Campus Coalition
Young People Leading the Way on Local Climate Action for Earth Day 2025
June 16, 2025
As the UN Climate Change Conference kicks off in Bonn, Germany this week – and hundreds of youth activists descend on the city to make their voices heard in a collaborative and meaningful way – we are reminded yet again of the power of youth activism.
Since the very first Earth Day in 1970, young people have always played a pivotal role in shaping the environmental movement. Back then, student-led organizing, organized by Denis Hayes, brought 20 million Americans into the streets, catalyzing landmark environmental protections that endure today like the Clean Air and the Clean Water Act.
More than five decades later, the torch is still being carried by a new generation of youth leaders—only now, the urgency is even greater. With the escalating impacts of climate change threatening their future, students across the country are stepping up to demand action from the ground up, starting in their own communities.
Cities should create cohesive spaces where environmental education starts at an early age, beginning in elementary school. It’s essential to instill an understanding of nature’s value and the responsibility we have to protect it.
Odette Rodriguez, Northeast Early College High School
This Earth Month, as part of the 55th anniversary of Earth Day, youth leaders of all backgrounds stepped up as advocates for renewable energy and climate action at the city level. Throughout Earth Month, students met with their mayors and other local elected leaders in cities nationwide to ensure a sustainable and equitable future for their communities, reminding city governments that the Our Power, Our Planet theme for Earth Day 2025 calls on each and every one of us to do what they can to build a stronger community through climate action.
These Earth Action Day Roundtable events weren’t just symbolic—they were avenues for real progress, resource allocation, and public commitments from elected officials.
Atlanta, GA: Funding Climate Solutions from the Ground Up
In Atlanta, Earth Day was marked by the second annual Atlanta Youth Climate Action Summit, a collaborative effort between the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience in partnership with EARTHDAY.ORG, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and 21st Century Leaders. The event highlighted the voices and ideas of young changemakers while also providing critical support for their work.
A highlight of the summit was the announcement of the Youth Climate Action Fund’s second round of grant recipients, with $85,000 awarded to youth-led projects focused on implementing climate solutions in their communities.
Our Power, Our Planet’ means putting youth at the center of advancing climate action. We have expanded our Climate Resilience Advisory Board to include more voices of youth. … Before Earth Day 2026, we commit to hosting our second Youth Climate Action Summit, completing our Climate Resilience Action Plan incorporating youth-led climate initiatives and, advancing implementation of three priority projects from the Climate Resilience Action Plan. These efforts demonstrate the smart investments Atlanta is making to be more climate resilient today, and for future generations, as A City Built for the Future!
Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta, GA, USA
But the city’s commitment didn’t stop there. Atlanta also kicked off Earth Month by announcing its participation in the UN-backed “Race to Resilience” campaign, which will expand access to renewable energy, increase tree canopy coverage, and improve food waste systems across the city. Additionally, Atlanta launched an inclusive community engagement process for its first comprehensive action plan for climate resilience during Earth Month, aiming to strengthen the city’s ability to prepare for and adapt to climate-related challenges.
San Francisco, CA: Youth Visions for a Sustainable Future
On the West Coast, the San Francisco Climate Action Youth Summit brought together more than 3,000 attendees for a day of education, advocacy, and strategy. Young people came together with the mayor, the San Francisco Environment Department, community groups, and other city leaders for an impactful event featuring student presentations to policymakers and interdisciplinary climate literacy workshops.
“San Francisco has always led on climate action—but we can’t do it alone,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “Hearing from the next generation of climate leaders today inspired me. Their energy and ideas are essential to building a sustainable future.”
In addition to its focus on advocacy, the summit also served as a career accelerator, helping young people challenge the misconception that taking action on climate change is only for scientists and activists; rather, this event encouraged students to consider how careers across sectors can contribute to a sustainable and thriving future for their community.
“The work ahead is going to take everyone—nonprofits, community based organizations, business leaders, changemakers, elected officials, all City departments and our youth—to build a future where every San Franciscan can thrive.” said Tyrone Jue, Director of the San Francisco Environment Department. “Young people are a tremendous force for the environment. They are vital to this City, and play a key role in ensuring the health and safety of our planet and our City.”
Concord, NH: Honest Conversations and Local Accountability
On Earth Day, residents of New Hampshire’s capital city gathered with Mayor Byron Champlin, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, and several city councilors and other city officials for an Earth Day town hall event focused on charting the future of sustainability and climate action in the community.
Myrick Oxnard, head of Concord High School’s environmental club, took center stage with a passionate call for the city to go beyond symbolic gestures and deliver real climate solutions: “As seniors, my classmates and I often find ourselves talking about what our futures might hold — but more often than not, I’ve found not excitement and hope, but shared anxiety and fear. We can and we should celebrate our wins as a community, but we must not forget that there is an enormous amount of progress to be made.”
City officials used the occasion to outline next steps, including efficiency upgrades to municipal buildings and vehicles, among other existing and upcoming sustainability measures. Concord and other communities in New Hampshire have recently made meaningful strides on renewable energy generation by developing plans to increase clean power access while lowering residents’ electric bills.
Austin, TX: Equity at the Center
In Austin, young people are helping shape climate policy not just through advocacy, but through co-creation. Earlier this year, the Austin Youth Climate Equity Council, an initiative of Ecorise, hosted a major listening session that brought together youth from across Central Texas to inform the City’s Comprehensive Climate Action Plan.
“Today’s youth are powerful advocates for a sustainable future, and their voices are important,” said Zach Baumer, Director of the City’s Office of Climate Action and Resilience. “These discussions are helping the City of Austin build a plan that reflects the diverse communities it aims to serve.”
Students shared powerful reflections with EARTHDAY.ORG after the event. “I think knowing how to advocate for yourself is the greatest skill you can cultivate, and through this work I’m doing good and pushing myself to absorb all the education that I can.” said Annika Wood Akinmusuru a Junior at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders “I think that most people feel they don’t know enough about climate change to share their opinions and that there is all this work that they have to put in before contributing, but I disagree. I think that most people know how climate change is affecting them and they have the tools to advocate for what they want to change.”
Odette Rodriguez, a senior at Northeast Early College High School, underscored the importance of justice: “I hope to drive social change that prioritizes teenagers, particularly in addressing social equity issues affecting low-income communities. My goal is to advocate for policies that tackle the injustices these communities face, especially in the context of climate change.” She also shared a clear vision on the role of local government in fostering the next generation of environmental leadership through climate literacy: “Cities should create cohesive spaces where environmental education starts at an early age, beginning in elementary school. It’s essential to instill an understanding of nature’s value and the responsibility we have to protect it.”
Elijah Scott, a Junior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, felt that the experience motivated him to keep making his voice heard: “After the experience, participants noted that it was assuring, and relieving to know that they had the ears of city leaders on their side. Being involved gave me a newfound hope, and excitement for a greener future. … Civic engagement is very important to me because it allows me to play a part in contributing to the “greater good” in a way that positively impacts humanity.”
The insights shared by these students and their peers shaped recommendations on housing, transportation, and environmental education, demonstrating that communities are better prepared to address climate challenges when diverse voices are included in the decision making process.
Burlington, VT: Campus, City, and State Leaders Unite
On Monday, April 21st, 2025, the Rubenstein Student Advisory Board at University of Vermont (UVM) partnered with EARTHDAY.ORG to host an Earth Action Day Roundtable, in which students led a discussion with subnational government leaders about the future of renewable energy and climate action, not only in Burlington but also statewide. The event was well attended by elected officials, with two Vermont State Senators (Majority Leader Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Senator Tanya Vyhovsky) and four Burlington City Council members (Gene Bergman, Ben Traverse, Carter Neubieser, and Becca Brown McKnight) participating in the dialogue.
“It was truly rewarding to foster an environment of climate change dialogue amongst other passionate students,” said UVM student, Earth Day intern and event organizer Sean Swikle. “Through the planning process and execution of the event, I learned the importance of community engagement and local government leadership. I am in awe of this generation of student activists and I hope this event serves as a catalyst towards furthering climate advocacy.”
Across the country, young people are making it clear: they are not just the voices of tomorrow, but the leaders of today. Their advocacy is shaping local climate priorities, winning investments in community resilience, and pushing policy makers to act with the urgency this moment demands.
Evidently, young people are speaking truth to power and making a difference in cities nationwide, and there are many more opportunities to come. Along the road to next Earth Day, EARTHDAY.ORG will be mobilizing year-round for similar advocacy opportunities where you can make your voice heard for local climate decision making in your community.
Join us in making your voice heard—because it’s Our Power, Our Planet, and our year to make a difference.
