She calls herself an eco-warrior, and her mission started early in life. By the age of 8, Kehkashan Basu was already advocating for sustainability, and now as a university student in Toronto and the founder of the Green Hope Foundation, she shows no signs of slowing down.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, Kehkashan speaks with host Lynne Golodner about why children are perfectly positioned to move the needle on climate justice, social equality, gender issues and more. She shares her inspiring family background that encouraged her to speak up and stand for something, and she explains how her work earned her the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize and the title of National Geographic Young Explorer. At 12, she became the youngest person to be involved with the United Nations Environment Programme. Her ultimate goal? To become the first female U.N. Secretary General.
In this episode, Lynne and Kehkashan discuss:
- Truly sustainable living
- How global challenges are solved by starting at the local level
- How to move toward more sustainable practices
- Why children must be included in the sustainability process
- Her goals for the Green Hope Foundation
- Adding sustainability curriculum to all schools
- The importance of children’s voices
Links and Resources
Coming up next on the Make Meaning Podcast:
Lynne interviews Keisha Greaves, about how her Muscular Dystrophy diagnosis inspired her to create an adaptive clothing fashion line.
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning podcast episodes!
- Episode 81 – John Hartig, Passionate about the Environment & Fresh Water
- Episode 70 – Elena Reads: A Young Blogger Changing Perspectives
- Episode 49 – Saving the Bees
- Episode 28 – The Greening of Detroit with Lionel Bradford
- Episode 13 – Teen Voices with the One Earth Writing Ambassadors
- Episode 6 – Protecting the Great Lakes with Jackson Riegler
