At the H2O21 Water Summit, I was grateful to have met youth and experts from many different countries such as France, India, Palau, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, USA, Canada, Brazil, and more, all with unique cultures and experiences.
I was very inspired to be given the opportunity to connect with other youth, share our cultures and experiences so that we can better understand one another, and find sustainable solutions together to the issues that we are facing. I learned through this experience about how important and sacred water is in my own country and others, especially in supporting all life.
East Nusa Tenggara is one of the driest areas and faces scarcity in water supply, especially during the dry season. In some villages availability of water per capita is far below the minimum annual water supply requirement which is caused by climate change.
Irham shares a water source in his community at H2O21 Water Summit.
We’ve been busy in Kentucky trying to engage and educate the public about the need of protecting our streams and creeks!
We hold Creek sweeps, attend local meetings with zoning committees, and talk with biologists from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife to gather information about preserving the health of our streams and to gather more insight on environmental conservation. We contacted EcoCell, the principals of our 3 district schools, the United Nations Association of Louisville and UNA-USA Kentucky, as well as the Board of Directors of FFEA (Floyds Fork Environmental Association- who work on conservation) to work on a district-wide recycling drive and partnership to keep smartphones, laptops, iPads and any related equipment out of local landfills!
Recently we contacted the Kentucky Resource Council inquiring into legislation mandating proper e-waste disposal and we were excited about the response we recently received from the staff attorney!: “There have not been any e-waste bills pre-filed at this time that I’m aware of, but we would be happy to discuss some options for addressing the e-waste issue in Kentucky”.
Kentucky Chapter youth leaders on their way to speak with their state lawmakers to advocate for better e-waste management.
SEAL SoS 2022 taught me many things that really changed my perspective in life.
One thing that I am grateful to have learned in SEAL is the RESPECT we had for each other no matter who the person is or how old they are.
SEAL is something I have been bragging about to everyone ever since I returned back home and I will always continue to recommend it to anyone so that they can experience what I have experienced.
Ameerah practices primitive fire-making technique at SEAL 2022.
Being a part of the U.S. YAC UNOD was a great experience!
I loved working with all the members together and my team separately to accomplish actual feasible goals. The program definitely met my expectations because it provided an enriching experience where I could help make a difference in terms of ocean conservation and environmental advocacy. Working on the AGU presentation taught me how to present to an audience of scientists, professors, etc in an actual scientific conference.
I definitely pushed my comfort zone as I had to interact with many people and deliver essentially an “elevator pitch” on what the U.S. YAC is. I also learned how to network, communicate on the spot, and speak confidently.
Members of the 2nd Cohort U.S. Youth Advisory Council for the UN Ocean Decade.
For me, SEAL 2021 is not just a gathering of youth discussing an issue to find a solution.
SEAL is a place for youth to come together through compromise and empathy. During two intensive weeks with 22 other participants, I learned to respect myself, people with very different backgrounds, and the gift of the natural world around me.
This is all thanks to the unique activities that were planned, the great people we met, and the space that was created for fruitful discussions to take place.
Another benefit was felt after I returned from SEAL 2021 where I became more confident in my abilities at a young age. I became more brave in expressing my ideas and thoughts in front of others, especially those older than me. In addition, I also became more excited to take leadership in youth actions that result in social change and a healthier environment such as H2OO’s Operation Global Sweep which is a campaign I helped lead this past November.
Bastian at Laupahoehoe for sunrise ceremony with Indigenous elders at SEAL 2021.
I learned to love. A beltikelreng a kuel a rokui.
This was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. I made friends, learned new things about myself and the environment.
I learned to love the different Heirs no matter where they came from and I’m grateful they became my second family.
Participants at SEAL 2019 engage in a connecting and team-building activity.
The 2nd Cohort of the U.S. Youth Advisory Council worked for 8 months on the goal of leading and organizing the World Oceans Day Youth Summit 2022 specifically for youth interested in marine and eco-justice spaces. The purpose of the summit was to introduce environmental activism to the participants of the summit. We brought together environmental activists from different organizations and provided them with a space to share their experiences and share their messages. Participants were offered the opportunity to network with these activists and ask for advice on how to get involved in their organizations.
The summit created a safe space for participants to learn about different environmental organizations and build interest in environmental activism, without the anxiety of figuring out where they should start.
It was a really inspiring event for the participants and the U.S. YAC UNOD movement committee both who organized and facilitated! We enjoyed learning about what others are doing as well as how we can all work together to bring change. In the leadup to the event we also got to work with a facilitation expert on how to organize effectively a virtual summit and facilitate from start to finish. It was hard work but so rewarding.
Amber moderates the World Oceans Day Youth Summit 2022 organized by the movement committee of the 2nd Cohort of the U.S. YAC UNOD.
SEAL 2020 introduced me to a team of like-minded youth and to the tools necessary for creating a successful and meaningful film – which was a main goal of the workshop. My team included Serena, Cambria, and Mercy as well as my team mentors Diamond and Chloe.
As a team, we decided to address a system that impacts us all enormously – the education system, with a specific focus on where the education system falls short: educating us about the health of our planet.
As we storyboarded our film, we discussed both the lack of quality education for youth and how misinformation perpetuates. As Heirs we offered a solution which focused on project-based learning as an antidote to misinformation. My team members created their own film clips and I enjoyed bringing it all together as “master editor” to create our film which we titled “Youth Misinformed”. H2OO submits films made by youth at its Summit to film fests, and so far our film has won 3 awards. Here it is! [https://vimeo.com/493466713]
Abi and her team’s collaborative short-film they created at SEAL 2020.
The Policy Committee of the US Youth Advisory Council for the UNOD successfully wrapped their November US Hill Days wherein we spoke to Congresspersons and legislative aides regarding policy that will protect our futures!
The First Cohort members prepared and coordinated with Second Cohort members for successful meetings, and we brought friends along! Youth across the United States and Territories — US YAC UNOD members and non-members alike — sought support for three bills: the Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act, Magnuson-Stevens Act, and Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act.
This experience not only exercised our minds to understand the legislative process, but it also provided a space for youth to be voices for their communities!
Members of the 1st Cohort U.S. YAC UNOD meet with lawmakers at November Hill Days 2021.
This week World Soil Day was recognized, but as you read these words, all living beings are suffering environmental catastrophes that out-scale any we have seen in human history. We must seize the opportunity to step away from the precipice of irreversible damage. The release of tremendous quantities of greenhouse gases (GHG’s) into the atmosphere along with the destruction of our carbon-sequestering natural resources is significantly disrupting the world in which we live. The world my generation is inheriting.
There are many claimed solutions to the environmental crises we face — droughts, extreme weather, sea level rise, air pollution, poisoned water, dying oceans, food scarcity. The most effective and scalable solution globally to these problems is right beneath our feet. SOIL.
Why? Let’s pull our soil situation apart to better understand it.
Earth’s soil stores about three times as much carbon as is present in our atmosphere [1]. Almost a quarter of the GHG’s released into the atmosphere come from the destruction of our soil, and what is worse — these emissions are continuing to rise [2]. Around the world, agriculture is responsible for more human GHG emissions than transportation. Between 2000–2010, annual GHG emissions from agricultural production were estimated at 5.0–5.8 billion tons of CO2 equivalent emissions per year [3]. At the high end, this is roughly equal to all the fossil fuel-derived CO2 emissions coming from China and Japan combined in 2018, and it is equivalent to all the world’s advanced economies’ energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 [4].
What destroys our carbon-sequestering soil, disrupts biogeochemical cycles, and creates dirt? Hazardous farming techniques of modern-day agricultural practices — over-tilling, use of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, monoculture planting, and more.
One could refer to “dirt” as soil that has undergone a transformation from a “carbon sink” to a “carbon source” due to the destruction of its microbiology. As humans continue industrialized agriculture practices, an increasing amount of the world’s arable land is turning into non-arable dirt and releasing GHGs, especially in the U.S. and China. Improving soil health will stop the transition from soil to dirt and prevent the release of GHGs resulting in a carbon-negative solution.
Moreover, poor soil health significantly increases food insecurity causing higher food costs and more reliance on food imports. Humans, especially world leaders, must understand that soil microbiome health plays a unique role in society because the soil is the foundation of human civilization. Without the ability to grow crops plentifully and sustainably, society cannot sustain itself.
A practice of food production that is gaining more popularity, which has been utilized by indigenous communities for millennia, is regenerative agriculture. Through working with the land instead of against it, soil health improves and we can, therefore, inherently achieve ample food supply, climate stabilization, flood mitigation, and healthier people!
Please read more about how effective crop growth can be using practices applying traditional ecological knowledge, or “regenerative agriculture”, and how it cuts GHGs in the comprehensive science-based research paper Regeneration for the Next Generation written by me and members of Heirs To Our Oceans’ Regeneration and Indigenous Systems for our Environment initiative (RAISE).
I invite you to learn more about the soil beneath your feet this week for World Soil Day, for the sake of my generation.
Participants at SEAL 2021 learn about traditional food-growing practices in Hawai’i.
Sources:
[1] Rui, Yichao. Interview. Conducted by Jeremiah Cutright, 10 February 2021
[2] IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland
[3]“Each Country’s Share of CO2 Emissions”, Union of Concerned Scientists, 10 October 2019, www.ucs
Artistic outlets are a great way to create real-world change! They allow me to use something I love, dance, as a way to spread a message that I care about.
Therefore, I was thrilled to be invited as a guest speaker to The World Needs Clean Oceans virtual event. It was hosted by Global Nomads Group, which creates yearly challenges to educate students around the world on five different world needs. This year focused on Overcoming Bias, Art Activism, Clean Oceans, Hunger Relief, and Humanitarian Aid.
We used the outlet of art in our piece to create a call to action in telling a story of consumption, fear, isolation, community, global connection, and hope. Making this video was so rewarding because I was able to spread an important message alongside incredible people and artists.
It was truly inspiring to be at this global virtual event and hear from other amazing youth speakers. I saw so many hopeful young voices in the room eager to make a difference in the world. Artivism is an amazing way to connect with people on a deeper level, and I recommend it to everyone who has a passion for art and wishes to make a difference.
Dakota’s art in action dance performance.
While the youth of H2OO have always had an advisory role to the Board of Directors, two of H2OO’s youth leaders — an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old — are official H2OO Directors!
“As Heirs To Our Ocean looks forward to the new year and a new age, I am proud to step into the role of Board Member and Secretary of the Board of Directors.
Heirs To Our Ocean is truly a youth-led organization, which is proven as my fellow youth leader Latifah and I are stepping up to the role of Board Member. I’m excited to be a part of the inner workings of our organization because I believe it is very important to have youth at the director level as it allows for a true youth voice in our organization.”
Charley, Age 18, H2OO Co-Founder & Board Member
“Having youth at the Director level helps to keep the focus on what really matters, the empowerment of young people through skill-building.
As we further develop into leaders, our voices on the board will continue to guide H2OO’s mission, vision, and purpose.
It’s also motivating to see fellow youths in leadership positions because it shows that it’s possible for young people to have their voices heard! As young decision-makers, we are inheriting this unhealthy planet and have to try to heal it before we run out of time.”
Latifah, Age 20, H2OO Board Member
Latifah and Charley, new youth members of H2OO’s Board of Directors.
