Update 8/9/2021: Over the course of last year, our partnership with Earth Uprising has allowed us to financially support amazing youth-led projects. Due to capacity constraints, Earth Uprising is no longer able to support our partnership, and the youth microgrants program will be discontinued. However, Ecosia stands by the belief that youth-led climate action can pave the way for vital change, and we will continue seeking out and supporting other opportunities to further the youth climate movement.
Tomorrow marks 2020’s Earth Overshoot Day: yet another year where our aggregate demand, extraction, and consumption of the planet’s resources has outstripped what our planet can sustainably regenerate. And despite the COVID-19 pandemic that temporarily decreased our collective use of resources, we are still hitting Earth Overshoot Day with more than a third of the year to go. So the paradox continues: we need 1.6 planets to meet humanity’s current consumption, but have (and will only ever have) one Earth.
At Ecosia, we recognize that, if we are to succeed in pushing this date back, every action counts – no matter how big or small.. In fact, it has often been the small actions of passionate individuals that have erupted into the world’s largest environmental movements. As a result, we’re excited to announce a new partnership with Earth Uprising to amplify the work of youth climate activists on the front lines of the climate battle.
Earth Uprising is a youth climate organization founded on Earth Day 2019 by 15-year-old activist, Alexandria Villaseñor. A global network of mostly high-school-aged students, Earth Uprising has pushed to bring the climate conversation to the forefront: both demanding action from world leaders, and enabling opportunities for climate education. Its founder, Alexandria, captured worldwide attention in 2018 when she started a solo school climate strike outside UN headquarters in New York, after being inspired by fellow activist Greta Thunberg. Already, Earth Uprising has built a network of over 50 youth activists around the world, including members in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania.
In an initial collaboration, Ecosia and Earth Uprising will launch the Ecosia x Earth Uprising Microgrants Fund: a $13.5k fund that will go towards supporting youth-led climate education and activism projects. Through microgrants ranging from $50 to $1000, Ecosia and Earth Uprising hope to fuel the locally-led, youth-driven, and grassroots climate activism that has already inspired climate action worldwide. While the fund currently only supports U.S. based projects, Ecosia and Earth Uprising hope to expand its future scope to support activists living in other parts of the world. Anyone between the ages of 10-25 with eligible projects is welcome to apply for funding when applications open in November.
Today’s youth know – perhaps better than anyone else – what it’s like to watch climate change take its toll on our planet. This has led to an unprecedented movement of young people around the world demanding a better future. From the landmark legal complaint filed by 16 youth plaintiffs this past September for a violation of their UN rights, to the hundreds of thousands of children who marched in cities around the world during the global climate strike, young voices have been some of the loudest in calling for systemic change to save our planet. And it’s about time we all started listening.
Visit the Ecosia x Earth Uprising Microgrants website to learn more.
