Earth Guardians are the Youth Shaping our Future
Putting the power into the hands of the younger generation, marginalized communities, and those most affected by the climate crisis.
Earth Guardians (EG) is an intergenerational climate justice organization that trains diverse youth to be influential leaders at the forefront of the climate movement across the globe — using art, music, storytelling, on-the-ground projects, civic engagement, and legal action to advance solutions and create grassroots and global impact.
For three decades, EG has been a community and stepping stone, to guide changemakers of all ages, backgrounds, and industries in every step of their journey to solving climate injustices. Their theory of change centers on prioritizing BIPOC community needs and cultivating youth agency, community building, and nonviolent direct action. EG believes that by resourcing the hands of those most affected, they can create lasting and impactful change.
Below, you'll hear from different members of the Earth Guardians global community about why they joined the organization and where they focus their energy. As an introduction, Emmy Scott, Earth Guardians' current (and youngest) Executive Director, outlines the Earth Guardians' mission.
Emmy Scott (audio):
Emmy believes that businesses play a critical role in the climate crisis. She is dedicated to creating a world where businesses are a force of good and the catalysts for a thriving future for all; she educates youth on the circular economy, place-based action, and voting with your dollar to empower underserved communities.
INL: Earth Guardians is based in Colorado, and supports a global network spanning six continents. What are the global initiatives you’re focused on right now?
Emmy Scott: Currently, Earth Guardians runs the following 5 core programs:
“Crews” — the main program at EG, or the heartbeat of our organization, is an affiliation program led by youth (ages 13-30) alongside adult mentors and experienced changemakers. These leaders drive our grassroots and global initiatives. Crews work locally to address climate and environmental degradation affecting their communities while influencing the global climate movement as a whole. Anyone, of any age, anywhere, can join or start a Crew to be supported in driving the change they want to see and gain a sense of belonging to a global community and nature. We encourage our seasoned youth (over 30) to start a Crew and work towards mentoring youth in our network. Being part of a Crew means learning how to become an organizer and a leader. At Earth Guardians, we see our organization as an entry-level start or stepping stone for becoming an effective organizer and leader, starting your activism journey. We see ourselves as a lifelong community that will be there every step of the way.
Anyone, of any age, anywhere, can join or start a Crew to be supported in driving the change they want to see and gain a sense of belonging to a global community and nature.
Regional Crews Council (RCC) — as the bridge between local Crews and the broader EG community, the RCC program pairs Crews with a Regional Crews Counselor for ongoing, personalized mentorship throughout their activism journey. RCC’s are not only experienced Crew leaders and professional activists but also live in the regions they serve, allowing EG to provide unique and tailored resources like training on local environmental issues and hands-on guidance for Crews in their community.
Indigenous Youth-Leadership Initiative (IYI) — this program upholds & centers Indigenous knowledge & tradition by cultivating & supporting Native American Crews & providing leadership training focused on environmental justice & Indigenous rights. Like the RCC program, IYI creates unique and tailored resources rooted in land stewardship, culture preservation, and Indigenous sovereignty. Each year, the IYI program hosts an in-person training that brings together youth leaders from over 20 tribal nations to hone leadership skills, encourage community & engage in social and environmental justice.
Speaker’s Bureau - a collection of EG’s global youth passionate about public speaking, this program trains and amplifies the voices of EG youth climate justice speakers and storytellers at large-scale events, conferences, schools and universities. Our speakers are dynamic youth leaders with direct experience in leading Crews or participating in programs and campaigns, driven by a passion for public speaking. EG provides training and guidance to empower our speakers to deliver impactful presentations at each event, allowing youth voices to have a chance to tell their stories. With over 1,000 students engaged, as of April of 2024, EG speakers are moving audiences into urgent action on ecological issues and the climate crisis.
Project Grants - is an impactful resource offered to Crews and youth leaders as an introduction or accessible entry to grant writing and project management. EG’s project grants put resources directly into the hands of those driving change, offering funding to support projects, such as community education, waste reduction, nonviolent direct action, climate policy, forestation, and mutual aid.
INL to Mensa: Why did you become an Earth Guardian?
Mensa Tsedza (Global Projects Director): I joined Earth Guardians in 2013, at the time EG had not yet expanded into Africa. I was young and had been committed to the climate cause in my community for several years. In my commitment as an activist, I found an opportunity to respond to different climate issues, and made my modest contribution to raising awareness among the members of my community, but also to act for the change that we hope for.
By joining Earth Guardians, I saw an opportunity to engage my community, and especially young people, through climate action. In reality, we did better than I expected with our initial objectives. After a few years we involved young people beyond my community and country, and created crews in several African countries through campaigns and community activities.
Today Earth Guardians is present in 35 African countries with thousands of young people engaged in their communities and carrying out projects at various levels of contribution to solve the climate crisis. For several years now, I have joined the staff of Earth Guardians. I merge my passion and my commitment for the environment with my skills as a scientific ecologist and ecosystem manager to support and help the crews in Africa through several projects that our organization supports and developed. I love what I am doing with this movement and work tirelessly to bring the organization to yet another level.
“Earth Guardians has been a life-changing force in my life — teaching me the importance of community, gratitude, and family. As we face a difficult issue to circumvent and even comprehend, it’s so necessary that we center love and understanding. Earth Guardians is so special in the way that it empowers young people to participate in the ways that feel right to them rather than dictating the “right” or “wrong” ways to take action.”
— Vic Barrett
INL to Tyler: Describe the feeling of having a project completed as an Earth Guardian. Why would you recommend activism work to others?
Tyler Massias (Speakers Bureau Director): When completing an EG project/campaign I always feel more optimistic for the future, and accomplished within myself. It's such a gratifying feeling, especially knowing that you worked as a team to make the impossible, possible. Even with our “CAN Campaign” and the subsequent rally/march I co-led a couple of years ago, random folks from the streets of DC joined in and inadvertently created a tight knit community of people that sincerely care about one another and our collective future.
If advocacy feels like an ambiguous pull within your heart, ask yourself: Who will advocate for you when you diffuse responsibility from doing so? Will you take a stand for the defenseless when courage is required in the face of fear? Would you act if you were witnessing the degradation of your future? This is the very essence of activism—and why it is imperative in a free society.
INL to Emmy: Was there a life-altering moment when you decided to dedicate yourself to this work?
Emmy Adams (Regional Crews Councilor, North America):
INL: Can you share more about your Earth Guardians work?
Emmy Adams: I was a part of a Crew in high school and again at University. A lot of the work focused on trying to provide community for other students who were passionate about environmental issues, and wanted to get involved. Sometimes it was as simple as getting together and writing letters to the president of our University about how we believe renewable energy should be a bigger priority. Other times it was something as big as going to the local city council meetings and making comments on how we disagree with the choices of our city to continue funding oil and gas.
We did all kinds of projects, such as having a community garden or winter supply drives to repurpose second-hand clothing and other items for our homeless communities. A lot of the work we did was intersectional — we were not only focused on addressing the environmental issues, but the social issues surrounding them.
INL to Tony: Describe the feeling of having a project completed as an Earth Guardian. Why would you recommend activism work to others?
Tony Soto (Campaign Director): As an environmental activist, I am very proud of the Earth Guardians Project Grant Program created in 2021. It supports youth on the ground with funds to address an imminent need in their community. Fostering youth leadership through community engagement and developing solutions where local voices and lived experiences are central.
Today, climate change affects us all, and it does so disproportionately. Out of all global philanthropy, only 3% is going to environmental causes, and only 0.76% of that is directed to the youth. This underscores the need for governments, businesses, and individuals to get involved in advancing climate action, with a global responsibility to address these issues while empowering local communities. This program has grown and supported many tree planting campaigns, waste management, and climate youth education, among other projects, particularly in the Global South where the effects of climate change are felt more strongly.
INL: How can the public can get involved and support Earth Guardians?
Emmy Scott: Here are various ways to get involved!
Sign up to become a Crew (any one, any group size, any location, any language speaker) to get direct access to mentorship and our unique resources (like our project grants)
Directly support youth-led climate action. Investing in our mission shows our youth that you believe in their work and that the hope created from that is invaluable. Donations are critical to help us nourish our programs and expand our impact.
Book a speaker a move your audience into action
Engage with our resources & take action today with simple how-to guides and more in-depth lessons on climate justice projects
You can find and follow Earth Guardians on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, or subscribe to their newsletter. Share their story with your community!