Inspired by Earth Ranger’s teen podcast, The Big Melt, Clare created her very own: Earth’s Defenders.

Grace led a marker recycling initiative and not only exceeded her goal of markers collected, but also learned a lot about taking eco-action.

 “I feel as though I have grown personally through this project, gaining courage to be proactive and confident, as carrying out this project itself was a big challenge for me… However, as I met with people from Earth Rangers, discussing what my project could be and how we’re going to do it, I realized, hey, it’s not that bad…Conducting this project though, made me feel like I was actually doing something to contribute to environmental action. I think the best part about it was that I was able to contribute on a larger scale than just at home, and I did it myself, as an average person.
To other teens considering taking part, I’d like to leave this piece of advice: it’s a lot more doable than you think.”

Selena is all about renewable energy. From not even knowing what an electric school bus is, Selena is now a strong advocate! She designed brochures and handed them out to local businesses, created a social media account, and delivered presentations at city council meetings and libraries in multiple towns! Even though her project is complete, Selena’s efforts are still having an impact in her community.

“When you connect with people, you don’t have to connect with them on a wide scale. Opportunities could arise from talking to just one person, which is something I learned that was really cool.”

Selena was a guest speaker at an ER Teens Zoom Meetup, check it out on our Resources page!

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Ernest led his school in an electronic waste collection drive, collecting 200 batteries, laptops, cameras, phones, and more!

“The experience was amazing. It also taught me that e-waste can be turned into many different things, and it could take one person to organize a project and recycle garbage that shouldn’t be in our dumpsters.”

Sunita (Sunny) created an inspiring documentary for youth activism.

Her video was screened at the ER Teens Empowering Youth for Environmental Action event in September 2024 at the Earth Rangers Centre.

Blake took action when he discovered that markers couldn’t be recycled through regular curbside bins. He collaborated with local elementary schools to launch a marker recycling initiative. Blake has collected over 1,800 writing utensils and is on track to collect 3,000 markers by June, when the initiative ends. Blake’s dedicated effort to address this environmental issue through his project raised awareness about marker recycling and shows his commitment to sustainability and making a positive impact in his community.

“I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and I found the perfect way by one of my markers running out. When you can see first hand all the writing instruments you are saving from getting thrown out it’s an amazing feeling. If you don’t feel like you are making a change in the world by doing something like this, I don’t know what will.”

Driven by their concern for litter in their community, Bugg took action and organized a unique and impactful event called a ‘Plog’ – a litter-picking jog! Bugg got 20 members of their community to come together for a single-day effort that resulted in them picking up 10 full bags of litter! Bugg also organized other eco-friendly activities like building DIY insect hotels and making seed bombs for volunteers to take home. These events made a positive environmental impact and also honed Bugg’s communication, project planning, and critical thinking skills. Bugg’s innovative and enjoyable community events showcased their unwavering passion for the environment and their ability to transform it into meaningful action.

“The process of planning and creating these projects makes you ask questions and makes you learn and rethink things, and I think that’s really important for kids my age, I could’ve just gone on google and asked it how to do things, but with this program, I’m totally in charge, I get to take my passion and make my own steps to complete, it’s something I get to learn from and experience.”