Climate of the Year 2000

CEO Annie Lu, a Harvard dropout, and CTO David Lu who previously worked at Valor Water Analytics, founded H2OK Innovations to provide data-driven optimization of industrial liquid systems for manufacturing. H2OK deploys a proprietary form of optical sensing into pipes, tanks and equipment to unlock previously untapped real-time data, which it then integrates into its automation control software. Customers include Cargill, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Ecolab and the Dairy Farmers of America.

Ayisha Siddiqa is a Pakistani Climate justice advocate. She is a co-founder of Polluters Out and the Executive Director of Student Affairs at Fossil Free University. On Sept 20th, 2019 she helped mobilize and lead over 300,000 students onto the streets of Manhattan demanding their governments take climate action. Her advocacy focuses on climate justice and racial justice for BIPOC.

Brianna Fruean started a climate change group at school in Samoa when she was 11 years old. From there, she went on to become a founding member of the Pacific Climate Warriors, “a youth-led grassroots network working with communities to fight climate change from the Pacific Islands and diaspora.

As an ocean advocate, Brigitta Gunawan leads innovative environmental education initiatives to foster meaningful ocean protection across Indonesia and the region.As a National Geographic Young Explorer, winner of the Ocean Awards Young Initiative by Blue Marine Foundation and BOATInternational, and an EE 30 Under 30 by the North American Association for Environmental Education in 2021, Gunawan launched 30x30 Indonesia, a campaign aimed at driving community engagement to help prioritise marine protected areas throughout Indonesia and support the global goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. In 2022, Gunawan launched the 30x30 Coral Garden, with a focus on restoring local coral reefs in Bali.

Daisy Jeffrey is a 17-year-old high school student and organiser in the school climate strikes, the most recent of which was one of the largest protests in Australian history, galvanising over 300,000 people to demand climate action. Daisy is also a fierce champion for gender equality. She lives in Sydney.

Diana is the founder of Xatoms, a deep-tech startup using quantum chemistry and AI for the discovery of new molecules of substances that can purify water from bacteria, viruses, and pesticides. At 14, she visited India. That's when she first saw black rivers and decided to make cleaning polluted water my life's mission. Three years later, Diana used quantum chemistry software to discover a new molecule with the potential to clean contaminated water when exposed to the radiation of the sun.

Eyal Weintraub is a climate activist from Argentina and a student in international relations. In 2019, Weintraub co-founded of Youth For Climate Argentina, a climate organization that has mobilized over 100,000 people in Argentina and has been essential in the approval of environmental laws in his country. He is also Youth Climate Envoy at Talk2U, a triple impact tech-ed startup specializing in developing young people's socioemotional skills and raising their awareness on social, environmental, and gender-related issues.

Foday David Kamara is the founder of Ecovironment, a pioneering social enterprise dedicated to tackling plastic pollution and promoting sustainable development in Sierra Leone. With a passion for creating impactful solutions to environmental challenges, Foday has led his team to recycle over 450 tons of plastic waste into eco-friendly construction materials while providing employment and educational opportunities to underprivileged communities.

Grace Malie is a Tuvaluan climate activist. She has been quoted before the International Court of Justice, and she has presented her country's concerns before the United Nations. She is a youth delegate for the Rising Nations Initiative.

Kevin J. Patel has fought as an intersectional climate justice activist from Los Angeles, CA for the past eleven years. Growing up with severe heart issues due to Los Angeles’s poor air quality, he is one of the millions of people across the world who are already victims of the climate crisis. In 2019, Kevin founded OneUpAction International, an organization that supports and empowers marginalized youth by providing them with the resources they need to be changemakers.

Lauren Castelino is an environmentalist and entrepreneur committed to advancing equity and climate justice. She is the founder of the Green Career Centre, a nonprofit that prepares underrepresented youth for green careers. As a skilled fund development professional, Lauren has secured over $3.1 million, creating green jobs, environmental events, community gardens, and co-working spaces.

Sophia Kianni is an Iranian-American social entrepreneur and activist. She studied at Stanford University and is the founder of Climate Cardinals, the world’s largest youth-led climate nonprofit, with 10,000 volunteers in 80+ countries. She is the youngest United Nations advisor in US history. She was most recently appointed to serve on the EPA’s National Youth Advisory Council.