Empowering Youth for Environmental Change Through EcoTeens

Photo © Pexels/Karolina Grabowska

Empowering Youth for Environmental Change Through EcoTeens

The call for action against unprecedented environmental challenges grows louder each day. Pragna Nidumolu, the founder of EcoTeens, a platform dedicated to empowering youth engagement in environmental stewardship, is answering the call.

“My journey as an environmental advocate began with a simple belief—that small actions can lead to significant change,” she said. “In the summer of 2017, I went to India to visit family. While the destinations were spectacular, the surroundings were filled with non-biodegradable trash like plastic, glass and batteries. Everyone I talked to during my visit observed shifting seasons, which are directly linked to warmer global temperatures. I even had an opportunity to interact with fishermen in the area who shared that the fish population has declined significantly in the past decade.

“The very next year, I visited Kenya during my summer vacation. While the natural beauty of Africa was unparalleled, plastic pollution was rampant in the area. The locals shared that across Africa, unmanaged waste and pollution are becoming serious problems, having devastating effects on wildlife and communities,” she continued. “These trips had a profound impact on me. With the goal of helping my local community, I joined the program ‘Adopt-a-Highway,’ which aims to help keep roadsides clean. Through this program, I realized that it’s not just adults who are responsible and accountable for keeping our planet healthy—it’s on all of us to help.”

A social entrepreneur passionate about sustainability, Pragna founded EcoTeens with a vision to amplify the voices of teens worldwide to have the attention of businesses, lawmakers, governments, and the communities we live in.

“Through EcoTeens, I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the power of collective action and the transformative impact it can have on our planet,” she said. “There are more teens in the world than ever before: 1.2 billion, totaling one-sixth of the global population. I decided to embark on a journey to rally teens across the world to call for action to make our communities, businesses, and practices more sustainable.”

Pragna believes that teens today have incredible potential to change things in the world. Generation Z has been shown to be the most future-oriented generation in history. With Pragna at the helm, EcoTeens rallies teens worldwide to call for action to make communities, businesses, and practices more sustainable.

“In a recent interview with the Earth911 podcast, I had the privilege of sharing my perspectives on how youth can take the lead in addressing the challenges of climate change and assume accountability as the inheritors of the planet,” she explained. “This conversation was an opportunity to amplify the voices of young people and underscore the critical role they play in driving environmental action and shaping the future of our planet.”

Pragna hosts a podcast series called “The Green Stories,” where she brings together impactful speakers worldwide to engage in meaningful conversations and inspire action. Each episode is a testament to the power of collaboration and shared knowledge in driving environmental change.

“I've had the honor of organizing four Global Youth Sustainability Summits (GYSS), each bringing together over 50 speakers from 35 countries to tackle a diverse range of topics aimed at driving positive change,” she said. “These summits serve as dynamic platforms for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and collective action, uniting changemakers from around the globe in the shared pursuit of a more sustainable future.”

During Women’s History Month, Pragna was published in WomELLE Magazine, where her work was highlighted as an example of the positive effect of grassroots initiatives like EcoTeens in driving positive change. She was also invited to the UN CSW 2024 (Commission on the Status of Women), where she spoke about how young women can engage in sustainability dialogue.

As the owner and leader of the “+The Cap” Campaign for Million Voices, the intersection of sustainability and youth action hits home for Pragna. Among her list of climate change initiatives, +The Cap is among the simplest: keep the bottle cap on before recycling plastic bottles. This seemingly small action can significantly reduce plastic pollution and increase recycling rates. By keeping the cap on, we prevent it from becoming separated from the bottle during the recycling process, making it easier to capture and recycle both components effectively.

As an ambassador for the Sustainable Practices and Solutions Community (SPSC), Pragna is proud to be part of a global movement dedicated to enhancing sustainability by integrating UN principles and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets.

“I am honored to be recognized as one of America’s ‘Top 18 under 18’ for my sustainability efforts, a testament to the impact of grassroots initiatives like EcoTeens,” she continued. “Additionally, I had the privilege of being the youngest speaker ever at the Agile Alliance World Conference 2023, where I shared insights on the intersection of Corporate Sustainability through the Gen-Z lens. On every platform and through every opportunity, my message is the same: sustainability starts with youth.”