Fridays For Future, is a youth-led and -organised global climate strike movement that started in August 2018, when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate. In the three weeks leading up to the Swedish election, she sat outside Swedish Parliament every school day, demanding urgent action on the climate crisis. She was tired of society’s unwillingness to see the climate crisis for what it is: a crisis. To begin with, she was alone, but she was soon joined by others. On the 8th of September, Greta and her fellow school strikers decided to continue their strike until the Swedish policies provided a safe pathway well under 2° C, i.e. in line with the Paris agreement. They created the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, and encouraged other young people all over the world to join them. This marked the beginning of the global school strike for climate. Their call for action sparked an international awakening, with students and activists uniting around the globe to protest outside their local parliaments and city halls. Along with other groups across the world, Fridays for Future is part of a hopeful new wave of change, inspiring millions of people to take action on the climate crisis, and we want you to become one of us!

In addition, the engaged and concerned youth of today have created the extinction rebellion. It throws a spotlight on man made climate change. The aim is to show how commercial and government enterprises are failing to address the disastrous climate change which threatens life on earth. These commercial and government enterprises use economic excuses, propaganda and misinformation to delay the needed changes. Enterprises like Exxon used the so-called 'tobacco playbook' to create fake news and throw doubt on climate science. The tobacco playbook was a set of activities created by the tobacco industry to deny the deadly effects of tobacco. The question we should always ask ourselves is:"what is the motivation driving the actions?". For the tobacco industry, the oil, plastics and coal industries, and the weapons industry the motivation is profit - earning money at the expense of other people; either through causing direct individual death, or by creating a climate that kills thousands and millions..

The answer lies in sustainability. This means changing the current economic growth model and resource use scenario to a balanced approach. STARS provides an environmental theme with suggestions on how to achieve sustainability. This theme explains the climate change science. Remember science is based on FACTS, but opinion and misinformation are based upon beliefs (which are very often not factual). Sustainability reaches beyond just the climate change issue, to cover:

• overconsumption
• overpollution
• overpopulation
• over use of resources

To support youth initiatives in areas like sustainability and the extinction rebellion, the STARS Sustainability Foundation would like to sponsor youth efforts. We want to receive your ideas, proposals for live and virtual  events, web and social media.

The best ideas with actual application will be eligible for the STARS youth sustainability prize. Our criteria include:

• Impact - demonstrable public outcomes
• Originality
• Longevity
• Alignment to sustainable environmental and climate goals
• People involved

Contact us to learn more, to propose something, or show what you have already achieved.