Mobilizing Young People to Save the Planet: One woman’s mission to inspire youth, not to be leaders tomorrow but today.

“So much accomplished in so little time!” That’s what I thought when I first learned about Esperanza Garcia, her life and her work. A graduate student at Columbia University, president of the Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development, Philippine delegate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, speaker, blogger and mother – this twenty-something keeps herself busy, and she certainly seems up to the task!

Garcia, a native of Cebu City in the Philippines, decided early on that there is no time like the present to think big and make a difference in the world.

A social media maven, she has a blog – www.ecohope.blogspot.com – two facebook pages,  a strong Twitter presence and an amazing top 5 percent ranking on the about.me user/web presence list. Garcia is able to utilize these social media channels to share her stories, efforts and opinions.

Inspired and mentored by many, including her “family of leaders”, such as her aunt, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, and grandparents, Judge Esperanza Garcia and Congressman Pablo Garcia who was also a three-term Governor of Cebu, Esperanza has it in her DNA to lead.

Another pivotal figure in her life, a man she calls her “second father”, Rajendra K. Pachauri is a global champion fighting for climate change who has helped shape her attitudes about the matter. (Dr Pachauri is chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and head of The Energy and Resources Institute.

Humaneity Magazine caught up with her in the United States as she began her final year at Columbia:

What is the focus of your graduate program  and how do you plan to integrate that course of study with your already well-established leadership presence in the various causes you’re involved with? 

“I am furthering my education in sustainability management so that I can eventually lead a global sustainability organization. Leading international and local youth leadership organizations via starting/leading Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development, Philippine Youth Climate Movement, and International Youth Council, consulting in the Philippine Senate Climate Change Committee, negotiating for my country in international climate negotiations (via United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC), and managing UN program development have prompted immense personal and professional growth.

Yet, these experiences also underscored the need to be knowledgeable about finance and business to be an effective leader in renewable energy, especially in developing countries.

I am pursuing Columbia’s Master of Science in Sustainability Management (MSSM) Program to continue developing the skills I need to achieve goals.  I am scheduled to finish the degree this academic year, 2012-2013.   I am very motivated by the program’s unique interdisciplinary system that lets students create their own curriculum within the framework of economics, public policy, financial management and sustainability management.

This platform will enable me to focus on renewable energy while gaining knowledge and skills in business and finance. Sustainability represents the biggest challenge and business opportunity of the 21st century and the MSSM program teaches the economic benefits and long- term value of improved environmental efforts and sound business decisions.

In the long-term, after working overseas, I will move back to the Philippines and apply my management skills in the private-public sector to promote economic and cultural growth in my country.”

When and why did you adopt climate change as a cause to which you were committed?

“I began my activism when my daughter was born.  I became a single mother at 18. Though I was just a teenager, I saw the world differently. I was not only concerned for my future, but hers as well.  At the end of the day, this is about the future of our children.

Getting to where we need to be means transforming our world. It means building solar arrays instead of coal plants, planting trees instead of clear-cutting rainforests, increasing efficiency and decreasing our waste.  These actions, and many more that would together create a long-term solution to the problems overall, would be easier if we have a global treaty grounded on the latest science and built around the principles of equity and justice.

To get this kind of worldwide agreement, we need a movement of people who care enough about our shared global future to get involved and make their voices heard.” 

What is the connection between inspiring young people and fostering sustainability?

“I attended international climate negotiations as a member of the Philippines delegation at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009 and in Cancun, Mexico in 2010.  There I spoke not only on behalf of my country, but also on behalf of my generation.

World leaders negotiate our future, but most of them are twice, thrice our age. The youth came to Rio+20 [and at other, similar summit events around the world] to have their voices heard. Young people need to take an active role to let their voices be heard in decision-making platforms and focus on having stronger representation in international climate negotiations.  

It was certainly a great honor to experience a summit of such magnitude…and it proved how crucial it is that we globally and collectively find common ground to tackle the disastrous effects of climate change and find sustainable solutions. During these engagements, young people converged from around the world to put pressure on the world’s governments.”

What was one of your early experiences that shaped your current attitudes and passion?

“When I was working for the Philippine Senate Oversight Climate Change Committee, my job entailed visiting schools and universities all over the country, engaging and educating young people on climate change.

In four months, we reached out to over 50,000 young people, searching every region, school and university for Climate Heroes.” I was working during the Philippine elections from January to May of 2010 when the El Niño phenomenon hit the Philippines. It was very interesting to be actively engaged in a developing country at this time, to see the harsh impacts of climate change, and engage with those affected by it.

After working in the Philippine Senate in 2010, I was a Development Associate for the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation organizing the Youth Assembly at the United Nations. There, we engaged hundreds of young people from all over the world who were seeking practical ways to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals [eight international development goals that were defined as a result of the Millennium Summit of the United Nations held in 2000.]”

Through this gathering the delegates benefited from the opportunity for global networking, and also to develop their social entrepreneurship skills.  They also gained valuable, first-person experience of working within the framework of the United Nations.

I was also involved with the International Youth Council, [another organization focused on achieving the Millennium Development Goals] where we provided young people who will be the leaders of the next generation with the training, resources and opportunities they need to succeed, bring together and support other young leaders from around the world.

My local (home country) and international experiences differ. It is much more of a challenge to discuss climate change in a developing country like the Philippines, where most of our audience is concerned about putting food on the table at the end of the day.   

I founded the Philippines Youth Climate Movement (PHilYCM) to help educate the youth in my home country about climate change and ways in which people can adopt better, day-to-day practices to the impact of climate change.  That organization continues today in local communities to increase awareness and inspire young people to make a difference.”

How do you juggle your personal life as well as your work?

“Despite my work and studies, my child is, above all, my top priority. I am incredibly blessed and lucky to have supportive parents. Without their support, I would not be able to achieve all that I have done.

I became a single mom at the age of 18. My parents understood the importance of receiving a quality education. While I have been away from the Philippines pursuing an education, they have been helping me raise my child back home.

I try to spend my Christmas and summer breaks with my daughter. I believe that to build the good life that my daughter deserves, I need to establish myself and my career first. She also would not enjoy the same quality of life if she were in New York with me as a single mother and full-time student.”

Concluding the interview, Garcia defines everything she’s trying to do via a simple, personal statement:  “I always end my speeches saying: ‘I have a 6 year old little girl. I worry about her future. I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for her. There is no better reason to fight than her future.’” 

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