Canada’s youth sustainability leaders of 2024

Atmospheric rivers flooding a hometown. A pile of glass bottles thrown in the trash at a house party. A grandfather and his tender attention to gardening.

This year’s crop of young sustainability leaders draws inspiration from a kaleidoscope of sources, which all ultimately point in one direction. We are stronger and more capable in community, building networks and seeding ideas that can make a difference at this critical juncture of planetary survival.

“Our work is about more than just environmental sustainability,” says Leïla Cantave, one half of the driving force behind Black Eco Bloom, an environmental collective that empowers Black women to assume leadership positions in the climate fight. “It’s about redefining who is seen and ensuring that the experiences and knowledge of marginalized communities are not just included but prioritized.”

Their work comes at a point of inflection for young environmental warriors, whose voices are carrying increasing weight as a global “youthquake” sees social and political change arising from the growing influence of young people. In the U.S. presidential election, the youthquake has emerged as a defining factor that may make or break the top two contenders clawing their way into the Oval Office. In Africa, young people are leading a shift toward decolonized education. In Canada, Gen Zs and young millennials are stepping into leadership roles in start-ups, politics, non-profits and board rooms, demanding that a higher standard of sustainability be met.

From helping build the world’s first carbon-removal-technology validation centre, to turning food waste into mini biodegradable dye factories and influencing climate policy from inside the Prime Minister’s Office, the Corporate Knights 2024 30 Under 30 sustainability leaders remind us what it means to be fearless and relentless about challenging the status quo.

“It is never about the individual, but the collective,” says Jodi-Ann Jue Xuan Wang, 26, the daughter of first-generation immigrants who advises investors and governments on an equitable transition to net-zero. “Trust in the direction,” adds Freddie Huppé Campbell, 28, a Michif Two Spirit person who has been empowering Indigenous communities around the globe to seize renewable-energy development as a mechanism to assert sovereignty.

The tangible evidence of a changing climate looms large over these young leaders, like a storm that can take their breath away as easily as it can spur them forward. Climate anxiety is fuelled by the flooding, wildfires and droughts that are eroding our sense of the world around us. “They are a near-constant reminder that every acre counts,” says Calder Schweitzer, 28, executive director of the Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust, which protects and manages land for conservation in one of the most biodiverse areas of the world.

“I was fortunate to have people around me who helped me move from a place of fear to a place of motivation and action,” says Nicole Raytek, the 25-year-old senior manager at GLOBE Series, the Vancouver-based company that organizes corporate sustainability conferences.
And in this battle, there is the wisdom that comes from confronting an existential crisis. “Sustainability is a marathon, not a sprint,” says Ben Grande, 28, co-founder of a carbon-impact-calculating platform called Arbor. “It is essential for youth leaders to remain adaptable and responsive.” Because – as 29-year-old Morgan Lehtinen, who co-founded a facility to pilot and scale cleantech innovations, puts it – in 10 years, “it is our generation and peers who will hold the key roles across the world.”

These 30 Under 30 are already doing just that.

How we found the top 30:

Every April, Corporate Knights opens the 30 Under 30 nominations to the public. An internal team narrowed the list of submissions down to a short list of 50, then our panel of judges each submitted their top 30 picks, and we tallied the votes. (Note: judges abstained from voting for anyone involved in their organization.)

Judges

Senator Rosa Galvez
Canadian senator and president of the ParlAmericas climate change network

James Jenkins
Executive director of Indigenous Clean Energy and a member of Walpole Island First Nation

Katie Wheatley
Head of Canada for the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment

Adria Vasil
Managing editor of Corporate Knights and bestselling author of the Ecoholic book series

Want to be on next year’s 30 Under 30?

Visit corporateknights.com in April 2025 to nominate yourself or any change agents under 30 that you think should be considered for next year’s list.