For climate-aware professionals trying to align their careers with the urgent need to end polluting practices and transform our energy system, 2025 was the year of overwhelm. Last November, when we introduced our annual crop of 30 Under 30 changemakers, we wrote about the temptation to succumb to despair, and we asked the honorees what gives them courage.
This year, something different is taking shape in the sustainability movement. Call it realism, pragmatism or plain-old practicality, but people are getting down to brass tacks and trying to get things done. Is 2026 the year of effectiveness-maxxing?
Yes, the setbacks have continued to stack up, but as Ralph Torrie, director of research at Corporate Knights, has said, “We need to move the conversation to what is possible now.” That’s the kind of spirit that we see in the selections for this year’s list. They’ve taken the renowned engineer Franco Ongaro’s maxim to heart: “The future is not something to predict. The future is something to build.”
This year’s honorees are building companies, funds, foundations, cooperatives and new technologies. They are sharing resources and teaching each other to scale, to heal, to strategize and to persuade. They are finding solutions for food waste, plastic pollution, carbon lock-in and forced labour. They are facilitating circular practices, access to capital and durable protections for the environment.
Mental health is a recurring theme in their work – for good reason. “Looking to the future is terrifying,” Anjali Carter-Rau says. “In my life and work, hope begins in the relationships built through dreaming of better and is founded when cracks in capitalism are broken open and solutions that centre the needs of the many are realized.”
With each new cohort of young sustainability leaders, we want to find out what’s driving them. This year we asked them: “What choices are you making now to shape the future you want to live in?” We encourage you to take the time to read each one – the answers will surprise and inspire you.
—Mark Mann and Natalie Alcoba, editors
How we found the 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
Rosa Galvez
Canadian senator and president of the ParlAmericas climate change network
Adria Vasil
Former managing editor at Corporate Knights magazine
Bestselling author of the Ecoholic book series
Anjum Sultana
Director of policy advocacy, partnerships and youth leadership at Plan International Canada
Rajeshwari Sriram
29, Toronto, ON
Chapters coordinator – Student Energy
Supports 62 youth-led chapters across 32 countries through Student Energy’s global network.
Connects more than 3,650 young people to sustainability education, partnerships and clean-energy action.
Trained more than 130 youth through seven clean-energy programs and enabled five new youth-led renewable-energy projects, collectively offsetting an estimated 5.87 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
“The journey to net-zero will not happen by chance. We must ensure that the systems and frameworks developed are viable, inclusive and resilient against shifting political landscapes – while ensuring that youth are not just beneficiaries but active participants in a just transition.”
Mia Stankovic
28, Vancouver, BC
Cofounder & head of operations – Carbonyx
Co-founded Carbonyx, which mineralizes atmospheric carbon dioxide into rock while converting industrial waste into valuable materials such as silica and carbonates.
Led more than $2.1 million in industry-funded research partnerships with companies including Suncor and Braskem.
First author on three peer-reviewed papers in leading journals, including Energy & Environmental Science, ACS Energy Letters and Journal of the American Chemical Society.
“Sustainability has always been about building systems that last, whether it’s for the environment or industry. The challenge of our generation is to find solutions that support both. My long-term goal has always been to prove that decarbonization can support more efficient, lasting and prosperous industrial operations.”
Jashan Gill
24, Brampton, ON
Board member – Brampton Environmental Alliance
Board member and government and scientific liaison for the Brampton Environmental Alliance, leading the Brampton Air Quality Network to independently monitor pollution around the Emerald Energy from Waste incinerator.
Developed a $5,000 Ocean Wise Ocean Action Grant to provide open-access data on particulate matter, carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds.
As operations director of Green Mind Canada, advances climate resilience through children’s books, video and educational programming.
“The 2050 I want to live in doesn’t separate environmental health from mental health, or community resilience from clinical care. I’m choosing to treat sustainability not simply as reducing emissions but as building the knowledge, tools and systems that help communities shape and thrive in the future we’re creating together.”
Mallika Gupte
29, Toronto, ON
Investment consultant – GloRes Securities Inc.
Helps early- and growth-stage ventures turn breakthrough technologies into market-ready, investable businesses.
Secures grant funding to support pilots and real-world deployment, helping promising technologies overcome barriers to scale.
As a lead volunteer with the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association, drives member engagement, strategic programming and connections across Ontario’s innovation community.
“I think about 2050 by asking which companies today will still matter then, and what they need to get there. Short-term, that means solving specific problems: a go-to-market plan, a pitch that lands, a partnership that sticks. Long-term, it means making sure climate solutions don’t stall before they reach the people and industries that need them.”
Muskaan Muse Laroyia
25, Calgary, AB
Co-lead, executive director and graduate researcher – Brain Climate Equity Collaborative
Co-led a technical submission to Environment and Climate Change Canada proposing four neurological key risk indicators for the 2026–2029 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.
Co-author of the COP31 Youth Statement on Brain Health.
Co-founded and leads the Brain Climate Equity Collaborative, Canada’s first national foundation connecting brain health, climate justice and equity.
“The brain that remembers the past is, paradoxically, central to how we imagine the future. Wildfire smoke is increasingly linked to stroke, cognitive decline and neurodegenerative processes. Climate change is threatening our future while reaching for the organ we use to imagine it. My research studied pattern separation: how the brain keeps similar experiences from blurring together. We need a societal version of that vigilance now.”
Keshiv Kaushal
26, Toronto, ON
Chief investment officer – Propel Impact Capital
Leads Canada’s first youth-lens impact fund and NextGen Impact Fund, investing in cleantech, agricultural technology, sustainable biomaterials and regenerative food systems.
Has led the Propel Impact Investing Fellowship for four years, training more than 600 young people.
Co-teaches impact investing for the energy transition at the University of Victoria and helped secure a $2-billion EV battery-supply-chain investment in rural eastern Ontario.
“I’m building a youth-lens fund that puts decisions in the hands of the people who will inherit the consequences. It’s time to back bold solutions that can bend the arc, and today’s youth are leading the charge.”
Max Wang
16, Vancouver, BC
Founder and CEO – Feeding It Forwards Foundation
Founded Feeding It Forwards in 2024 after learning about food waste in grade six.
Has redistributed 102,769 pounds of surplus food worth almost half a million dollars to charities supporting more than 4,000 people.
Leads approximately 20 student staff and 100 volunteers, coordinating six or more weekly rescues and partnerships with more than 30 community organizations across four Canadian cities.
“Today there is too much hate in the world; it has never been more important to simply be kind to those we meet.”
Abhay Singh Sachal
25, Regina, SK
Founder – Break The Divide Foundation
Built Break The Divide from a single high school club into a national youth sustainability organization, connecting young people on climate issues.
Became a recognized voice on eco-anxiety and youth mental health, developing evidence-informed frameworks and programming delivered in 14 Canadian high schools.
Campaigns for free youth transit in Regina to reduce car dependency and has advocated against environmentally harmful infrastructure, including a proposed AI data centre.
“I am choosing to invest in local, community-based work that makes that future possible: training young facilitators, building trust with schools and communities, and creating spaces where youth can imagine and lead local solutions.”
Darshan Kalra
25, Calgary, AB
Co-founder and chief operating officer – Nova Renewables
Led Nova to $10 million in first-year sales, with the company on track to hit $25 million this year.
Under his leadership, 674 clean-energy systems are now installed and operational.
Nova’s deployed infrastructure is estimated to avoid more than 1,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
“We’ve built our business to empower internal entrepreneurs. Giving sharp leaders real ownership and autonomy is the only way to build the speed needed to hit net-zero.”
Kobe Li
20, Hamilton, ON
Executive director – 20/20 Mission
Co-founded and leads 20/20 Mission, a youth-led non-profit that has recovered and refurbished more than 8,000 pairs of eyeglasses since 2023, diverting an estimated 100 kilograms of plastic, metal and glass from landfill.
More than 1,500 patients have received recycled prescription glasses, including 900 through clinics in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
Directs a team of more than 100 volunteers and team members across Canada, delivering collection programs, eye-care clinics and youth-led vision education.
“My organization began as a healthcare initiative. Over time, we’ve come to see our work as environmental, too. That shift taught me that the most important choice I can make now is starting these conversations where sustainability isn’t the usual topic and helping every industry find its own path to net-zero.”
Maisha Morshed
undisclosed, Vancouver, BC
Founder, InfrastructHER | Sustainability ambassador, Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow scholar – University of British Columbia
Founded InfrastructHER, empowering refugees, newcomers, racialized and Indigenous communities and women to pursue leadership in sustainable infrastructure.
InfrastructHER has reached more than 12,000 people through its interview series and secured up to $3,500 for a climate justice event.
As the first Bangladeshi member of the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada’s Youth Advisory Council, she has strengthened connections between Global South and Global North perspectives.
“Growing up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I experienced extreme heat and dense urbanization struggling to keep pace. My research showed me how climate, infrastructure and health are deeply connected, shaping a country’s development. A better future is achievable only when there’s a collective effort.”
Catherine Brenan & Saavin Lidder
Both 26, Halifax, NS; Toronto, ON
Project manager, science and operations; commercial operations manager – CarbonRun
Catherine Brenan led the registration and verification of the world’s first river alkalinity enhancement carbon-removal project.
Former junior analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada and science intern at NY State Attorney General.
Saavin Lidder has worked across seven countries in North America and Europe, advising Fortune 500 companies and major asset managers.
Youth mentor, treasurer of Glenn Gould Foundation.
“Carbon dioxide removal isn’t a silver bullet, but it’s one piece of the puzzle, and with strong regulation and third-party verification, I hope the field matures into a part of the solution.”
“We build a more just and sustainable world by practising what we envision, taking action today – no matter how small – despite imperfect conditions.”
Tanner Evan Bergsma
24, Waterloo, ON
Founder & CEO – Luminwell Foundation
Co-founded the Global Youth Sustainability Council.
Founded Luminwell Foundation to develop affordable, peer-led mental health support addressing the economic burden of mental illness.
Advocated for housing policy changes affecting 32,000 Stratford, Ontario, residents and established a warming centre providing 3,000 nights of shelter.
“I may never sit beneath the trees I plant. That is okay. Leadership is planting them anyway, knowing someone else will need their shade. We are not powerless before the future. We are its authors. So, let’s write boldly together.”
Malaika Khan
27, Toronto, ON
Co-founder – Reimagining Plastic
Developing the first DayCent simulations of nitrogen losses from biofertilizer applications in Manitoba.
Co-founded Reimagining Plastic, engaging more than 300 people, securing more than $5,000 in grants and diverting more than 300 plastic items from landfill through creative-reuse programs.
Developed voluntary local reviews for three Canadian cities, helping local governments track progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“Net-zero won’t come from any single fix; climate change is a systems problem, interconnected, needing interdisciplinary and intersectional action. I work with data to inform lower-emission choices, but also with art and storytelling, because that’s what leaves a lasting mark on people.”
Jaiya Varshney
26, Vancouver, BC
Co-founder – Tydra Labs
Co-founded Tydra Labs, a UBC Creative Destruction Lab venture developing high-performance fibrillated chitin that can replace toxic additives without sacrificing cost or performance.
Led Tydra’s first financing round, raising $1 million and oversubscribing it to $1.2 million, and has won major pitch competitions, including $100,000 in Montreal.
Since age 10, has led sustainability initiatives, including Down to the Last Straw, persuading restaurants and chains to reduce single-use plastic straw waste.
“I’m trying to think beyond the next milestone: what infrastructure, supply chains and technologies need to exist by 2050, and what can we start building now to make that future possible? For me, ambition means thinking that far ahead, while being pragmatic about what we can change today.”
Hunter Michael
28, Edmonton, AB; member of Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation
Senior manager, reconciliation and strategy, RBC’s Truth and Reconciliation Office – Royal Bank of Canada
Co-led RBC’s Reconciliation Action Plan and Indigenous private equity strategy.
Helped deploy more than $5 million in capital to Indigenous-led businesses and facilitate more than $340 million in financing for Indigenous joint-venture housing projects.
Serves on the board of Spirit North, supporting programs that reach more than 10,000 Indigenous youth through sport, culture and community connection.
“I am optimistic for the future because of the work across government and industry to support Indigenous-led climate and environmental solutions. The choices I make in my professional life include educating colleagues, empowering Indigenous-led climate and nature solutions when applicable, and strengthening our due diligence processes to uphold Indigenous rights in our lending and third-party-spend practices.”
Ria Perrault
29, Toronto, ON
Manager, climate programs – MaRS
Leads the Mission from MaRS Better Buildings initiative, accelerating climate action and adoption of Canadian climate technologies across construction and real estate.
The Mission’s first six ventures collectively raised $25 million, generated $8 million in revenue and deployed 30 projects.
Helped 12 commercial-ready climate-tech ventures scale solutions ranging from mass-timber housing and high-efficiency cooling to low-carbon cement.
“Because we operate in a massive, messy, interconnected system where progress isn’t linear, it’s impossible to know what seeds planted now could grow into something much larger down the line. So to me, it’s not about finding the exact right seed; it’s about planting as many good seeds as possible.”
Mary MacLean
28, London, ON
Manager of operators program – Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA)
Led CanREA’s National Workforce Strategy to address industry workforce gaps and reduce barriers to entering renewable-energy careers.
Co-led CanREA’s annual Operators Summit for five years, bringing together senior renewable-energy professionals.
Received CanREA’s inaugural Integrity Award in 2024, recognizing her commitment to ethical leadership and collaboration.
“Youth empowerment is a key part of building the future I want to live in. I have witnessed and experienced the life-changing impact of access to resources and opportunities through community.”
Olivia Deschênes
26, Montreal, QC
Legal researcher – Independent
Authored a Quebec Business Council on the Environment legal guide on environmental claims that was downloaded nearly 3,700 times, helping businesses navigate greenwashing rules and improve environmental transparency.
Co-organized a 2026 Association des juristes progressistes panel on resisting the erosion of environmental standards, bringing together community organizations, municipalities and academics.
Her environmental law research is being developed into a 300-page LexisNexis book, Le droit des représentations environnementales, extending her work into legal practice across Canada.
“I hope to help shape a legal system in which environmental protection is not treated as a separate field, but is embedded in how we understand rights, accountability and economic decision-making. I see law as a practical tool for making that transition both ambitious and durable.”
Hannah Permaul Flores
23, Toronto, ON
Scholar, student, activist – University of Toronto
Wrote a thesis on the impacts of forest fires on cardiorespiratory health among Indigenous communities in Brazil’s Parque Indígena do Xingu.
Led fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, where she investigated access to healthcare and climate-change-induced health issues across eight remote mestizo and Indigenous communities.
Recognized as one of Starfish Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25, she uses spoken-word poetry to connect science with lived experience and empower young people, collaborating with Nike, FIFA and the Toronto Raptors.
“I am choosing to empower younger generations of youth to have the knowledge and confidence to continue carrying the climate-conscious torch. I choose to invest in the next generation, and I hope to inspire others to do the same, because our voices and ideas are what keeps hope alive.”
Benjamin Cooper-Janvier
29, Calgary, AB; Denesųłiné member of Cold Lake First Nations
Senior manager – MNP
Supports Indigenous communities through MNP LLP in evaluating equity investments, major projects and long-term economic-development opportunities.
As a board member of the Indigenous Leadership Circle, helps recruit, mentor and connect Indigenous professionals while creating pathways into senior business and finance roles.
Serves on the board and chairs the finance committee of The Circle on Philanthropy and mentors Indigenous students in CPA Western School of Business.
“The future I want is one where Indigenous communities have the capacity and opportunity to shape their own economic futures, while industry, governments and communities work together as genuine partners. For me, sustainability is about mentoring future leaders and building trust, economic capacity and partnerships that create lasting value.”
Anjali Carter-Rau
26, Vancouver, BC
Climate and community coordinator – CityHive
At CityHive, led ClimateWorks Lab, equipping youth with climate literacy and systems-change skills.
Launched Policy Under Pressure, preparing young people to engage with climate resilience and urban sustainability policy.
Contributes to the City of Vancouver’s Climate Connections network, Metro Vancouver’s climate engagement hub and Social Innovation Canada’s Climate and Equity Lab.
“Looking to the future is terrifying. In my life and work, hope begins in the relationships built through dreaming of better and is founded when cracks in capitalism are broken open and solutions that centre the needs of the many are realized.”
Brian Chang
26, Toronto, ON
General manager – SolarShare
As general manager of SolarShare, North America’s largest renewable-energy cooperative, helps oversee more than 50 solar projects that have generated more than 160 million kilowatt-hours and avoided more than 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Since joining SolarShare in 2024, has recruited more than 50 members and raised more than $20 million for community solar.
As director and co-treasurer of the Toronto Chinatown Land Trust, helped develop its anti-colonial framework and stewards two community gardens.
“I am choosing to support local, transformative projects that do not scale in a centralized, hierarchical fashion. I am choosing to walk, bike and transit; eat local, regenerative and in season; share food, love and stories; exercise my imagination, courage and glutes.”
Hassan Amir
19, Whitehorse, YT
Undergraduate student – Queen’s University
Youth advocate with UNICEF Canada’s climate change team.
Contributed to UNICEF Canada’s Reimagine Playbook and Starfish Canada’s Young Environmentalist’s Guidebook, resources that collectively reached more than 3,700 youth, educators and environmental leaders.
Co-chair of Starfish Canada’s Youth Advisory Action Committee.
“The greatest threat to youth climate action is not that young people lack power, but that too many have been convinced they have none. Looking toward 2050, I am choosing to invest in advocacy, research and youth participation today, helping build a future where young people see themselves as architects of change.”
Riley Williams
22, Vancouver, BC
Project lead Balance Co-Lab – Simon Fraser University
Leads the first-of-its-kind Indigenous management database at Balance Co-Lab, identifying and analyzing 600 resources on Indigenous management and governance for Indigenous communities worldwide.
Makes knowledge more accessible to support Indigenous-led stewardship, sustainable business and environmental governance.
At Simon Fraser’s Re:Structure Lab, researches business models connected to forced labour and modern slavery and contributes to Oxford’s Net Zero Tracker to assess the credibility of corporate net-zero commitments in North America.
“One individual change I have made is in my consumption, by switching to a plant-based diet to contribute substantively to animal and environmental welfare.”
Aboubak Diarra
27, Toronto, ON
Founding member – Toronto Biobuild Collective
As lead coordinator and founding member of the Toronto BioBuild Collective, brings students, researchers, designers and firms together to advance bio-based, low-carbon and circular building practices.
Coordinated the 2026 Mock-Up Project, creating a hands-on platform for architecture firms and collaborators to test sustainable material concepts and build shared industry capacity.
Mentors Black high school students through Building Black Success Through Design, supporting a more diverse pipeline into creative and sustainable careers.
“Growing up in Burkina Faso and studying in Ghana, I saw waste accumulate where systems fell short, while earthen buildings showed me the potential of local materials. Now, I am working to ensure that materials stay useful, buildings adapt, and communities gain cleaner environments and local value.”
Wynnie Zhao
27, Toronto, ON
Founder, Doughnut Economics Collective Toronto; project manager of community climate adaptation – UN Global Compact Network Canada
Founded the Doughnut Economics Collective Toronto (DECTO) in 2024, promoting economic models that prioritize human and planetary well-being.
DECTO has partnered with more than 15 organizations, including the Centre for Social Innovation and Wellbeing Economy Alliance, to host workshops, events and a biweekly book club.
Connects Canadian businesses with climate-justice practices and is developing a tool kit for corporate, community-based and intersectional climate adaptation.
“As a consumer and citizen, I’m considering what I’m buying, where my money is being invested, and who I’m voting into power.”
Jagtar Singh
24, Brampton, ON
Founder and CEO – TGCC (The Green Clothing Company)
Expanded TGCC in 2024 into a consulting practice that helps student organizations and higher-education institutions integrate sustainability.
Helped the Centennial College Student Association identify material sustainability issues and develop a strategy with clear priorities, actions and timelines.
Developing TGCC Tech Labs, an AI-powered sustainability management and carbon-accounting platform designed to make high-integrity, audit-ready emissions data accessible to smaller organizations.
“With geopolitics shifting, organizations need to pick a side: stay committed to real environmental action, even when it’s hard. That means sticking to science-based targets even if policy backslides and investing in just transition – reskilling workers, supporting vulnerable communities. In the race to net-zero, solidarity is essential now more than ever.”
Ramon & Jeronimo Kataquapit
24/22, North Bay, ON; Attawapiskat First Nation
Youth Indigenous leaders – Nishnawbe Aski Nation/Here We Stand
Ramon Mahegkan Kataquapit is Mushkego Cree from Attawapiskat and Taíno from Puerto Rico. He created the Okiniwak Youth-Led Movement, mobilizing resistance to legislation that threatens First Nations rights.
Jeronimo Kataquapit is a Cree filmmaker, land protector and youth leader. He founded Here We Stand, a youth advocacy group to protect ecosystems south of Hudson Bay.
The cousins are fighting Ontario’s Bill C-5, which allows certain areas to be exempted from some safeguards.
“Protecting sensitive regions helps us offset climate change and lay the foundation for a sustainable future for the next generations.”
“In the short term and long term, our mission stays the same: to steward the very thing that stewards us, as children of the Earth, equal under the Creator.”
David Poulin
29, Toronto, ON
Master’s student – University of Toronto
Organized a sustainability fair reaching more than 200 students, advises senior leadership on U of T Mississauga’s Climate Positive Strategy and teaches environmental and social responsibility to undergraduate students.
At L’Oréal, founded a waste-reduction initiative and led DEI programming for more than 500 employees.
As a UN Environment Programme intern, helped digitalize systems tracking the phase-out of more than 756,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances across 148 countries. Was selected as one of 50 One Young World ambassadors from more than 90,000 employees.
“Now more than ever, we need a strong ethical compass to guide our choices on sustainability. My contribution is to research how companies disclose their use of AI in sustainability initiatives, focusing on how specific those disclosures are and how they vary across assurance practices and regulatory frameworks.”