A Saanich councillor has been named one of The Starfish Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 for 2020 along with three other Greater Victoria residents.
The Starfish Canada is a community that supports young environmental leaders and shares their stories. The Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 program seeks to highlight the work of the nation’s young leaders by providing a platform and facilitating connections across the country. Each year, judges select 25 young people to celebrate.
â Announcing Canada's Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25! â
These young leaders have been incredible trail-blazers in their communities across the country. Read more about each of them at https://t.co/kSKDg8say2. #canada #cdnpoli #awards #changemakers pic.twitter.com/ZqmrfWKsEr
— The Starfish Canada (@thestarfishca) April 2, 2020
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In 2018, Coun. Ned Taylor, then 19, was elected to Saanich council and to the Capital Regional District board. In these positions, Taylor has frequently voiced concerns about the climate and has made efforts to effect positive change – including advocating for a ban on single-use Styrofoam food containers, said The Starfish Canada co-founder, Kyle Empringham.
“The environment is one of the main reasons I got into politics in the first place, and it’s a high priority for me now as an elected official,” Taylor said. “I’m very humbled to receive this recognition.”
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He is inspired by the work the other listed 25 under 25 are doing and is grateful to The Starfish Canada for honouring young environmentalists and “proactively” supporting them.
“We need to be lifting young people up and recognizing them when they’ve done important work,” Taylor said. “I think young people are the ones who are beginning to transition us toward a more sustainable future.”
Three other locals were part of the 2020 Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 list – 17-year-olds Anastasia Castro and Char Brady and 25-year-old Talen Rimmer.
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Castro and Brady worked together to educate the public about the effects of plastic bags on the environment. After a year-long awareness campaign that involved meeting with local businesses and neighbourhood groups, the two young leaders made a presentation to Victoria council, which passed a plastic bag bylaw in December 2017.
Rimmer is a poet who writes about the climate and mental health and has presented at several events throughout the region.
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