Planeteer Alliance convened 24 teams of young leaders to host the Planeteer Element Summits around the globe over the last week of July. This year’s Summit series was focused on the WIND Element and its corresponding themes of product circularity and plastic pollution. Youth leaders conceived and held Summits in Ceara, Brazil; Buea, Cameroon; Douala, Cameroon; Santiago, Chile, Santa Marta, Colombia; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Quito, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guatemala; New Delhi, India; Kisumu, Kenya; Nairobi, Kenya; Narok County, Kenya; Merida, Mexico; Jos, Nigeria; Lagos, Nigeria; Lima, Peru; Mogadishu, Somalia; Bangkok, Thailand; Banjul, The Gambia; Kabale, Uganda; Hereford, United Kingdom; Honolulu, HI, US; and Wyandanch, NY, US. A virtual Summit was hosted by students of the Laurel Springs School for both their own student body and any Planeteer Alliance members who couldn’t attend an in-person event.
Sharing a deep concern for the impact that plastic pollution is having on their communities, hosts planned multi-day events with sessions that addressed air quality concerns, environmental impacts, daily sustainability practices, and the critical role young people play in climate action, policy work, and demanding a liveable future. Over 100 unique sessions were led by youth speakers and experts including community leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. This year’s summit series included a virtual escape room, plastic upcycling into jewelry and instruments, and a variety of service projects that included tree plantings and community cleanups. Nearly 1,300 Planeteers took part in these events.
The summit series also prepared participants to submit climate solution projects, or campaigns, on PlaneteerHQ to gain support from Team Planet – which includes campaign development support and small grants. Planeteer Alliance is also launching its Season of Solutions grant cycle – a “Go Fund Me” style system that supports campaign teams in fundraising the cash they need to realize their projects and take their plans to the next level. Planeteers are leading campaigns that focus on changing behaviors, policy, and markets across thePlaneteer Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Heart.
The guiding principles for the Planeteer Climate Solution Summits were developed by longtime Planteers and the organizers of the Nam Lolwe Youth Summit (NALYS), Michelle & Jeremy Muchilwa from Kisumu, Kenya, and Diego Arreola Fernandez from Mexico City. The NALYS Model emphasizes:
- Uplifting young people’s voices and ideas
- Empowering young people to connect with, protect, preserve and restore their environment
- The importance of history, story, and culture in creating connections
- The importance of indigenous wisdom and different ways of knowing in restoring our planet
- The interconnectedness of problems facing our planet and the intersectional approach needed to solve them.
The next Planeteer Element Summit Series will be focused on the FIRE Element – which promotes the rapid transition to renewable energy and clean transportation – and will take place in July 2024.