The Institute for Sustainability Education & Action (I-SEA) was created in 2003 to broaden and deepen the understanding, appreciation, and commitment to sustainability locally throughout the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, nationally as well as globally.
“Our intent at I-SEA is to propel forward great work in the world -
and in so doing minimize the worst impacts of climate change.”
MARGERY MOORE, FOUNDER
About Us
The vision of I–SEA is to be an integral, positive force for individuals, organizations and communities striving to practice sustainability. This goal is achieved through educational projects, collaborations, communications and research. We are a registered charity, and are pleased to accept donations at any time in support of our work or that of our partners.
Public Benefit
Journalism
In collaboration with Canada's National Observer, Ricochet Media and other media outlets, I–SEA is pleased to feature quality investigative journalism projects in areas of public interest, with specific emphasis on Indigenous issues and impacts of climate change, and Canada's clean energy technologies.
2026 National Youth Climate Activism Award
The National Youth Climate Activism Award was inspired by Greta Thunberg’s speech in Vancouver on October 25th, 2019, on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Greta’s 10-minute speech was deeply inspiring of course but more significantly, the passion and enthusiasm of the young people in the crowd were very moving read more…
The submissions portal is now closed and winners are announced each year on Victoria Day.
Follow NYCAA on Instagram & Facebook @nationalYCAA for announcements and inspiring youth climate activism stories.
NYCAA Alumni Voices
We continue to be inspired as alumni carry their climate efforts forward — pursuing studies, launching initiatives, advocating for change, and inspiring other youth to take action. Many alumni also serve on the Youth Climate Cabinet, which adjudicates the award each year.
Hear directly from past recipients through short video updates and longer interviews, as they share what they’re working on now and how their climate journeys continue to evolve.
Youth Climate Activists in the NEWS
In her role as executive director of Canada’s Climate Caucus, Zoe Grams helps local leaders through network-building, resource-sharing and advocacy, including with higher levels of government.
Hiba Shaikh Ansari, 21, was named a 2026 Starfish Canada Climate Fellow for her work founding and promoting EcoPatriot and inspiring projects and approaches that will unify people across geographic boundaries.
Keith Cleland’s alchemy turns salt and water into affordable, scalable energy storage. This 31-year-old from Edmonton co-founded and runs Aqua-Cell Energy, producing affordable sustainable battery storage that can scale to stabilize the renewable grid.
Hanna Grover, 17, founded Poet2Poet, an organization that helps more than 10,000 young people work through issues including mental health and climate change using poetry.
Payal Mehta has a plastic dream. This young climate leader from Guelph, Ont., was named a 2026 Starfish Canada Fellow for her work starting Reimagining Plastic , a youth-led initiative to raise awareness and take action on the impact of plastics in our environment and bodies.
Ahmad Chattha is passing on climate hope to the children who come next. This 18-year-old Toronto highschool student is determined to ensure that young children have stories of climate hope and resilience to lift them up.
Anne Liang, a 19-year-old Dawson College student in Montreal, organized and ran a thrift fashion show so successful that the college now plans to make it an annual tradition.
Veterinary medicine student Mikayla Astroff earned a Starfish Canada 2026 Climate 75 Fellowship for her work helping youth understand the impacts of climate change on our ecosystems.
Ashton Kerr connects and empowers people to take action for the environment. As acting director of partnerships and programs for Green Teams Canada, this 28-year-old North Vancouver resident shares the power and value of community organizing to create meaningful change.
Sofia Panzetta is helping restore balance to Pacific marine ecosystems. As climate change warms the ocean, the invasive European Green Crab thrives, threatening the health of clams, mussels and even salmon stocks.
Isabella Wen helps those directly impacted by climate change find their voice. This 18-year-old high school student from Surrey, British Columbia, is a Starfish Canada 2026 Climate75 Fellow. She is also media team lead for the food sovereignty conversation hosted by UBC’s Health Together project.
Mendel Skulski applies the art of conversation in service of a livable future. As a sound artist, this young Vancouverite co-produces Future Ecologies, a podcast exploring our relationships with the natural world, layered with stories, science, music and soundscapes.
Melina Ghasem-Asad encourages her immigrant peers to work with soil and reconnect with nature, which she says will help them build resilience in a challenging time.
With a belief that the climate crisis is as much an emotional and mental challenge as a physical one, 23-year-old Brampton, Ont. native Jashan Gill leads operations for Green Mind Canada, which aims to equip young people with the tools they need to process what is happening and take meaningful action.
Kiethan Theva is shifting Toronto’s coffee-drinking culture. The 23-year-old from Scarborough, Ontario, is building a network to help sustainability-minded cafés and values-aligned customers find each other.
Jacob Gerard, a 23-year-old wildlife biologist, storyteller and photographer from Ajax, Ont., has created a beautiful web-based story map called Neighbours of the North to help people protect the wild creatures that live among them.
Mackenzie Burnett explores the overlap between extractive industry and Indigenous concepts of land restoration. She also draws people into conversations about climate solutions in her work with Climate Justice Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Climate Hub.
Milad Rajabi came to Canada as a refugee in 2023. Now a permanent resident, he helps other newcomers adjust to life here.
Valerie Muñoz brings the ocean to land. As a member of EarthEcho International’s Youth Leadership Council, this 22-year-old master's degree student at McGill University designs collaborative campaigns to mobilize young ocean advocates worldwide through GenSea.
Working with the non-profit Zero Emissions Innovation Centre, Victoria Lim helps policymakers and industry leaders make the climate safer.
Tinka Robev, the co-founder of Victoria's Puzzle Lab, says the business operates on the principles of 'ethical capitalism' — reusing waste from other wood industries in its products, avoiding plastic packaging and supporting its employees with generous wages and artists with fair royalties.
Fatou Dieng, a 29-year-old Montrealer originally from Senegal, was raised to see the earth as the source of all life. Now, she dedicates hers to protecting it.
Many are tempted to focus on taxing luxury consumption, but this University of Toronto PhD student says they should aim bigger: rather than just focus on what the rich are consuming, policymakers should also keep their investments in mind.
Melody Li is designing her own path toward a fairer, more climate-adaptive future. In 2026, she will focus on her own project, Meals That Matter, helping people in vulnerable and marginalized communities see food that would otherwise be wasted can be redirected to provide delicious, culturally appropriate and climate-friendly meals — while keeping food out of landfills.
Aish Mann empowers newcomers to Canada to lead in the climate movement. He launched Tanah Air, a nonprofit inspired by a Malaysian concept meaning “homeland,” to help newcomers create a sense of homeland in this country..
Danielle Romaine is creating a beautifully flowered world that buzzes with life. The 27-year-old from Montreal, Que., volunteers with Let's Plant, a project of Sierra Club Canada in partnership with Dutchman’s Gold, an Ontario-based honey and beehive wellness company, to help plant 10 million wildflowers and plant seeds across Canada. In 2025, she ensured 500,000 seeds were planted in Quebec.
Seeing parallels between Canada and his mother's hometown in India, Mihir Rao realized his own stories of the impacts of climate change on the places he loves needed to be told.
Dane Currie is cleaning up for good. The 12-year-old from St Catharines, Ont., and his Thursday classmates, the Green Herons, got tired of doing beach clean-ups, so they figured out how to stop pollution at the source. They are 2025 winners of the I-SEA National Youth Climate Activism Award for their Earth Day video.
Alexandre Bourré and his brother, Samuel, will help you declutter your home, reduce landfill waste and assist Canadians in need. The teenager from Richmond Hill, Ont., started Earthly Bros, working with the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) to collect used electronics and make them useful to people who cannot afford new equipment.
Anya Yang turns badminton birdies bound for the landfill into useful works of art. This 17-year-old highschool student from Markham, Ontario, co-founded Birdie UP Canada to sell upcycled birdies. The group sends birdie proceeds to the World Wildlife Fund and other charities engaged in social and environmental justice.
I-SEA is located on Salt Spring Island, in the beautiful Gulf Islands of British Columbia.
Salt Spring Island is part of a unique ecosystem that is protected through the 'Trust & Protect' mandate of the Islands's Trust. We are located on the unceded territories of Hul'qumi'num and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples, including the Quw'utsun First Nation and Tsawout First Nation.
To learn more about this unique 'green' community, please visit Transition Salt Spring or Salt Spring Tourism.

