Youth Climate Advocacy Committee Projects
Youth on our Youth Climate Advocacy Committee develop and implement environment-related projects of their choice within the Pittsburgh community. Their projects are focused on climate action and environmental justice, youth-led, and aim to have a lasting impact. Youth on our committee are mentored by other youth, Phipps staff, and local experts throughout the duration of their project development. Thank you to everyone who has supported our YCAC youth in their work!
Engage and Learn from our Projects:
- Support the Radon Remediation Act (Bill 339) If passed this bill will require radon testing in schools, residential buildings, and commercial buildings and will impose penalties for action not properly taken on radon testing and prevention. In a state such as Pennsylvania with immense coal deposits throughout the commonwealth it is imperative that action is taken in order to create a safer environment for citizens. Please sign our petition to have your voice be heard.
- A photojournalism project about discarded plastic water bottles: Our Water Bottles
- A budget-friendly, sustainable foods cookbook
- Environmental education lessons on different types of pollution for grades 4-6
- Water FIltering and Lead Exposure information
- Water Conservation Brochure
- For information about air pollution-related legislation and the longstanding climate policy history in our Pittsburgh community and nation, please visit the Climate Policy webpage.
YCAC Projects Through the Years
The 2025-2026 Committee revived several past year's projects, including wetland restoration in partnership with UpStreamPgh and hosting a youth sustainable art gallery, fashion show, and sewing workshop. Additional projects focused on environmental education around AI and data centers teaching over 280 students, drafting an AI policy and education one-pager for legislators, connecting with and interviewing Pittsburgh's sustainable businesses, starting a food donation table in a school cafeteria in partnership with 412 Food Rescue and working towards adding compost bins in the future, creating a model UN style workshop game to teach other students about how policy is created, and hosting Family Pollinator Day at Phipps to teach more than 250 people about the importance of pollinators through fun, hands-on learning activities.
The 2024-2025 Committee's projects included: gardening for birds and wildlife in partnership with the Greenfield Community Association, urban tree planting in partnership with Tree Pittsburgh, a youth sustainable art gallery and fashion show in partnership with CMU's sustainability initiative, renewable energy sources and doing energy audits, environmental education for elementary schoolers, wetland restoration in partnership with UpStreamPgh, protecting birds and creating habitat for them, creating a teen-focused app to gamify identifing plants and nature, and building a website for urban gardening education.
The 2023-2024 Committee developed six incredible projects: a documentary on lawns vs meadows, a journey into repurposing food waste (leading to delicious donut bread pudding, marmalade, and crostinis from saved foods!), a beautiful sustainable art and fashion gallery, a deep dive into the risks and effects of radon in our area accompanied by a petition to support Senate Bill 339 and an initiative to provide free radon testing kits to local at-risk communities, a collaboration with local boroughs and organizations to recycle plastic film, and an exploration of energy including renewable eergy sources and ways we all can conserve energy.
The 2022-2023 Committee developed nine different climate action and environmental justice projects with a wide variety of topics: a photojournalism project about plastic pollution, an environmental justice project donating filters to protect Homewood residents from lead water piping, education about native pollinator plants and plant and seed bomb giveaways, a youth literary magazine, a podcast about sustainable living, a guide to creating change in schools, a DIY rain barrel and urban gardening project, and sustainable fashion project including sewing workshops and a youth fashion show.
The 2021-2022 Committee developed projects on environmental education, food systems and sustainable fashion. The environmental education project focuses on bringing knowledge about environmental issues to middle school students, highlighting the importance of being informed from a young age. The food systems project looks at how we can make a positive climate impact with our diets while also eating delicious and budget-friendly meals. The sustainable fashion project aims to bring attention to the immense impact that fast fashion has on climate change and promote stylish looks that are better for the planet.
