If any progress is being made on the global fight against climate change, it is because of Youth Venturers like Chloe Maxmin.  Just 16 years old, she is an eloquent voice for our planet – both at her school and in her community. She founded Climate Action Club at her school in Newcastle, Maine, and in its first year, the club led successful campaigns to recycle batteries, initiate an energy audit for the school, and ban bus and car idling on school grounds.

The club has now launched a “paper vs. plastic” campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags. Club website.

What would you say is the most important impact you’ve made?

The most important impact I’ve made is to heighten awareness about the environmental crisis in my school and community. I founded The Climate Action Club at my school, and it was the  first and only club to focus on fighting global warming. We have achieved more in two years than any other school club. This achievement is due not only to our hard work and determination—it is because of the impact we have made on our peers, school administrators, faculty, and our whole community. Many people have become more aware of the current climate crisis and their power to act because of our work. We have given people opportunities to learn, participate, and take action.

Two important aspects of the club explain our impact.  The first is that our projects extend beyond the school into the community.  This balance has enabled us to reach more people and raise awareness about eco-friendly behavior. Second, each of our many projects focuses on the individual’s power to take an active role in protecting the environment.

Who or what inspired you to become a leader? How did it all begin?

I was inspired to become an environmental activist when the largest tract of undeveloped land in Maine—the North Woods—was threatened by a massive development proposal for a sprawl of second homes, marinas, and resorts. Plum Creek, the biggest real estate company in the country, was proposing these disastrous changes.

I snowmobile in the North Woods with my family. I have seen vistas of breath-taking beauty, pure pine-covered woods, and unthreatened habitats. These experiences made me fall in love with nature. My deep passion for nature has been fueled by Maine’s thrilling beauty, ever since I was a little girl. I feel it is my duty to do everything in my power to save our world.

I dove into action when I heard that the North Woods was going to be destroyed. I wrote letters to the Governor, the local environmental agency, the regulatory body that had authority over the development plan, and to newspapers all over Maine. I testified against Plum Creek at a public hearing, and I mobilized members of the Climate Action Club to write letters as well. We all went to a special conference protesting Plum Creek’s development proposals.

These experiences are the foundation of my passion for the environment. Every day when I look out my window and see the dark green pine trees on the outskirts of our broad hay field, I know why I must act. I know why I must motivate others. I know why it is imperative to save our world.

What three things have contributed to your success?

My un-faltering passion to save the environment has been the biggest part of my success. Even if I am having a discouraging moment, I always forge on because of my determination.

The second biggest contributor to my success is my belief that you need to educate people before they can act. I believe that education is the key tool that will enable people to effectively fight climate change. I spend a lot of time developing educational materials not only for club members, but for our community as well. We have created a firm foundation for people that is the basis for their own personal actions. We have empowered people to act for themselves. By doing so, we have spread our impact and heightened our success.

The third thing that has most contributed to our success is the support from our school and community. Faculty, school administrators, local citizens, and merchants have reached out and helped create a strong foundation. This has enabled us to achieve more, spread our work, and build a wider support base.

When do you most feel “in the zone”?

I feel most ‘in the zone’ when I am talking to others about the environment, the Climate Action Club, and my personal experiences.

Is there one story that illustrates why you do what you do?

When I see how much our work has spread across the state and the nation, I am reinvigorated. Two stories come to mind that illustrate this point.

One day I checked the Climate Action Club’s emails. A man from California had contacted us through our website. He said he found our website thought we would be a great candidate for The Sundance Channel’s series BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET. This email catapulted me into a three-month conversation with him. This one email resulted in a 6 person camera crew traveling all the way to Maine to film us for the next season of BIG IDEAS. This opportunity gave the club the chance to motivate and inspire others to become environmental activists as well.

The Climate Action Club stood outside local businesses in our town to hand out a one page fact sheet to customers to educate them about the harmful effects of plastic bags on the environment. On the sheet, we gave people the opportunity to pledge their support for our Paper Vs. Plastic Campaign. One respondent pledged her support with a blog post on our website. She was inspired to make a long-lasting commitment to  use canvas bags. She wrote about how she tried to use her canvas bags, but she usually forgot them in her house or car. Our work and rekindled her initiative to always use canvas bags. Her message reminded me that we are making differences in many people’s lives, even if we don’t know about it. Our work diffuses around the state, and it is always exhilarating when you receive a glimpse of the depth and breadth of the impact you’ve made. 

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your work as a leader?

The most important lesson I’ve learned is how to have voice. I am a shy person. I usually don’t like to go outside my comfort zone. But through my work with the Climate Action Club, I have learned how to speak up for myself, express my beliefs, use my voice to convey my passion, and use my words to motivate others. This lesson has not only helped me in the realm of environmental activism—it has enriched every corner of my life and helped me become a more confident person.

Who are the current leaders or thinkers you admire?

I admire Al Gore. He has broken the stereotypes that surrounded him as a politician. He diverted from the traditional corrupt path of a politician gone activist. He is truly dedicated to fighting global warming. He sees, as I do, that it is important to educate people to empower them to act. He believes in the power of the individual. Al Gore is not afraid to set what may seem like impossible goals (for example “100 percent zero-carbon electricity in 10 years” (Al Gore, 2008 Speech on Renewable Energy). He has set a precedent for future environmental activists. Al Gore also recognizes that every single person on this planet needs to work together as one to fight climate change. Governments, business, states, town, organizations, individual groups, and individuals need to collaborate to save our planet. All sectors of life must come together in this epic movement.

I also admire Barack Obama. He has transcended every stereotype of thinking, acting, and empowering. Like Al Gore, Obama realizes that all parts of our world need to come together to fix our problems. But, as Obama exemplified with his extraordinary grassroots efforts during the election, individuals are the building blocks for change. Empowering is changing.

What book has made a great impression on you in the last few years? Why?

Three pieces of literary work have made an impression on me, especially in terms of my work as an activist and leader.

Fight Global Warming Now by Bill McKibben. This was one of the first books I read about how to organize a group to fight global warming.

It provided me with key information about how to be a leader, what kinds of projects to work on, and how to motivate and captivate others.

Sula by Toni Morrison. Although this book has nothing to do with the environmental movement, it reminded me of the challenges of being different. The environmental movement is like no other movement in the history of the world. We are in unchartered territory, daring to break with conventional behavior and offer radical new solutions. These same themes are in Sula.  Toni Morrison suggests that a single person can break through the walls of conformity. We can learn from Sula that we have the power to successfully throw off conventional limitations and forge a new truth for a new day.

The Crisis by Thomas Paine. Paine released each part of this 13-part essay between 1776-1783. These were carefully timed to inspire soldiers before a key battle, or rally citizens at crucial moments in the Revolutionary War.  I think Thomas Paine is the most influential writer in American history. He used the power of his words to protest the enslavement of the colonists and to fight for freedom. His rhetoric inspired people to revolt and to rethink the structure of government. In the current climate crisis, we can take inspiration from Paine’s words. We can ignite our collective power to take charge of our planet and save our world.

What gives you hope for the future?

I felt alone and isolated when I first started the Climate Action Club. I didn’t know any other teenage environmental activists, I had no network, and I had no idea how to lead or motivate others. However, when a friend told me about Youth Venture, my world opened into a massive support network.

Through Youth Venture, Earth Island Institute, and many other organizations, I realize that there are so many young activists taking control of the future. These support networks have given me hope that we can all work together to make a difference, and we can all influence others to do the same.

What advice would you give to aspiring young leaders today?  

I would tell an aspiring young leader to try anything and everything. I live in a small town of 1,200 people. My school has 600 students. I had no connections when I founded the Climate Action Club. But I did not let that deter me. I let my passion for the environment lead me to motivate my peers to act.

Our collective determination resulted in national recognition and new connections to vast support networks. The theme of the Climate Action Club is FIRST HERE, THEN EVERYWHERE. This saying reminds us that even though we live in a small town in Maine, we have the power to influence others and diffuse our passion and work all across the world. No individual is insignificant; no town is too small to make a difference.

I believe there is a need to revolutionize the way we carry our drinks. Most specifically, where we carry our drinks. People may not want to use reusable bottles, but if the alternative was taken away and they were shown the many advantages of reusable bottles, I believe their eyes would be opened. Reusable bottles are not only better for the earth, they are better for our wallets! 

My idea is to eliminate conventional soda machines/bottled-drink dispensers and replace them with the Green Fountain. Similar to the Soda fountains found at restaurants and fast-food places, these drink dispensers still provide customers with various soft drink options, everything but the bottle, and at a lower price.

Of course, the Green Fountain would sale 100% recyclable reusable bottles. Choose the volume, 500 ml or 1 liter, insert the money in the slot, place your reusable bottle underneath your choice drink and refill as often as you like!

This is what all the bottles look like when they are dumped at our local landfills. Only 27% of all bottles are recycled.

Electronic waste like cell phones pollute the environment (up to 35,000 gallons per phone) and microfinance has been proven to be an effective poverty alleviation tool. In response to these issues and as a fundraising technique, we created the Recycle to Eradicate Poverty program.

In one sentence, we recycle used cell phones to fund microfinance loans to the poor.

At www.onemillioncellphones.com, we allow anyone who has access to the Internet to get pre-paid baggies and make a difference. After entering in your information, we send as many baggies as you want to you so that you can in turn distribute them among events, in offices, to pass out, etc. Each person simply puts their cell phones inside a baggie and places it into their mailbox. 

Using this process, we hope to beat the One Million Cell Phone Challenge. Recycling one million cell phones across America will save 350 trillion gallons of water (enough to stop Niagara Falls for 72 years) and allow 100,000 women to rise from poverty through microfinance (enough to fill the brand new Dallas Cowboys Stadium).

NBS will perform an energy audit and calculate the negative impact of the business on the environment and their pocketbook. In particular we will investigate wasteful areas such as: light bulbs, heating and ventilating systems, air conditioning, unnecessary use of electricity, of water, plastic bags instead of paper ones, and the lack of a recycling program.

We will then formulate a method that will create a smooth transition, be partly paid for by NBS and partly by the client. The transition will correct all of their energy inefficiencies and install new, environmentally friendly items into their facility.

After completing the installation we will leave the company and return six months to a year later to evaluate the energy efficiency of their facilities and how much they have saved as a result of the transition. If they have saved as much as we had calculated, then they will return us our original investment thus keeping our company sustainable.