Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy is a passionate advocate for conservation and sustainability along Madagascar’s coastline communities. After working on small-scale fisheries research supported by the United Nations Nippon Foundation, Rakotondrazafy joined the Madagascar Locally Managed Marine Area Network (MIHARI), an organization that aims to represent marginalized fishing populations and work with them to create locally managed marine areas (LMMAs). Through these LMMAs, local communities can manage and protect both their own fishery practices and biodiversity by combining their traditional knowledge with the support of conservation practitioners.
Let’s make this new, even-more-digital-than-before time we are in an opportunity to create a global, online conversation and remind our fellow citizens of planet Earth that there are so many things both worth celebrating and fighting for
Water insecurity is an increasingly relevant issue for many people around the world and here in the U.S. as a result of our changing climate. Inspired by both droughts in California and water access in India, Shreya Ramachandran has made it her mission to tackle these problems through the use of greywater. In addition to conducting her own research, she has created her own nonprofit, The Grey Water Project, to educate and provide resources to diverse audiences on water recycling at home and in the workplace.
Sophia Kianni is a college freshman who already is making big strides in the world. While visiting family in Iran, Sophia witnessed first hand the gap in knowledge about climate change due to information being solely in English and differences in media coverage. Last year, she founded Climate Cardinals, a nonprofit that through the work of global volunteers translates climate science and research in an effort to break down language barriers. Kianni’s involvement does not stop there as she is also a member of the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and hosts her own podcast on the intersection of fashion and sustainability.
Sruthi Gurudev’s love for the ocean has led her to pursue a career in saving it. From serving as a Global Goal ambassador in her community to becoming a National Geographic Young Explorer, Sruthi’s commitment to the sea and the planet has helped her find a path into conservation. She is currently heading up an exciting project in the form of an e-magazine called “An Hour in the Deep,” which uses eco-journalism to promote youth engagement and innovation in ocean conservation.
James Miller is a first-year University of Cambridge student with a passion for wildlife and conservation. An aspiring nature presenter and filmmaker, James has put his interests into action by helping to engage others in the protection of biodiversity. He has also become an avid youth climate advocate, leading him to get involved in environmental policy within the UK and globally.
The Global Co Lab Network and Smithsonian Conservation Commons partnered to create the Eco Teen Action Network to empower teens locally and globally to address the United Nations Sustainable Development goals and Earth Optimism.
This summer, a trio of students participating in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program took the classic backyard science experiment to a new level.
Fred Tutman has dedicated decades to grassroots efforts to keep the Chesapeake Bay region's vast waterways clean. He is the longest-serving Waterkeeper in the Chesapeake Bay region and the founding Patuxent Riverkeeper. There are over 300 Waterkeepers on six continents with nearly half located in the United States – and Tutman is the only African-American Waterkeeper in the country! He's shared his experiences in this field with Smithsonian's Earth Optimism both at our 2020 Digital Summit and during a Folklife Festival collaborated event. Here we talked to him once again about how grassroots causes can empower communities and promote diversity in environmental movements.
In this multi-part series, the Smithsonian's Conservation Commons takes a look at how capacity building and local community involvement are key to continuing conservation during the current pandemic.
We know that story of what will happen in the coming decades and centuries... what's different about where we're going has to do with the rate of these changes and the biodiversity at hand.
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