News

When was the last time you looked in your fridge and had to throw something away? For many of us, this is more common than we’d like to admit. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that, every year, a third of food produced does not even reach the table.

As Easter approaches, all over the world orders ramp up for chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs. But, have you ever thought about where chocolate comes from and its environmental impact?

Are you looking for opportunities to brainstorm concepts and think about how to tackle environmental challenges differently in 2019?

Nairobi, 28 January 2019 – The United Nations announced today that it is calling for nominations for the 2019 Young Champions of the Earth – the organization’s most prestigious prize for brave environmental entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 30 with a big idea for the world’s future. 

When Bertrand Piccard was preparing for the world’s first ever solar-powered flight around the world, he had a problem. Cockpit temperatures were projected to skyrocket from minus 40 to above 40 degrees Celsius between night and day. Staying alive in those conditions would be impossible.

Nairobi, 22 October 2018 – Welsh agro-tech startup Phytoponics – spearheaded by winner of the 2017 Young Champions of the Earth prize Adam Dixon – is taking operations to the next level by securing 650.000$ in extra funding to scale up commercial output.

Announced today, the Champions of the Earth Awards, the UN’s highest environmental honor, will be presented to six outstanding environmental changemakers. The champions are recognized for their achievements in the categories including Policy Leadership, Entrepreneurial Vision, Science and Innovation, Inspiration and Action, and Lifetime Achievement.

Gibbs Kuguru is an award-winning shark researcher and conservationist. After spending years researching sharks off the coast of South Africa, Gibbs has moved to Kenya to pursue his passion for shark research and fill the gaps in existing marine data. He aims to use tools and techniques that can be implemented for conservation across Africa. This World Water Week, themed “Water, ecosystems and human development”, Kuguru shares the top three take-aways from his research.

This World Water Week, we spoke with 19-year-old Ben May, Founder and President at ThinkOcean and a student at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Global Environmental Education Partnership EE 30 under 30 award.

The Thought For Food team likes a challenge – encouraging innovation in agriculture, and changing the way we eat. Having just closed the latest Thought For Food Summit in Rio, Brazil, we caught up with Program Director, Jared Yarnall-Schane, to ask what drives Thought For Food, and how young people can join the movement towards a more sustainable environment.

“Service is my guiding value. One day we will leave this earth, and what remains is what we do for people,” says Omer Badokhon, the Young Champion of the Earth for West Asia. Born in a small village in war-torn Yemen, Badokhon’s daily life is filled with challenges ranging from conflict to no electricity or water.