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Alex Paullin - American, North America

2020 Winner | Musical conservationist | American

By developing and offering specialized tools, content, and training, Earthsong empowers artists, activists, and educators to restore balance between humankind, nature, and society. Earthsong produces educational media, develops classroom resources, and hosts unique workshops with artists, youth, and communities. Our work with over 100 musicians has reached millions of people in locally relevant genres and languages. Our volunteers have engaged face-to-face with over 10,000 individuals in vulnerable communities. Our compositions deliver a message, hold attention and memory, and evoke an emotional response. 77% of our listeners have learned new, useful information. Localization is essential. We identify talented youth leaders and empower them with structures, resources, knowledge, and guidance to lead their own organizations at the national level. They maintain relationships with artists and broadcasters, engage communities and schools with solar-powered video screenings and activities like tree planting and waste cleanup, produce and distribute local educational songs and videos, and more.

I am a musical conservationist. After over a decade of individual pursuits in the environment, music, and leadership, this journey began in 2015 with a climbing expedition in the mountains of Lesotho, followed immediately by a 4-month National Geographic river expedition from Angola to Botswana. Since then, via motorbike or vehicle, alone or with a team, and armed with a guitar, a mobile studio, and a small case of cameras, I have laid the foundation for a global musical movement to engage as many people as possible in the fight for the Earth and the people who depend on it.

Disclaimer: NOTE: This content was shared online for the 2019 cycle of the Young Champions of the Earth programme and has not been updated. This listing does not constitute any endorsement by nor status with the UN Environment Programme.

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