generation. I believe that education is the key to unlocking the potential of young people, and I am committed to educating and turning at least 1000 young people in my country, Lao PDR to become future entrepreneurs while prioritizing sustainability. 

What aspect of your work makes you most proud of? Combining PitSeal as an innovative solution and my ongoing PhD research brings me immense pride. I'm proud of developing PitSeal to address environmental and safety challenges in agriculture, while my PhD research focuses on a decision support tool that provides tailored mitigation plans to reduce emissions. I'm proud of both my business and research as it provides farmers with a real solution to address the climate targets.   What are your next steps/goals? My next steps involve finalizing my paper on the decision support tool and publishing it to share our findings. On the business front, I aim to refine and optimize PitSeal for commercialization, conduct field trials to gather more data, and expand our reach to serve more farmers. Collaborating with industry partners to integrate the decision support tool into farm management systems is also a long term goal, maximizing its real-world impact.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals? To accomplish these goals, I require continued support and collaboration from the agricultural community, research institutions, and potential partners. Securing funding is crucial for scaling up production, conducting comprehensive field trials, and ensuring widespread adoption of PitSeal. Collaborative partnerships with farmers, advisors, and agricultural organizations are vital to gather more data, validate the decision support tool's effectiveness, and refine it based on feedback and practical experiences from the field. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? Building community - a strong, expansive one that collectively demands environmental justice.  I founded and run Youths United For Earth (YUFE), a nonprofit mobilizing Malaysian youths for environmental action through environmental storytelling, grassroots campaigns, and policy advocacy.  By daring to demand change, we saw how others stepped in to fill the gaps and we've since reached thousands across Malaysia and Southeast Asia. 
  What are your next steps/goals? As an ecosystem builder, I am building an interactive online map that empowers every Malaysian to accessibly engage in environmental action within their nearby local communities.  My team and I are also fighting to bring the voices of marginalized groups within Malaysia and wider Southeast Asia into policy and onto the global stage. Living in a region already bearing the brunt of climate change, we are fighting for visibility and justice for the most affected people and areas.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals? Funding, faith, and guidance. Young people are a force to be reckoned with just social media and minimal funds, we can stretch every dollar and impact millions. With every open door, we make magic happen. Listen to us, work with us, and invest in us.  I'm also set on pursuing graduate school to deepen my expertise in environmental policy and justice, and build an international network I can easily mobilize for positive impact.  

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  I am extremely proud of the level of impact that we will be able to have on the most vulnerable populations of our climate change battle. We are able to not only provide fisherfolk with a more profitable way to earn money working in the same spaces that they are used to but also sensitize them about how they help the environment.     What are your next steps/goals?  My next steps are to expand beyond our pilot stage to other sites throughout our country as well as the region in the Caribbean. We are working towards developing our wide range of byproducts to export overseas.     What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  To accomplish our goals, we need to amplify our voice within the climate action space to identify champions who are able to provide resources in the form of funding, equipment and technical assistance.  

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?   I am most proud of the fact that I am creating unique opportunities of climate leadership for young Africans. I am bridging the gap and empowering young people to become problem-solvers for the planet. I am providing African youths with the knowledge, tools and network to create a better future for the environment and young people.    What are your next steps/goals?   Currently exploring how I can harness technology to develop comprehensive climate education interventions for visually-impaired and hearing-impaired youths, who have been constantly marginalized from global climate conversations and interventions.     What else do you need to accomplish your goals?   Access to funding and robust mentorship support from experts in subject matter areas around developing solutions for visually-impaired and hearing-impaired youths, and experts in building assistive technology. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  As a young student I wondered - What can an ordinary girl like me do about a big problem like climate change? From this, Cool The Globe App was born. We built an app to help ordinary citizens come together to fight climate change from our own homes. After launching Cool The Globe, we began making video campaigns on what each of us can do about climate change in our day-to-day lives. Our videos were picked up by citizens, who shared the idea with their friends. Before we knew it, it spread like wildfire. Over 25M people from around the world watched our campaigns. Today, Cool The Globe App has users from 110+ countries. Our biggest crowning moment, I believe, is planting the idea in the minds of millions of people, that in the face of climate change, our voices matter. Our actions matter. And we can make a difference.     What are your next steps/goals?  Citizens use Cool The Globe App to set monthly sustainability targets, choose from 100+ climate actions & track emissions they reduced. A global Meter on the App tracks the emissions avoided by all users combined. Today, over 40,000 citizens from 110 countries have come together on the app, and saved 2.5 Million kg Greenhouse Gas Emissions. This is just the beginning. Our next mission is to scale our movement with communities and collective action - display collective goals, challenges, rewards and competitions for organizations, cities, schools and citizen groups on a common dashboard. Using AI & ML on the app, we are also working to gamify and personalize net zero goals for citizens and organizations. We are on a mission to make climate action easy, measurable and rewarding for global citizens using technology.     What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  Cool the globe started when I went on a personal quest to reduce my own Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 10% every year. Today, advisors, organizational partners, citizens & youth ambassadors from around the world have joined us in this quest. With their backing, we dream big.  Over the next five years, our mission is to get 10 million global citizens committed to reducing their emissions by 10% every year on the app. For this we need support from Funders to upgrade and enhance our app Mentors and advisors to help take us to the next phase Organizations to sign up for Cool The Globe App’s community feature Media organizations to help widen our reach Global Citizens to Install and use Cool The Globe App. We have reached so far only with the support of youth ambassadors and app users who spread the word. So most importantly, we need more and more youngsters and citizens to become a part of the Cool The Globe mission as our ambassadors. It is said that it will take a miracle to avoid the worst effects of climate change. We truly believe that when citizens like us come together to take climate action, miracles can happen!  

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? Certainly, my greatest pride about Litro de Luz is in having a technology that brings about an environmental and social impact. Environmental, because it is a technology based on renewable energy, specifically solar power. Social, because it is an easily assembled technology so that anyone can build it and illuminate the lives of those who need it the most.    What are your next steps/goals? We are aiming to be increasingly present in the Amazon rainforest, as it is the area with the lowest access to energy in Brazil, approximately 990,000 people. Moreover, we want to develop new products and services focused on energy access, which will have a greater depth of impact and accelerate the resolution of this problem. 
   
What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  We need to further strengthen our network. The Amazon rainforest is an incredible place, but it faces many unique challenges in the region. Therefore, having the support of more organizations, investors, and mentors is essential for us to creatively overcome obstacles and make an impact on the less privileged communities in the area. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  I am most proud of the fact that my project is making a tangible impact in addressing the global plastic waste problem.  By providing a solution to convert non-recyclable plastic waste into valuable resources, the project is contributing to environmental sustainability and promoting the circular economy. This innovative approach could potentially have a significant impact on reducing plastic pollution and creating a more sustainable future.    What are your next steps/goals?  My next steps involve expanding our operations and increasing our production capacity to meet the growing demand for sustainable fuel and gas alternatives. I aim to expand our operations and increase the reach of our innovative technology that converts plastic waste into valuable resources, such as recycled oils. Additionally, I intend to collaborate with governments, businesses, and communities to promote sustainable plastic waste management practices and create a circular economy for plastics. By raising awareness and implementing effective solutions, I strive to make a meaningful impact in reducing plastic pollution and preserving our environment.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  To accomplish my goals, I am actively seeking investment and partnerships to help us scale our technology and bring it to more markets around the world. 

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  I am most excited about how we have combined active volunteering experiences and innovative storytelling approaches to create simplistic and relatable physical and artistic engagements that have educated thousands of students and raised awareness about key local and global environmental issue.   What are your next steps/goals?  Currently building “Dunia”, a tech-enabled publisher of multilingual environmental children’s stories, interactive audiobooks, short animated videos and other climate education learning materials. We are accelerating children's climate literacy through mother tongue language instruction and creative storytelling using affordable learning content that is always up to date, always accessible and easy to purchase.   What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  Capacity building and funding support to scale the work of Dunia.

What aspect of your project makes you proud?  I'm proud of all the aspects of my projects as it is an innovate ecofriendly company creating positive impact to humanity and planet earth.    What are your next steps/goals? Our next steps are to expand our company across Africa and maximize our positive impact.   
What else do you need to accomplish your goal? Basically, I need mentors, network and funds to achieve my goals.

What aspect of your project makes you proud?  That my company “Ciencia Mágica” is reaching every corner of the world and inspiring young children and future generations of scientists to innovate and make a better world through science.     What are your next steps/goals?   We are currently working to bring science campaigns to schools and remote communities, work together with local authorities and private companies to enhance our current impact and generate important and lasting changes in society.    Also, I want people to consume responsibly by making ecological products, such as ecological kits and biodegradable materials, which allow to fight pollution by plastics and impulse scientific curiosity and a quality education in schools and rural communities.     What else do you need to accomplish your goals?   Collaboration with government authorities, schools and institutes to implement an environmental education program in the state of Nuevo León. Nevertheless, I need to make valuable synergies with other people and authorities around the world, to make this not only a local solution, but a global one.

What aspect of your project makes you proud? Uneako, an eco-brand, with the motto of "Sharing Sustainable Happiness" is striving to create an aura of cautiousness for the problems of environmental destruction and climate change and by introducing an exclusive and innovative range of eco-friendly product solutions. Our main objective is to make our planet happy. With our motto “sharing sustainable happiness”, we strive to curb the environmental threats of climate change and plastic pollution by introducing an exclusive innovative range of climate-positive product solutions, which are made using various organic, natural, industrial waste and biodegradable materials. We are also supporting marginalized communities.   What are your next steps/goals? Our mission is to care about our planet by sharing sustainable happiness. So, our next step is to make UNEAKO a global sustainable brand, which will provide a wide range of sustainable alternatives in the area of office utilities, gifting, events and conferences. We need to create more new innovative products alternatives and keep innovating ourselves to reduce the carbon footprint of the corporates and organizations. Furthermore, we want to create a greater number of jobs for the marginalized community so that we can create more impact.   What else do you need to accomplish your goal? Since our mission is to make our planet happy, we are constantly looking for ways to increase our positive impact on the planet. Therefore, we are looking for more funds so that we can continue working towards our vision of making this planet a better place to live. We need some mentorship and support for marketing and brand to make Uneako as a global sustainable brand so that we provide a greater number of jobs. We also want to increase our network and connect with fortune 500 companies to promote our products to them.

What aspect of your project makes you proud? The projects I have worked on have been multidisciplinary, ranging from environmental and climate science to urban design and sustainability. Currently, I’m working with Earth Guardians on their International Youth Council to address the climate crisis and empower communities to become climate justice activists. One thing I’m proud of is the resilience our community shows.   What are your next steps/goals? I’m currently working towards an undergraduate degree in India. My next goal would be to go to graduate school and seek relevant opportunities – in academia, research, and industry – to help create community-based interventions to address the global crisis and protect our planet   What else do you need to accomplish your goal? Right now, just opportunities that will help me to enhance my understanding of climate justice and work on alleviating the climate inequity that exists in different parts of the world.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?  How it has made me grow as a person. Through the experience I've had with ‘Saving the Amazon’ I've also formed my philosophy of life and spiritual journey.   What are your next steps/goals?  The next medium-term goal is to be working on six Amazonian countries and planting more than 1 million trees per year.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  Support from the private and public sectors and operative structure to be able to scale with well organized.

What aspect of your project makes you proud? My Marine Debris Warrior Foundation is aiming to empower coastal communities to tackle marine debris, an issue that has been threatening their livelihood for years. As someone who lives on the coast of Indonesia and is a part of the coastal community, I am proud to take the initiative that will benefit them. People say you should start by helping those who are close to you, and with this, I believe I am on the right track.   What are your next steps/goals?   Our next goal is to widen our impact in more areas in Indonesia. We are currently developing a model for coastal waste management that can be utilized in Indonesia’s typical coastal area that is densely populated and lack of access. After it’s successfully implemented here in my area, I am planning to take it to other areas for more impact.   What else do you need to accomplish your goals?   One of the challenges of our initiative is that we need a strategic model business for the sustainability of the initiative in the community. Therefore, being mentored by an expert would really help.

What aspect of your project makes you proud?   The speed at which ProjectQRRestore is turning from an idea into reality - the speed of our growth, making partnerships with established bue-carbon restoration players and getting local people onboard is phenomenal! Many people I’ve met, who previously have been feeling disillusioned with NGOs that have focused on awareness rather than action, are excited about us pushing for the material changes that they have been waiting for. 
  What are your next steps/goals?   Re-open an abandoned calcite/zinc mine in upstate New York with the input of the NYSDEC Division of Mineral Resources, because it's the perfect ingredient to offset Caribbean sargassum's acidity and add a vitamin-like component to coral reefs. We are also looking for a site in Yucatan, Mexico, to develop a R&D facility and productions center, next to which a hydrogen gas storage company wishes to place their storage facility, allowing us to produce twice as much hydrogen from our industrial process to handle the Caribbean sargassum. 
  What else do you need to accomplish your goals?   My Board and I have expertise both in STEM and working in corporate/NGO structures, but little experience navigating the start-up business world. We know we have a world-changing idea and technology on our hands - what we need is help to roll this out in an equitable manner. The more stakeholders that join us along our journey, the better. 

What aspect of your project makes you proud? I am most proud that my co-founder and I were able to build our organization from nothing as college students and have already recycled over 2.2 million pounds of glass within two years.
What are your next steps/goals? My goals are to be able to recycle all the glass in Louisiana as my state currently has no viable glass recycling services. Once we can recycle all the glass in Louisiana I hope to spread my mission and knowledge to help other areas without glass recycling start to recycle.
What else do you need to accomplish your goal? In order to accomplish my goals, I need to raise over $1M USD to build a new facility to recycle all the glass in Louisiana.

What aspect of your project makes you proud? Regenerative Agriculture is key for us to ensure food security, increase biodiversity and mitigate our climate crisis. My biggest drive is to find solutions to tackle deforestation and land degradation through sustainable food systems.  
What are your next steps/goals? Regenerate 2% of total farmland (100M of hectares) and support the transition of 2% of total farmers (10M farmers) by 2030. This 2% number was inspired by the scientific evidence Dr Rattan Lal, Indo-American scientist, have shown that if we increase 2% of the world's SOC (soil organic carbon) we can mitigate our climate crisis.  
What else do you need to accomplish your goal? We need willingness from the sector to invest in such solutions.

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of?   Through my organization, SustainED, we have helped and mentored young people to undertake community-based service work and research projects, addressing issues of food insecurity in low-income neighborhoods, environmental racism, and the intersection between climate change and health, among others.    What are your next steps/goals?  My next steps are implementing our new programs on period poverty and menstrual belonging, which addresses how women, particularly marginalized women, women of the Global South, low-income women, and women of color, face greater challenges affording and accessing menstrual products due to rising climate change and economic precarity.     What else do you need to accomplish your goals?   To accomplish our goals, investing in youth work is critical, whether through financial means or mentorship. Developing a sustainable organization with the support of a critical mass of youth, as well as intergenerational support and belief, will allow me to upscale my ideas and work towards a movement to reconcile and mitigate global environmental and social challenges. 

What aspect of your project makes you proud?   Having the opportunity to work with some of the brightest young minds from around the world and see first-hand the commitment and enthusiasm of young people toward delivering innovative and unmatched solutions to the greatest challenge of the 21st century.    What are your next steps/goals?   My goal is to be at the forefront of climate technology development and transfer. And to accelerate support for a just and equitable transition by curating transformational policy changes consistent with the Paris Agreement and strong support for social innovation.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals?  A postgraduate degree in Technology Policy will expose me to the practical skills needed to explore how public policy can help align science and technology to effectively respond to persistent and new societal challenges.

What aspect of your project makes you proud? My project Manta One is trying to introduce and provide effective water vehicles as a solution to coastal communities. I am proud because the product has proven to be functional for daily fishing activities and also brings added value for them, the community that is not much exposed to the technology. Every time I visit a fishermen's village, I feel, that I and the team not only introduce the solution but also sparkle up the hope for them to make a better living.  
 
What are your next steps/goals? Our target is 10,000 units all across Indonesia to make carbon reduction by 284,000 tons CO2 yearly. We want to try Bali Island by targeted 1,600 units. We want to acquire 1-3 villages in Bali Island to make Manta One integrated with another microenvironment firmly.     What else do you need to accomplish your goal? Currently, we have twelve units in the market and our target is 10,000 units all across Indonesia. As we are raising the investment, we welcome investors who want to finance our green technologies, and we highly need a Macro-Finance consultant that will help us to provide a better financing model for coastal communities.

What aspect of your project makes you proud? The aspect of Tuesdays for Trash I’m most proud of is the passionate, welcoming and dedicated community we’ve built. I whole heartedly believe no one politician is the answer, no one leader is the answer, WE are the answer. When individuals come together it creates a movement of collective action and that’s exactly what we need to save our world.   What are your next steps/goals?   Our next steps with Tuesdays for Trash is to register as a global task force to reform waste management on a global scale. We aim to make the movement a household name as a symbol of what it means for small acts of change, when multiple, to transform the world. But for me personally, I see myself transitioning into a political position as future Prime Minister of Israel. As someone who’s been an activist in the climate movement for multiple years, it’s growing increasingly frustrating and exhausting to talk about the same things over and over again with our world leaders continusouly failing to commit to necessary changes. So if they won’t stand up to the challenge I will.   What else do you need to accomplish your goals?   In order to accomplish my goals for the future I’ll need a lot of continued mentorship and to be given more opportunities to have my voice heard on the global stage. Because unfortunately as a BIPOC and youth activist in this movement my voice is often silenced with resources quite limited or out of reach compared to my peers from privileged backgrounds. Nevertheless, I know what needs to be done and won’t back down in the fight when the lives of innocent people and future of generations to come are at stake.

What aspect of your project makes you proud? I am proud that we are building a business focused on both the material and cultural dimensions of a plastic-free future. Sway is designing seaweed-based, home-compostable replacements for plastic packaging, but we understand that the transition away from plastics will require more than innovative materials alone. As a founding member tasked with leading our impact strategy, I am proud to work with a broad range of partners and stakeholders dedicated to building the responsible supply chains, enabling policy environments, and consumer awareness needed for a true materials revolution.    What are your next steps/goals?   One of my most urgent goals is to identify a path forward for the regenerative scaling of the seaweed industry and the Blue Economy. With the support of the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, I spent the month of April on a research project in Colombia, where we successfully planted the country's first two seaweed farms with rural fishing communities. It became clear to me that we must unite the many stakeholders in this economy, from seaweed farmers to government entities to conservation NGOs to demand-side companies like Sway, to ensure that the growth of the Blue Economy maximizes the social and ecological impact we all wish to see.    What else do you need to accomplish your goals?   Sway's impact is made possible through our partners. We need the continued support of investors, brands, and future customers who share our vision of replacing petroplastics with benevolent, regenerative materials. That is what makes me so excited to attend One Young World with the generous support of the Audi Environmental Foundation — the radical change we need to combat the plastic problem, and the climate crisis more broadly, begins with coalition-building and community just like this. 

What is your project about? "Urban India is expected to generate 165 million tons of waste by 2030. Waste Warriors pioneers models for cleaning up India through community action, collaboration and circular economy principles where marginalized communities receive social justice."
  What inspired you to create your project? "Coming from a farming community and as a mountaineering enthusiast, I have seen farm lands and glaciers depleting first hand. Decentralized waste management practices enable communities to take control of the waste problem and positively impact the world, not only towards the environment but also society and economy."
How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "One Young World Summit is going to be home for world leaders and young activists. I wish to learn from others, discuss our work and inspire while drawing inspiration from others. I look forward to building a strong network at the summit with fellow participants to further collaborate on our initiatives."   LinkedIn
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What is your project about? "Zafree papers is a unique company that makes a 100% tree-free paper pulp from agricultural waste saved from being set on fire. It's eco-friendly, low carbon, 100% recyclable and non-toxic and can be used to make any type of paper and paper products."   What inspired you to create your project? "I grew up surrounded by trees feeling and enjoying the fresh and green environment and when I first heard that 4 billion trees die every year just to make paper I immediately started looking for an alternative and I came across another disturbing fact in which small farmers burn agro waste after harvesting every year. The above 2 factors result in a devastating climate change. So we came up with not just a 100% tree free paper but also with a 100% eco-friendly production process of paper."
  How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "As our future plan is to expand and disrupt the paper industry in the world, One Young World will be the perfect platform to connect with different leaders, investors, experts and share/learn different experiences from the world."   LinkedIn Twitter

What is your project about? "Pearl Entrepreneurs Academy is an environmentally driven social venture focused on delivering life-changing clean energy products to under-served markets in last mile communities."   What inspired you to create your project? "For years, my family was exposed to smoke and fumes while lighting using kerosene lamps, unaware of the effects that these dirty fuels would have on our health and well-being."   How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "The Summit will provided me with skills, knowledge and the inspiration to help expand the impact of my work in my community."
LinkedIn

What is your project about? "We have developed a chemical free and energy conserving plastic extrusion technology called “Waxy ӀӀ technology” to recycle and transform more than 12 different types of post-consumer plastic waste and packaging materials into durable and long lasting plastic timbers and roofing tiles. We also allow slum dwellers and low-income households to exchange waste for insurance cover (including health, school fees and safe water for drinking)."
  What inspired you to create your project? "Growing up in a slum community, I witnessed dare consequences of poor waste disposal with the worst being floods, and loss of lives due preventable diseases. At the same time, I was disappointed by the wanton destruction of Ugandan forest due to construction activities. With a zeal to find a solution, I quit my senior paying job in a University to launch a war on deforestation and plastic pollution in Uganda, Africa and the World over. Thus, I founded Ecoplastile in 2019."   How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "One Young World Scholarship is a great opportunity for Ecoplastile to learn from other change makers and mentors’ journey, their stories, their success, their failures, their experiences, and their mistakes. I will love to receive feedback about my start up and grow from the feedback received. I will also love to build a strong network post the Summit that accelerate our project impact on People!, Planet! and Profit!."
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What is your project about? "I am the Circular Project Coordinator at CLEAR RIVERS, a non-profit organization with a circular approach to plastic pollution. We work at the retrieval of plastic waste in rivers and waterways, sustainable re-use of plastics, organizing clean-ups, creating awareness and education programs."   What inspired you to create your project? "80% of the plastic in the ocean is carried by the rivers. Why don’t we act at the roots of the problem? CLEAR RIVERS acts in rivers with a catchment device that doesn’t require energy and it's a circular product, made of recycled plastic."   How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "I will be honoured to speak up for our projects and to show our commitment to a sustainable future. Knowledge and taking responsibilities are the basis of our actions and I would be thrilled to listen to inspiring people’s experiences and build a strong network."
LinkedIn

What is your project about? "We’re a solutions-based organization focused on tackling the global plastic waste crisis, transforming mixed waste plastic into usable, circular building materials."   What inspired you to create your project? "The project was founded by my partner Jolyon Klean. We noticed there was a disconnect between community action and sustainable solutions around the environment. The inspiration was to transform the way communities collaborate to create real tangible change."   How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "The learning opportunities, mentoring and introductions to key decision makers will be crucial to helping take Orca Sound Project to the next level."  
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What is your project about? "With a vision of creating a waste-free world, Wastezon is providing cutting edge, innovative solutions in the Waste management Industry to improve efficient waste traceability, sorting and collection."   What inspired you to create your project? "After our best friend survived a garbage landslide accident, we urgently took the mission of innovating for waste management. We envision a waste-free world. This conviction drives our actions and ambitions and defines us as a team that wants to spearhead innovations in the Circular Economy. Our app has so far diverted over 460 tons of e-waste from landfill."   How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "We would like to display our work to One Young World, explore areas of collaborations or investment opportunities in order to achieve the desired impact."   LinkedIn
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What is your project about? "My initiative is a social enterprise called The Bamboo Company. It's an enterprise that aims to solve global issues such as plastic pollution and poverty through the use of bamboo."
  What inspired you to create your project? "I was inspired to start it because of the guilt of seeing how plastics are affecting the environment and how systemic the issue is, which even includes poverty."
  How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "The scholarship will help me broaden my perspective while bridging me with other possible partners that will help us create the impact that we want to achieve."
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What is your project about? "As a passionate researcher, I’m working on the valorization of biomass and the production of biofuels (biogas and biodiesel), to reduce the use of fossil resources on the one hand and to recover organic waste and industrial by-products on the other."   What inspired you to create your project? "Since I live in a country facing a waste crisis for years and suffering from energy problems, I decided to conduct quality scientific research that goes beyond proven theories and meets the needs of the challenges of my society, under the banner of sustainability."    How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "This scholarship will give me the opportunity to network confidently and professionally with World Leaders in different fields and stakeholders, pooling resources and knowledge to enable the pursuit of mutually motivating goals and green ideas."
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What is your project about? "I co-found BIOVATEC where we develop NoPlastic, a 100% biodegradable and compostable bioplastic using inedible nopal, organic waste with natural additives. We reinvent plastic in an innovative, ecological, accessible and quality alternative."   What inspired you to create your project? "Starting from the dream of wanting to generate a positive, high-impact change for our planet, we focus mainly on plastic pollution and food waste. This is how we decided to create a true solution with unique properties that solves different problems, promotes circular economy, because when it comes to doing something for our planet, there are never limits or impossible."
  How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "We want to communicate through NoPlastic the existence of truly efficient innovative alternatives that seek to generate disruptive changes due to the need to take actions for our planet, with the AudiFoundation scholarship we will be able to publicize the mission and vision, transmitting the message of awareness not only in plastics but for our world!. I seek to meet and learn from people who share ideas and experiences to unite for our future."
LinkedIn

What is your project about? "Solar lighting to low income communities (riverine, indigenous, quilombola, rural and urban) in Brazil, using simple materials and always teaching the residents on how to build and maintain the technology."
  What inspired you to create your project? "Since I heard about Liter of Light, a great desire arose in me to start a team in Sao Paulo, as for me it meant the possibility to make a difference through an innovative way of thinking and acting: building with the most vulnerable families in Brazil accessible, sustainable, do it yourself solutions, all of that using technology and clean energy. What still drives me is to hear the testimonials of kids who can now study and play for more hours, from women who feel more secure walking in the streets, from parents who can cook and work more comfortably, and to know that these and many other basic activities were enabled because of a great teamwork, and a light in a plastic bottle using renewable energy."

How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "While being surrounded by great worldwide leaders and change makers, I am sure that One Young World will provide me with unique connections, contents, inspiration and learnings so that I can become a better leader at Litro de Luz and, consequently, help other Litro de Luz leaders and teams. To be at One Young World Summit, especially with this challenging Pandemic situation, will also be a recognition of what we are doing as a social organization, and an incentive for us to continue stronger than ever towards our goal to create a more enlightened world."
LinkedIn

What is your project about? "Remote sensing application in environmental studies is my aim for a sustainable future. That is an impactful solution for management oversight because of its resource-saving but still deriving almost environmental information."   What inspired you to create your project? "I am attracted by space technology thanks to its both space and time comprehensive in researching environmental issues. It is so marvelous that I can use remotely sensed data to look into the current state of the planet and the root of changes as well."   How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "OYW Scholarship from the Audi Environmental Foundation has supported me with a valuable opportunity to connect and learn about technical solutions towards developing environmental sustainability from young leaders across the world. Through this experience, I wish to innovate the quality of science in Vietnam."   LinkedIn

What is your project about? "My initiative, Cyrus45 factory, focuses on converting non-biodegradable waste materials into ultra-modern products through innovative and creative upcycling."
What inspired you to create your project? "I was inspired to create Cyrus45 after I stumbled upon a pile of 20 tyres that had been lying fallow in my sister’s compound. Her neighbours saw them as trash but I was able to identify an opportunity to convert them into something of value."
How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "The One Young World scholarship and summit will help to foster my project through its various workshops, panel sessions, mentorship opportunities and networking events, which I will be a part of. I also hope to rub minds with delegates in my industry and see how we can partner up to create more solutions to the problems in the circular economy space."
LinkedIn

What is your project about? "REES Africa provides renewable energy access for rural and marginalized areas without prior access to electricity via a model approach ensuring inclusive service delivery. The initiative also promotes environmental sustainability in different target audiences through advocacy and actionable projects. We are also a community of millennials working towards finding for profit solutions to environmental issues and being the torch for environmental sustainability everywhere we find ourselves."   What inspired you to create your project? "My inspiration stems from a perspective of urgency and experience. I have experienced the effects of what energy poverty and environmental issues can cause. I was a victim of flooding throughout my teenage years, which could have been avoided if people dispose their waste appropriately. Also, I was a direct victim of energy poverty as my childhood friend and family died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generating set. The immense population growth accrued within the last two decades, coupled with increasing energy demand from better lifestyles, transition of unserviced population, and technological advancement, has created an urgent need for change to adequately meet energy-environment ambition."   How can this One Young World Scholarship foster your project? "OYW is famous for a number of great values from multiculturalism to sound leadership and networking. In my continued work as a practitioner, there is a lasting need to break boundaries and collaborate beyond borders in finding global opportunities that can be localized for inclusive service delivery. OYW affords me to not just collaborate but interact with diverse people building my intercultural competencies and forging lasting relationships."
LinkedIn

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “By bringing access to mobile, sustainable energy in rural regions and by seeing the impact Tespack's energy solutions can make in supporting rescue workers and NGOs in providing access to education in off-grid regions, is something we feel very proud of and continue to push every day with the goal of making every individual energy independent and master's of their own energy needs.”   What are your next steps/goals? “We have just recently developed our latest innovation, Solar Media Bag, in collaboration with Plan International and with a goal of turning any room into a full classroom by combining latest tech and IoT in powering all mobile devices and tracking energy generation and usage. We are now launching new collaborations with leading NGOs and agencies and taking our Solar Media Bag to new regions in Africa in (em)powering local teachers and agency workers.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “In order to make a bigger impact and in powering more individuals and agencies in rural regions, we are looking for support from bigger corporations and governmental agencies in order to fully launch our solutions and further develop our patented technology to cover more fields and to power more people.”   LinkedIn
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “One of the aspects that make me most proud of the project is its adaptability, its impact on the reduction of climate change and its incursion in the generation of oxygen for the next space travels, being a technology that can link the Earth and Space uniquely, throught sustainable energy. In this way, this year it was selected worldwide as one of the 100 solutions that seek to help mitigate climate change by Mission Innovation, at the same time that it has aroused the interest of international space agencies to be placed in orbit soon.”   What are your next steps/goals? “The main goal to be achieved is to make our technology available to the market in the coming months. Having the premise that it can be accessible to any part of the world, demonstrating the impact it will have on the reduction of CO2 emissions in the world. At the same time, the next step is to start providing oxygen in space in the next space shuttles that will be launched the following year.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “In order to achieve these goals, it is necessary that the key actors from both industry and government look again at the innovations that young people are developing for a better world. Also important is that they get involved in the process promote new technologies that will mark a before and one after its appearance. Improving not only the environmental or economic aspects of the world, but also the technological advancement of us as humanity is necessary.”
  LinkedIn

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “Our vision, our extraordinary team and PlasticFri carrier bags makes me proud. PlasticFri is the greenest alternative for conventional plastic bags with the lowest environmental impact.”   What are your next steps/goals? “For us it is important to find early supporters, sponsors and customers looking to enhance their brand image.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “Support from organizations and people to help us in our mission of saving the planet from plastic pollution. To find experienced mentors and advisers in order to learn, make good strategies and realize our vision faster.”   LinkedIn
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud “My collaboration with leading international organizations and the integration of their advanced technologies in my environmental interdisciplinary research. Also, providing more opportunities for youth, especially girls, to participate in STEM by developing new national educational programs.”   What are your next steps/goals “Integrating state-of-the-art technologies, including advanced Artificial Intelligence models in my research, successfully implementing the sensing platforms developed and extending my educational initiatives to other countries.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals “More industry-academia-government partnerships, in order to push forward my environmental research and initiatives.”

What aspect of your project makes you most proud “The best aspect of our project is Technology opportunity which is helping us to redefine waste management. Using the mobile app technology backed by blockchain, we are offering efficient waste sorting, collection, and traceability to the developing world.”   What are your next steps/goals “Our vision is leveraging the technology to create a waste-free world; we are looking forward to investing and developing high technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to increase sorting and assist recycling actors and companies in tracing and collecting the waste materials to achieve a circular economy.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals “Currently, we are operating in Rwanda, but we are planning to expand our services to East and West Africa shortly. As we are raising the seed round of investment, we welcome investors who want to finance our green technologies, and we highly need the Management and Strategic Consultancy that will help us to expand to other countries successfully.”   LinkedIn
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “My biggest pride - thanks to which I feel a successful entrepreneur - has been to demonstrate that in Mexico we also have the potential and ingenuity to develop great ideas with boundless motivation. Without BIOVATEC’s teamwork, none of this would have been possible. We want to leave a mark on the planet and an environmental purpose to reduce plastic pollution caused by single-use products.”   What are your next steps/goals? “We are looking for financing and strategic alliances to boost and scale our project and be able to introduce our product into the market. At BIOVATEC, we strongly believe that degradable bioplastics are an urgent need that needs to be implemented in governments and businesses from now on. I aim to achieve a responsible consumption and production in our societies through bio-based solutions.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “It is imperative that governments and companies support this type of sustainable initiatives. As entrepreneurs, we cannot grow if there aren’t people who believe in us to shape a better future.”   LinkedIn
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “I am most proud of Coating+ as a single solution to the multiple problems of post-harvest waste, hidden hunger, and climate change (methane gas reduction from decreased food waste), leveraging a waste-to-wealth strategy that involves shrimp-waste.”   What are your next steps/goals? “Re-validate research, to finalize IP documentation and improving investment case.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “Local and international contacts for partnerships and investment opportunities.”   LinkedIn
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “To create a sustainable food ecosystem to help our farmers financially and saving land by reducing the fertilizers.”   What are your next steps/goals “Our aim to improve the lives of our farmers by helping them sustainable agriculture practice and create future food to feed the global population through sensegrass technology.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “By 2030 we want to create a completely sustainable food environment and for that, we need support from partners like Audi, Government involvement to tackle the climate change effect on agriculture and sustainable financial support.”

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “Go To-U is set to disrupt the Electronic Vehicle (EV) charging experience. Powered with big data analytics and EV charging stations reservation technology, we are an all-in-one assistant for drivers of electric vehicles.”   What are your next steps/goals? “Go To-U is expanding rapidly and has plans to take its solution worldwide. Currently, it offers over 12 000 of charging spots in over 13 countries.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “Go To-U is raising capital for further expansion while building strategic partnership with OEMs and utilities.”   LinkedIn

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “Providing access to renewable energy for 31 institutions in the past four years and therefore reaching over 30,000 Ugandans makes me proud.”   What are your next steps/goals? “We are on pace to surpass 50 solar installations in Uganda by 2021. Our model has proven to be successful in the past four years and we are working to spread it to other countries.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “We need $150,000 to make 50 installations by 2021 a reality in Uganda. To replicate our model in other countries, we need additional platforms to reach reliable international partners.”

What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “Looking back at our humble beginnings, I am most proud about the impact we have been able to make particularly within underserved communities in Ibadan. Bringing word about environmental sanitation and proper waste management practices to over 12,000 people in four communities and counting is no small feat.”   What are your next steps/goals? “While more of the same would not be a bad idea, we are looking at expanding our activities to include more communities and collect/recycle more plastic and solid waste. We are also looking towards launching the first mobile application waste management solution in Nigeria.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “Funding has always been a major issue particularly for startups from low and middle income countries. Access to some more funds will be extremely helpful to aid our vision while capacity building and expert mentorship for the managing team will also be of great value.  
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “What makes me most proud of MycoRemedy is the ability to inspire change and shift attitudes towards remediation and the oil and gas industry. The research has shown others what is possible with natural environmentally conscious technologies and fostered new research in the field.”   What are your next steps/goals? “My next steps are to try to take MycoRemedy global and make natural remediation possible in even the most remote or environmentally fragile environments. I want to work to bring these technologies to the communities around the world that need it the most.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “To make this happen, I need to find other changemakers around the world, who want to support the project and bring the technology to their communities to restore contaminated lands in their countries.
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “There's no aspect of Bottled Light project (Jal Jyoti) that doesn't make me extremely proud! But if I had to single one out, I would say it was the community engagement aspect - the fact that this project got fairly privileged college students from across Mumbai to go into slum areas, listen to the community's electricity-related problems and try to collectively brainstorm solutions (mostly via the bottled light) - is a major win in itself!”   What are your next steps/goals? “I'm currently fulfilling my life-long dream of working on providing energy access to the 800mn people that live without electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa with SparkMeter - a low-cost smart metering company that allows rural utilities/microgrids to flexibly collect payments and better manage their systems. Another passion and long-standing interest of mine has been to work on electric mobility in my own country, India. With roughly 60,000 vehicles being added to Indian roads every single day, pollution across the country is getting markedly worse. I'm excited to start tackling this problem head-on - especially given my experience working with large-scale Li-ion battery systems in California!”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “I'm so excited to be associated with the Audi Environmental Foundation and to attend OYW 2019 because interacting with other like-minded and driven entrepreneurs is exactly what I need to find the inspiration to further fuel my passion and take this idea forward! I'm also looking forward to having a larger global platform to tap into down the line. Furthermore, I'm especially excited to learn more about the world of e-mobility through such an incredibly innovative and reputable company in the space - Audi AG!”   LinkedIn
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? “I'm proud to be part of a group of people who are doing their share to fight the global environmental crisis. By promoting environmental education, activism and conservation, we're telling society there's another way to live, with less impact and in connection with nature.”   What are your next steps/goals? “My goal is for Verdeluz Institute to be financially sustainable and to have a strong governance and leadership structure, so we can continue to promote social and environmental change on a steady basis.”   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? “We need to develop and implement market based strategies to promote people's reconnection with nature and provide the Verdeluz Institute a source of income. Also, we need to start training our team of volunteers to become leaders and support our governance structure.”
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What aspect of your project makes you most proud of? I’d say the aspect that we are working on an interesting, technically challenging and impactful topic with the attempt to reuse old Lithium-Ion battery cells and aggregate them into stationary storage systems for rural electrification.   What are your next steps/goals? We are working towards developing and piloting our next generation energy storage prototypes which we want to deploy in rural areas in India early next year with real users who would start utilizing our storage systems for power back-up. This step will provide us, the larger ecosystem crucial and real-life insights on how these systems perform in the real world.   What else do you need to accomplish your goals? A sound combination of technical / engineering skills and solutions, committed and supportive partners such as the Audi Foundation for the Environment who are helping us on this journey and also collaboration with other ecosystem partners such as universities, government agencies etc.
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