Do you remember what you were up to during your twentieth summer? Thomas Christian of Atlanta, Georgia, was in Leverkusen, Germany, being elected to the Tunza Youth Advisory Council of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). Christian is one of 12 young adults—six young men, six young women—on the Council, two representing each of the six UNEP regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and West Asia. During its two-year mandate, the Council will advise UNEP on better ways of getting young people engaged in its efforts.
“I now realize that we as youth concerned about the state of our Earth need to educate people on environmental issues,” Christian says, "then advocate for change in our communities, the nation, and the world. As Mahatma Gandhi stated, we must be the change we wish to see in the world. All of us elected to the the Council feel we have a long road ahead of us, but we’re ready for the challenge.”
Though busy enough attending the Georgia Institute of Technology, Christian recently co-founded the Environmental Alliance, the only environmental student organization on the Georgia Tech campus. He also serves as a regional director for 2020 Vision (2020Vision.org), a U.S. non-profit organization that focuses on oil addiction and climate change.
Sleeping, apparently, is not on his agenda.
Click here for more information about the Tunza Youth Advisory Council and to meet the other Council members.
