Ziya Merchant
2023 Youth Climate Activism Video Entry
Ziya is a 16 year old high school student who developed a passion for environmentalism at a young age. She has learned about the scientific, ethical, and social implications of climate change, particularly how it affects vulnerable communities. She founded an organization called Phasing Out Plastic Bottles (POPPY) to raise awareness of society’s use of single use bottles and the ultimate goal of phasing out plastic bottles and making sustainability accessible. Through chapters in schools, fundraising for water accessibility, and distributing donated water bottles, she have been spreading awareness and implementing tangible change.
💰 Ziya has raised funds ($1500 so far) for the organization Water First, which is helping to improve water accessibility in indigenous communities.
💧 She conducts a water bottle drive, collecting and distributing donated bottles to students and those in need.
👥 Ziya emphasizes that sustainability is not just an environmental issue but also a people issue, particularly affecting the most vulnerable communities. She believe it's the youth's responsibility to create change.
As part of the submissions application we asked participants to answer these 3 questions in addition to their essay or video.
What future goals do you have around your environmental and climate work, and do you have any future projects in mind?
I believe an essential part of environmental advocacy is making sustainability more accessible to community members. There is a large misconception that in order to be passionate about and create environmental change, you must take extreme actions such as becoming vegan or giving up all forms of plastic entirely. However, these narratives are not only unrealistic but push people away from the movement. I think the greatest form of change comes from supporting sustainability actions in individuals. Noting this, a project I have received a grant to launch in the Burnaby school district is a water bottle recycling program. In this project, we collect reusable water bottles people don’t need or bottles that have been lost at events or left in the lost and found for a long time and thoroughly wash them before handing them out to students who require one and to homeless shelters. This ensures, are supported students in taking small sustainable actions in their daily lives. We have been able to successfully launch this project on a smaller scale at one of the Burnaby high schools with 1600+ students and have created the groundwork to push it at the other 7 Burnaby high schools as well next school year.
If you could share with us one message of hope for our planet, what would it be?
One message of hope I have is to believe in the power of youth to create change. Upcoming generations are becoming more and more understanding of the importance of climate change and we see them acting as the changemakers of the world. From everything from educating themselves to finding leadership positions in environmental organizations to researching and doing projects and even giving speeches to the UN, youth have been incredibly inspiring. In the upcoming years, youth also have the largest voting bracket and therefore the most influence on political leaders and policies which support environmentalism. Therefore, as long as we empower and support youth, the ability to create change and protect the planet is still within our grasp.
Who or what inspires you to work on climate change?
One of the most inspiring figures in my life is Mireta Strandberg-Salmon, a 22-year-old environmental leader from Burnaby B.C. She has been recognized as one of the top 25 environmentalists under 25 for her extensive efforts. For instance, after successfully fighting for the ban of plastic water bottles at her high school she continued the movement at Simon Fraser University and was able to eliminate the sale of more than 260,000 single-use plastic water bottles annually. I try to follow in her footsteps and she acts as a mentor in my own journey in the attempt of eliminating single-use plastic from school communities. She motivates me to continue to try to fight for change no matter how much you get shut down by decision-makers and those who have power.
Chipping away at our plastic habit, one water bottle at a time.
Seventeen-year-old Ziya Merchant is the founder of Phasing Out Plastic Bottles, a multi-school campaign using plastic water bottles to raise awareness about climate justice.