Tapping into Youth Power for Sustainability 
to mitigate climate change and bring green Earth back

- Solving Local Problems with Global Knowledge

Over the past TEN years, Eco-generation has pooled together youth from all over the globe to stand together for our Mother Earth. This has led to the development of different eco-targeted programs by these different youth and some of the eco-generation members are today on the world scene because of the little programs they initiated.

However, sadly, some of these programs have been abandoned and some of the initiators of those game-changing programs have lost their steam. I believe we should take a pause this year and try to resuscitate some of those programs that have either gone extinct or lie dormant. As you know, youth has immense potential to bring about any revolutionizing positive change. Youth, if empowered, if given opportunity through such networks (Tunza Eco Generation), can work wonders, raise the bar of environmental activism, and positively impact the current challenging issues of global warming and climate change. They should be given opportunities at global platform to showcase their ideas and bring a change.

The theme of the year 2017 precisely signifies the importance and power of our individual local eco actions. All of us have responsibility towards the environment.

Young people must be at the center of sustainable development. As key drivers of change, the world’s 1.2 billion young people must harness their youth power, collaborate through youth networks like Tunza Eco Generation, and drive sustainability by embracing, advocating, promoting and acting for sustainability.

Action plans of the theme are stated as below

Step 1: Act locally - Local solutions for local problems

It is difficult to generalize the environmental needs and issues of each country or village as they vary from one place to another, thus taking it case by case, and focusing on the needs at hand. Emphasis to finding homegrown solutions to the global issues at hand and making each locality a point of reference when addressing the issues and coming up with solutions thereon. Focusing on the community as part of a piece in a jigsaw puzzle where each community plays an important part in building the larger picture creating a global network.

Supporting the efforts of local authorities also raises awareness in local media. All such efforts will mitigate the climate change effects & reduce the carbon footprint. No effort is small & no contribution is meagre. It motivates & encourages others after you ‘report’ the same.

Our local actions may be small at individual level but if done collectively will have a large and global impact on  fighting and reducing global warming and climate change.

Step 2. Impact globally - Small diverse acts, big collective impacts

By using social networking & also Tunza Eco-Generation platform we may spread awareness globally instantly in the form of an ambassador report. Just imagine one report and an instant global audience. Using the media also helps a lot in reaching out globally.

We can pursue global alliances to promote youth power to innovate our world. We need collaborative Solutions toward Genuine Development.

Never hesitate to dream and make plans. We all should have a dream for the betterment of mother earth and ourselves too. After dreaming about something we can only make a plan and implement to action and don’t forget to share it on our Tunza Eco-generation platform.

Step 3. Love Earth

In fact this is the crux of all themes. If you love The Mother Earth you will conserve, preserve, and consume wisely. Spread the green ideas as far as possible. Inject all with a dose of love towards the Mother Earth. This is the only place we humans can survive.

You have to choose the green ways in every sphere of your daily life. From waking up in the morning to going to bed at night you need to choose green paths all the time. The products, the home appliances, and the technologies of everything you use must have the ability to be useful to environment. If individually people will follow these rules the environment will get a better response from the mankind.

To decrease our ecological footprints, we need to take more actions towards conserving environment and saving Earth. Whereas footprint measures our impact on the planet and its resources, Handprint will help quantify what we do to tread lightly on Earth — reducing our consumption of energy and resources, and being more considerate about the waste we generate. Handprint is specifically a measure of our actions in this direction-whether big or small.

“Being an active member of Tunza Eco Platform, I have noticed the work and activities of the Tunza friends that inspired me to think of this theme as we all share the common problems and issues in our respective countries. Youth today share the same fabric of emotions irrespective of any countries they reside. Social networking has made them rise above the complex issues of the world.”

- Tunza Eco-generation member-

We, youth, from different parts of the world, are advocating for environment conservation and sustainability. Through this youth network ‘Eco Generation’, we are sharing our small eco-acts of diverse nature, trying to implement in other regions to accomplish large and collective impacts.

We are connected as one every time, everywhere. But often we just miss this big opportunity to be useful for each other. Solving local problems with global knowledge, not only offering you the power of crowds in certain limited areas, but offering you the power of crowds with so many ways (points of view) of problem solving in unlimited areas every time!

We are talking sustainability, acting sustainably, and embracing sustainability. We are the present and we are the future of the world. To have a safe future, we will continue to embrace sustainability.

Through this youth network ‘Tunza Eco Generation’ let’s share our eco ideas, experiences, and collaborate for sustainable development. Let’s use the power of youth and the power of this network to contribute towards achieving SDGs.

Theme of the year 2017 by Tunza Eco-generation Youth members

Arushi Madan, Rohan Kapur, Luiz Bispo, Manav Jha, Neha Swaminathan, Anthony Emecheta, Olalekan Sipasi, Ashtha Lamsal, Anishka Jha, John David Pilapil, prayash pathak, Ananya Singh, Maryna Osadcha, Estu Kanthi Wilujeng, Nihan Amin, Lydia Goonetilleke, Pherly Grace, Bungao, Osaid Butt, bandana osti, Nadina Danaila, Nurul Huda, Nazneen Ali, Prabaharan Nirushan