Meet the 2024 GELP cohort!
"We are incredibly proud of the talented teams and young leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States who have stepped forward with their impactful solutions to environmental challenges. Their dedication and creativity are truly inspiring, and they exemplify the potential of youth to drive meaningful change. We look forward to seeing the positive impact their ideas will have on North American communities," Jorge Daniel Taillant, CEC Executive Director.
Alexandre Savard and Nicolas Jourdan-Gassin
Encore! Biomatériaux offers 100% compostable packaging made from recycled agri-food waste.
Alexandre Savard and Nicolas Jourdan-Gassin
In the face of growing plastic pollution, inefficient food waste management and energy-intensive production of alternatives to single-use plastic that enhances current environmental challenges, Encore! Biomatériaux looks to be an alternative by developing compostable packaging made from recycled agri-food waste. Resulting from extensive research into current environmental challenges and opportunities for recycling agrifood waste, this innovative youth initiative aims to create compostable packaging through laboratory testing to develop a biosourced, biodegradable binder that forms the core of our compostable packaging. This solution not only features low-energy low-cost production, but also a remarkable flexibility for accommodating different types of waste that can be recovered with operational simplicity. This solution aims to tackle the plastic pollution crisis and change single-use plastic by creating greener, compostable packaging to forge the path to a sustainable society.
Description of the organization
Encore! Biomatériaux offers 100% compostable packaging made from recycled agri-food waste. The solution enables companies to move away from single-use plastic and start using packaging with a decomposition time adapted to its useful life. Packaging can be customized as required.
Ana Cristina Posadas García and Alejandra Abigail Berumen Rodriguez
Education for the restoration and conservation of the wetland Ciénega of Tamasopo: Located in the state of San Luis Potosí and catalogued as a RAMSAR site, the Ciénega is being threatened by agriculture and cattle ranching.
Ana Cristina Posadas García and Alejandra Abigail Berumen Rodriguez
The Tamasopo cienega, located in the state of San Luis Potosí, is a RAMSAR site of international importance. However, this vital ecosystem faces a variety of major threats, including agricultural and livestock activity, as well as exposure to contaminants. The change in land use to sugarcane cultivation and the use of fertilizers in this wetland have caused its vegetation to change gradually, and then in 2024 a fire affected more than 50% of its surface, causing an alarming loss of biodiversity and a great impact on the health of this ecosystem. In order to maintain the wetland, our initiative aims to restore it gradually through environmental education, reforestation and conservation strategies. At the same time the community’s needs will also be addressed and prioritized. Through collaboration and implementation of community-driven solutions, we aspire to promote the recovery of the Tamasopo wetland, safeguarding its biological diversity and ecological integrity for this and future generations. Together, and aided by the developing knowledge of local communities, we will seek to conserve ecosystems vital to planetary health.
Description of the organization
The Organization for Environmental Remediation and Social Harmony is an institution founded by environmentalists and conservationists that has been active for more than four years. We are staffed by young researchers, philanthropists and nature lovers who are dedicated to promoting and strengthening Indigenous communities through community development, education and collaborative projects that improve both the environment and quality of life in these vulnerable, marginalized, disadvantaged communities that often suffer all kinds of problems related to environmental issues and social conflicts.
Jacob Nicholas Barnet and McKenna Dunbar
"Electrivive: An Equitable Building Electrification Workforce Redevelopment Tool" addresses the renewable energy skilled labor shortage by training incarcerated individuals in Virginia.
Jacob Nicholas Barnet and McKenna Dunbar
“Electrivive: An Equitable Building Electrification Workforce Redevelopment Tool” addresses the renewable energy skilled labor shortage by training incarcerated individuals in Virginia. Its curriculum, covering energy-efficient building design for smart control systems, empowers participants by equipping them with marketable skills for green careers, as well as aiming to reduce recidivism and foster economic growth. As part of the Building Electrification Education Module (BEEM), Electrivive integrates sustainable practices and workforce development, promoting environmental stewardship and social justice.
Description of the organization
Electrivive, part of the Building Electrification Education Module (BEEM) and partnered with Flipp Inc., focuses on workforce development in energy efficiency and electrification, especially within Virginia’s diverse communities and regional jails. This seminar emphasizes four key areas: transitioning to electric systems, enhancing building efficiency and retrofits, incorporating grid-interactive solutions for grid stability, and adopting intelligent control systems for energy optimization. By introducing this curriculum in jails, Electrivive equips inmates with vital solar installation skills and comprehensive building electrification knowledge, preparing them for sustainable reintegration into society with in-demand job skills.
We would like to thank our multidisciplinary Evaluation Committee for volunteering their time and expertise to review the amazing solutions received this year!
Advisor - Quebec National Assembly
Advisor - Quebec National Assembly
Very active in social entrepreneurship and philanthropy, Victoria Thân, MBA, is recognized for her inspiring leadership and multiple skills, having led a number of organizations and social entrepreneurship projects. The recipient of several awards, including the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal (Youth category), the Forces Avenir University Personality Award, the Le Soleil/Radio-Canada Prize, and named an HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow, Victoria is a young professional concerned with the economic and social health of her community. She sits on several boards of directors in the management, philanthropy and education sectors. Her motto, which guides her in daily life, is entreprendre le bien (Undertake the Good). Victoria is currently an advisor at the Quebec National Assembly and the Jean-Charles-Bonenfant Foundation.
Associate Professor - Concordia University
Co-Director - Quebec Youth Research Network Chair
Associate Professor - Concordia University
Co-Director - Quebec Youth Research Network Chair
Natasha Blanchet-Cohen is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences at Concordia University. She is co-director of the Quebec Youth Research Network Chair. Her research focuses on community youth development, child rights and participation, ecocitizenship, and developmental evaluation. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she explores the opportunities and limitations for youth in being agents of change in their schools, homes, and communities. She holds a particular interest in the voices of Indigenous and immigrant youth and the provision of rights-based and culturally-safe services and programs.
CEO and Director - The Firelight Group
CEO and Director - The Firelight Group
Steve DeRoy is from the Buffalo Clan, is Anishinaabe/Saulteaux and from the Ebb and Flow First Nation, and Lake Manitoba First Nation in Treaty 2 territory. He is the co-founder, director and CEO of The Firelight Group and founder of the Indigenous Mapping Collective. Steve is an award-winning Indigenous professional and entrepreneur, with expertise in mapping and geographic information sciences, business development, natural resources management, and project management. He has applied his expertise to lead Indigenous knowledge and use studies for numerous Indigenous groups affected by large-scale energy developments. Since 1998, Steve has mentored Indigenous practitioners, conducted risk assessments, built decision-support systems and monitoring tools, supported land claims, developed best practices, established consultation processes, facilitated community engagement and planning approaches, and supported negotiations between Indigenous communities, governments and industries.
Professor at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences - National Autonomous University of Mexico
Professor at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences - National Autonomous University of Mexico
Holder of a PhD from the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and an M.A. in Asian and African studies from Colegio de México (Colmex), Adriana Franco is a professor at said UNAM faculty, as well at Rosario Castellanos University in Mexico City. Franco is Technical Secretary of the Regional Studies Department at UNAM’s International Relations Center. In addition, she is a member of the Latin American Observatory of Geopolitics, of UNAM’s Asian and African Studies Program (PUEAA) and of the Mexican Council for International Affairs (COMEXI). Her areas of research interest are: regional studies, social movements and resistance, complexity and geopolitics.
Technical Advisor on climate change - German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)
Technical Advisor on climate change - German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)
A youth member of Mexico’s delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Emiliano participated as a young negotiator on climate change adaptation at COP27 and at the 58th session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 58). At the G20 summit in 2021, he was selected as a youth delegate of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (Sherpa Track). Emiliano has participated as an expert in activities organized by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). Currently a technical advisor on climate change with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), he participates in projects and policies oriented towards supporting climate action at different levels by promoting a vision informed by youth perspectives, intersectional realities, gender, a just transition and climate justice.
2023 CEC Mexican Youth Innovation Challenge winner
Co-founder – Escuela Itinerante de agua y artes
2023 CEC Mexican Youth Innovation Challenge winner
Co-founder – Escuela Itinerante de agua y artes
A Binniyaati Zapotec woman from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in the State of Oaxaca, Perseida Tenorio Toledo accompanies community processes for land regeneration and good water resources management through local dissemination of water technologies. Perseida graduated as a scholarship student in Food Industries Engineering at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (Querétaro Campus). She subsequently studied at the University of Buenos Aires, where she majored in production and processing of fruits and vegetables. Ever since, she has been passionate about finding creative solutions for socio-environmental problems. In 2019, working with the organization Una Mano para Oaxaca, A.C. (A Hand for Oaxaca), she created the program “Mi fruta, mi pueblo” (My fruit, my village) to make good use of mango waste by teaching groups of women how to process and market this waste fruit. In 2020, this initiative was recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations as an alternative for avoiding food waste in Latin America. In keeping with her roots, Perseida developed an interest in promoting people’s connection with their land and territory. In 2021, she created the Mobile School of Water and Arts, which trains youth in rural communities in Mexico and Latin America on the use of water and soil ecotechnologies. This initiative was recently selected as a winner in the CEC’s Youth Innovation Challenge, a North America-wide contest. It was also one of the five winning projects of Desafío Agua en Positivo (the Water Solutions Challenge), a contest organized by makesense americas, Young Water Solutions, Procter and Gamble (P&G) and United Way Mexico. Perseida has represented Mexico in various international meetings in Latin America, where she advocated access to water in rural and Indigenous communities and adequate sanitation systems to ensure the revitalization of water courses.
Programme Officer - United Nations Environment Programme
Programme Officer - United Nations Environment Programme
Angela Kariuki is a programme officer at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), based in New York. She has a background in programme management and legal expertise and, in her current role, she focuses primarily on UNEP's intergovernmental affairs efforts in New York.
Previously, Angela served as a Programme Management Officer (Legal) within UNEP's Law Division in its Headquarters (Nairobi), where she spearheaded initiatives focusing on human rights and environmental issues. Her responsibilities included collaborating with state and non-state stakeholders, including civil society organizations and networks of environmental human rights defenders. Angela's expertise also extends to the governance of mineral resources and environmental aspects of minerals and metals management, where she served as a technical focal point for implementing United Nations Environment Assembly resolutions.
Prior to joining UNEP, Angela was a Legal Researcher at the South African Human Rights Commission, focusing on environmental, natural resource management, and rural development issues. Her work particularly centered on investigating the environmental and human rights impacts of mining operations in South Africa's goldfields, and more generally on advancing environmental protection and human rights on both local and global scales.
Environmental Educator and Founder - Food Conservation Alliance
Environmental Educator and Founder - Food Conservation Alliance
Elaine Fiore is an environmental educator with Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in South Florida and founder of the Food Conservation Alliance. Ms. Fiore led her school to earn the US DOE Green Ribbon Award for reducing the school's carbon footprint. Additionally, she created and taught a Sustainability course for youth, partnered with national organizations to coordinate Climate and Sports Student Summits, and has been recognized by the EPA as an exceptional environmental educator.
Recognizing the sacredness of food, her passion is inspiring action around a sustainable food system. Elaine piloted a food recovery program for BCPS, and spearheads the Food Waste Prevention Week in collaboration with organizations across the country to shine a light on this important issue. Elaine is energized by sharing her love of growing food, offering children access to healthy foods, and guiding students to see the benefits of food forests at the community level and beyond.
Vice President - International Youth Conference
Vice President - International Youth Conference
As the Vice President of the International Youth Conference, Jessica supports conference and operational functions, assists team members and youth advocates so they may reach their potential and thrive, coordinates team activities, reviews and secures collaborations, expands connections, and strengthens youth engagement. She serves on the Advisory Board of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, San Francisco Chapter. She serves as a youth advisory member of the #GenerationRestoration Youth Hub that is co-convened by 1t.org and the Youth in Landscapes Initiative of the Global Landscapes Forum. She is a contact point for the Children and Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC's Arts, Culture, and Heritage Working Group. She served as a Co-Chair of the World Food Forum Youth Action Track Focal Points Group and is now part of the Youth Action Track Focal Points alumni, continuing her support for sustainable and transformational agrifood systems leading toward a food-secure, sustainable, and stable future. She is also a member of UNITE2030, the Youth Leaders and Young Professionals Community of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY (NGO CSW/NY), and the YouthForesight Community Forum hosted by the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth and Generation Unlimited.
Julie Amina Jacquemin
Advisor, Outreach, Partnerships and Youth Engagement
