Diet Change Not Climate Change Youth Board Launched!

ProVeg International is excited to announce the launch of our Diet Change Not Climate Change Youth Board, with 10 outstanding young people from around the world joining. These global youth activists will advise Diet Change Not Climate Change (DCNCC) and spread the message in the lead up to COP27, the annual UN Climate Change Conference, which takes place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, this year.

The Youth Board launched on Friday 25 March when young people across the world take to the streets for the annual climate strike, organised by Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future, to rattle policymakers to act on climate change. Its members are from four continents and will be engaged in pushing for food system change to tackle the climate crisis to help ProVeg reach the goal of reducing meat consumption by 50% by 2040. In particular, they will be helping to influence policymakers attending this year’s COP27.

“The current generation will feel the effects of climate change more than any other and they want to act to prevent the worst effects of the crisis. Their voice is a crucial part of our Diet Change Not Climate Change campaign as they represent powerful change agents. By joining the Youth Board, these ten young people will have the support of the ProVeg team to articulate through social media channels and in live presentations the paramount importance of transforming our food system by replacing animal-based products with plant-based products and cultured meat alternatives.”

Juliette Tronchon, Policy and Public Affairs Specialist at ProVeg

The Youth Board members are all already active campaigners in the field of climate change and represent a powerful grouping that will help to push forward urgent need for food system change.

Genesis Butler, United States

Genesis Butler is a 15-year-old Afro-Indigenous activist. Her focuses are animal welfare, climate, and environmental advocacy. Genesis is the founder of Youth Climate Save, a global youth-climate organisation dedicated to raising awareness about the link between climate change and animal agriculture.

Follow Genesis on her Instagram account as well as the Youth Climate Save Instagram.

Rania Hashim, India and United Arab Emirates

Rania Hashim is a 15-year-old on a mission to drive human progress and disrupt industries, more specifically the global food system. An alumni at the Knowledge Society, she is motivated by her vision of a cleaner, greener future – and making it a reality by learning about and developing emerging technologies such as cellular agriculture and biotechnology. She has done projects in the alternative-protein space, artificial intelligence, and femtech (technology that focuses on women’s health).

Follow Rania on social media channels via Instagram, Twitter,  and LinkedIn.

Rahmina Paullete, Kenya

Rahmina Paullete is a 16-year-old climate activist, environmentalist, and wildlife conservationist from Kenya. She is a Young Champion in the Wangari Maathai Foundation, a campaigner at Food@COP, and a Fridays for Future activist.

Follow Rahmina on her social media channels via Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Emma Greenwood, United Kingdom

As an 18-year-old youth voice and climate-justice activist, Emma has been vegan for the past three  years and has helped to coordinate Youth Strikes 4 Climate in Manchester.

Follow Emma Greenwood through her social media channels on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Elizabeth Gulugulu, Zimbabwe

Elizabeth Gulugulu is an Msc Candidate in Biodiversity Conservation, with a focus on the linkages between agriculture and the environment. She is currently the Global Focal Point for the Children and Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC (UN Climate Change) and was previously the Contact Point for the Constituency’s Agriculture Working Group, where she advocated for the participation of young people in the Enhanced Transparency Framework in Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use .

Follow Elizabeth on social media channels via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Hannah Testa, United States

Hannah Testa is a 19-year-old sustainability advocate, author, TEDx speaker, and founder of Hannah4Change, a non-profit dedicated to fighting issues that impact the planet. 

Follow Hannah through her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, all @Hannah4Change!

Huiyu Ouyang, China

Huiyu Ouyang is a Food Policy Officer at the Good Food Fund (GFF) and the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation. Huiyu advocates for a plant-forward dietary and food system transformation through the GFF, the UN Food Systems Summit China Action Hub, and the annual Good Food Summit,. Huiyu is also a campaign lead for Act4Food Act4Change as well as being a World Food Forum champion.

Follow Huiyu via his Instagram.

Veronica Mulenga, Zambia

A climate and environmental justice activist from Zambia and organiser with Youth Climate Save, Veronica’s work is based on raising awareness about the climate crisis, environmental injustice, and the disproportionate impacts of climate on the most vulnerable.

Follow Veronica through the social media channels of her personal activism as well as those of her Youth Climate Save chapter.

Joshua Omonuk, Uganda

Joshua Omonuk is a climate activist who believes that sustainable consumption and sustainable land use are effective climate-change solutions.

Follow Joshua on his Twitter account.

Thales Bevilacqua Mendonça, Brazil

A young organic agroforestry farmer from Brazil, Thales grows vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and forests! Thales works with organic farming, participatory guarantee systems, and sustainable-commercialisation chains.

Follow Thales on his social-media account on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.