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

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

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

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

Jade, an 18-year-old from North Carolina, is actively combating Colony Collapse Disorder and promoting bee conservation. Through her Pollinator Initiative, she establishes apiaries and pollinator parks in local schools, aiming to replicate her successful high school model across the area.

She has secured grant funding and organized students to become certified beekeepers with local support. Since April 2017, bees introduced to the White Oak area have been maintained pesticide-free. Jade's efforts highlight the importance of honey bees in the ecosystem and educate students about declining bee populations and beekeepers.

Tina, a 21-year-old from New Brunswick, is a prominent student climate activist. She organizes a nationally recognized fossil fuel divestment campaign at Mount Allison University and serves on the steering committee for RISE 2019, a national climate convergence focused on training young people in direct action and anti-oppressive organizing.

Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 by Starfish Canada, Tina also acts as interim Coordinator for the Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD). She previously represented CYD at UN climate change negotiations (COP 22 and COP 23), advocating for Canadian government accountability on climate justice and the Paris Agreement.

Valeree, a UCLA senior, co-founded the Environmentalists of Color Collective (EOCC) to challenge mainstream environmentalism and amplify the voices of communities of color. She is dedicated to fostering dialogues on environmental justice and racism, notably co-organizing a Climate Justice Forum that launched EOCC's work.

As a Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow for the University of California, Valeree engages students in the UC system's goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. She aims to integrate sustainability and environmental justice values into corporate systems.

Inspired by his childhood summers at Muscoot Farm, Xerxes Libsch spearheaded a restoration project to show gratitude for the rare animal breeding camp.

Leading 25 volunteers and partnering with organizations like the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, his team installed 22 birdhouses, cleared 800 square feet of invasive species, and created a half-mile nature trail.

They also prevented two tons of animal waste from contaminating a reservoir and erected an environmental learning center, transforming the farm into an inspiring educational wild space for its 135,000 annual guests.

Driven by witnessing the connection between injustice and environmental degradation, Jess Grady-Benson co-founded the Claremont Colleges Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign in 2012. She led the campaign to a victory at Pitzer College in 2014, securing fossil fuel divestment.

Post-graduation, Grady-Benson continues building the youth climate justice movement through the national Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network. As a coordinating committee member and Director of Training, she plans strategic direction, designs leadership programs, and trains young organizers nationwide to advance divestment and a just transition.

Celeste received a prestigious Brower Youth Award.

She was recognized for making impactful and lasting changes by greening her high school campus.

Dyanna was honored with a prestigious Brower Youth Award.

This recognition celebrated her dedicated work in mobilizing a civically engaged environmental youth coalition.

Her impactful efforts extended throughout Virginia and beyond.

This document presents the 2017 Brower Youth Awards Speech, a significant address delivered by Mercedes Thompson and Claire Wayner. The Brower Youth Awards annually recognize outstanding young environmental leaders, celebrating their innovative projects and dedication to a sustainable future.

Thompson and Wayner's speech likely articulated their vision, shared insights from their environmental work, and inspired attendees with their commitment to addressing pressing ecological challenges. Their participation underscores the vital role youth play in driving environmental change.

Dineen O'Rourke delivered a compelling speech at the 2017 Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

Her address highlighted her impactful work as a young environmental leader, inspiring attendees with her dedication to environmental activism and change.

The Brower Youth Awards annually recognize exceptional young people who are making significant contributions to the environmental movement.

Dejah Powell's 2017 Brower Youth Awards Speech.

This document presents the 2017 Brower Youth Awards Speech.

The speech was delivered by Charlie Jiang.

Dineen O'Rourke leads youth climate action, heading a 14-member U.S. delegation to COP23 in Bonn, Germany. She works with SustainUs, a youth-led organization with 20 years of experience empowering young people at UN conferences. Her focus includes storytelling, direct actions, and international partnerships, building on her prior role at COP22 in Marrakech.

Domestically, O'Rourke actively resists fossil fuels. She mobilized against fracking projects and pipelines in New England, and co-founded the Sugar Shack Alliance. This nonviolent direct action group has trained hundreds in western Massachusetts to disrupt the fossil fuel industry.

In late 2016, concerned about the incoming administration's commitment to the Paris Climate Accord, Anne Lee and students in Sammamish, WA, co-founded Schools Under 2C. This student-led organization aims to raise climate change awareness among students globally.

Schools Under 2C, with 80 members, has significantly reduced Tesla STEM high school's monthly carbon footprint by over two tons. Lee implemented composting, lighting reduction, and a transportation incentive app. Now, 30 schools worldwide have pledged to join the "Under 2C challenge," replicating these efforts.

In 2016, Claire Wayner and Mercedes Thompson co-founded Baltimore Beyond Plastic (BBP), a youth-led organization dedicated to reducing plastic pollution in Baltimore. Inspired by the public health impacts of plastic waste, including toxic incinerator emissions and carcinogens leaching from school lunch styrofoam, they sought to address local environmental inequities.

BBP actively combats pollution through school visits, educational workshops, rallies, and legislative advocacy. Having successfully campaigned for a statewide styrofoam ban last year, Wayner and Thompson are now pushing for bans on both styrofoam and plastic bags in Baltimore. They are sharing an award this year for their impactful work.

Last year, Dejah Powell founded Get Them to the Green (G2G) to foster environmental passion among Chicago youth, especially youth of color. G2G's first initiative was a summer camp, engaging 14 young people in environmental justice, sustainability, and food agriculture.

G2G has since partnered with Gardenneers to build a school garden at Powell’s elementary school, providing hands-on outdoor education. The organization also conducts environmental education workshops throughout the city.

Now a Cornell senior, Powell believes understanding environmental problems is key to solving them. She hopes urban environmental education will improve eco-literacy and help under-resourced communities access vital local and global conversations.

After organizing for fossil fuel divestment and environmental justice at Stanford, Charlie Jiang co-founded the DC ReInvest Coalition in Washington, DC. This coalition, part of the global #DefundPipelines movement, pressures the DC government to divest from banks linked to fossil fuel pipelines, private prisons, and predatory lending practices.

Instead, the Coalition advocates for reinvesting District funds into community-led solutions for DC's most under-resourced residents. Jiang provides strategic and narrative direction, helping organize advocacy efforts against fossil fuel extraction's environmental and community damage, including past support for the #NoDAPL movement.

Anthony Torres is a Washington, DC-based community organizer who mobilizes thousands of volunteers to advocate for climate justice, fossil fuel resistance, and environmental protection. He has organized diverse actions, from a dance party protest outside Ivanka Trump's home to a vigil for Hurricane Harvey victims and a sit-in at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office. Torres strives to build accessible narratives that highlight shared humanity while addressing race, class, and gender disparities.

Additionally, Torres serves as the campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Responsible Trade Program, advocating for an equitable NAFTA agreement that benefits the environment, workers, and communities. He is also a trustee for the Progressive Workers Union, representing Sierra Club employees.

Water.org co-founder Matt Damon shares inspiring thoughts and anecdotes with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. They discuss strategies for making water accessible to the world's poorest communities.

Damon also recounts a humbling experience with a smart Haitian pre-teen, highlighting how even a mega-star can learn from unexpected sources.