Alexandra Chow
2024 Youth Climate Activism Award - Essay
(Left) Ashley Bangsund, Sustainability Coordinator at the Vancouver School Board presents Alexandra with her YCAA certificate. Ashlely has been a big supporter of many of Alexandraβs projects over the years.
Alexandra is an 18 year old from the British Columbia.
βNever doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.β Margaret Meadβs quote is the principle behind my climate justice work; it has inspired me to collaborate with like-minded peers to take action, changing the world one project at a time.
Iβve been part of my schoolβs Environment Club since grade eight, and on the executive team since grade 10. This year, as President, Iβve led events including gardening, art-making, vegan baking, and more. Weβre currently leading our schoolβs first clothing swap and working to become the first certified EcoSchool in the Vancouver School Board.
Iβm also the co-founder of the Sustainable Union, a group to connect the environment-related clubs in Metro Vancouver. Iβm co-leading a project to pilot-test sugarcane paper (made of waste-bound sugarcane fibers) in seven schools, and co-leading another project to implement a Sustainable Corner in libraries, providing and gathering sustainability-related books.
Over the past three years in Youth 4 Climate Justice, weβve created and facilitated seven climate justice education Professional Development workshops, reaching 65+ educators. The effects have been systemic: one teacher rewrote his rubrics to incorporate climate justice education in all classes! A team member and I also wrote and presented letters to our school board trustees. The trustees increased the budget for student-led sustainability initiatives by $100,000 soon after our presentations, which will allow 50,000 students to take action in their 100+ schools.
Iβve been part of the Vancouver School Board Sustainability Connection since grade 10, and am now a Workshops Coordinator on the executive team. I planned and executed Cultivate, our mentorship program for 30+ youth to lead projects in their community with the guidance of 10+ mentors. I created and led each of the six sessions, and found and coordinated the mentees and mentors. For our annual conference, I ideated the theme and structure, and found workshop facilitators. Through this role, Iβve annually empowered over 250 students.
For the Technovation Girls competition, my two-person team is creating a mobile application to help youth cope with ecological anxiety. Our app βEcoMindsβ includes sections for youth to discover ways to take action based on their interests, explore positive climate news, advocate for change from elected officials, and access mental health resources. There are also journalling and goal-setting pages.
Iβm an alum of Ocean Wiseβs Youth to Sea program. As a Plastics Team member, I co-founded The Killer Plastics project. We designed posters, brochures, and a presentation along with three marine animals that were 3-D printed and stuffed with plastic to show the impact of human pollution. Our display travelled to schools across Metro Vancouver, reaching 5,000+ students.
Alexandra with her OceanWISE teammates. Click to view and follow on Instagram.
My work to build a more inclusive and sustainable community has fostered a communal interest in climate justice. By normalizing the idea of using privilege to help others, Iβve empowered my community to create waves of change that ripple at the speed of light, with the power to transform the world.
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?
In the near future, I hope to continue my current projects, particularly the Sustainable Union project and my ecological anxiety mobile application. I look forward to bringing sugarcane paper to more schools, and encouraging larger organizations to switch to using it, as it benefits them, their clients, and the planet. As I move into post-secondary education in the fall, I plan to expand my current initiatives by bringing them to a larger institution where they will be even more impactful.
My long-term goal is to bring climate justice into my career, and continue justice activism throughout my life. In both subtle and more direct ways, I hope to educate others about climate justice and how they can take small actions that benefit everyone and everything.
If you could share with us one message of hope for our planet, what would it be?
Climate justice is so interdisciplinary β it connects all aspects of our lives, bringing us together with people across the world. Every action has value, as each drop in the bucket plays an important role in filling the bucket. No matter what you do, whether you are improving a machine, starting a garden, or creating art related to the environment, you are making a difference. Keep making change in your own way, and it will pay off.
Who or what inspires you to work on climate change?
I envision a future that is sustainable and just, where we have a reciprocal relationship with nature and every person has the opportunity to thrive. Seeing our world today, with oppression, marginalization, and deep power imbalances, weighs heavily on my heart, as Iβve always found it unjustifiable how we harm our planet endlessly, not caring that future generations wonβt experience Earth as we have.
Our broken world empowers me to work towards a better future β the future we all want. I know that the future I imagine is possible, and I have seen so many others bravely step away from the status quo to work towards this future, which is really empowering. Witnessing the amazing action being taken across the world, from creating new policies to founding new organizations to discovering new technology, combined with imagining a better future, inspires me to take action.