Plymouth Students search for 100 ambassadors to help preserve the planet

Education and awareness plays a vital role in the global response to the climate emergency. With that in mind, and ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), a group of students from the School of Biological and Marine Sciences are launching a project to create a network of Ambassadors of Earth.

Targeted initially at sixth-form students, the initiative aims to recruit 100 young people who will be encouraged to pledge their support for the planet through a series of activities in their school or local community. The project seeks to inspire individuals and the communities around them, changing perceptions on how our actions can create a better future for our environment.

It has successfully been accepted to be part of the Global University Climate Forum, a six-month programme which brings student activists together to share ideas, learn, connect, and act on the global imperative of addressing climate change.

The 100 young people will be encouraged to take on four stages of activities between December 2020 and May 2021:

• ‘Helping your environment’ (physical level) – must engage in at least 15 hours of environmentally beneficial activities.
• ‘Reaching into your community’ (social level) – must choose a topic/issue/theme in relation to the natural world, with the aim of creating a social awareness project to deliver to family/friends/school/community.
• ‘Thinking into the future’ (dynamic level) – select a modern climate/environmental issue and provide a creative solution on how to alleviate the pressure. Solutions offered can range on who delivers it and scale of impact.
• ‘Pledge’ – to promise their ongoing commitment to this planet. (Individual or school).

The Ambassadors of Earth initiative has been created by Sancha Conway Holroyd, William Jones, Lauren Pollard and Mark Turner, all Year 2 students within the University’s School of Biological and Marine Sciences.

In the beginning, the students plan to target sixth form age pupils in Plymouth and the surrounding area. However, they ultimately hope to build a national network over the coming months.