Green Gown Awards 2021: Sustainability Champion – Student-Keele University, Serena Bashal - Winner

Serena Bashal

I champion climate action in the local, national, and global spheres. I have been on the UK Youth Delegation to United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 2016, having represented UK/global youth at 10 UN meetings across the globe. I have recruited four students from my University into my UN Youth teams and was the youngest ever person elected as a UNFCCC civil society Global Focal Point, where I enabled hundreds of global youths to attend various UN meetings.

Through the UK Youth Climate Coalition, I am working on a fundraising drive to enable developing country youth to attend COP26 in Glasgow, which has raised £1,970. I am collaborating with senior business leaders in the UK to raise ambition for a green industrial revolution. Additionally, I created a digital plastics usage tool for a client through a Research and Innovation project; the client’s pride in the outcomes resulted in inviting me to present the tool to local and national governments.

Top 3 learnings:

1. Being younger and less experienced should not hinder your climate action; you can prevail with dedication!
2. Climate action can be physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. Keep the end goal as motivation.
3. Climate change is a cross-cutting issue affecting all demographics and sectors. It must not be siloed.