16-Year-Old Eco-Hero From Long Beach Awarded For Activism

LONG BEACH, CA — A local Long Beach student was among 17 young activists from across the world to be honored with a Young Eco-Hero award for her work in environmental activism.

Genesis Butler is the 16-year-old founder of Youth Climate Save created during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort for her to stay engaged in activism during a turbulent time in society. Youth Climate Save is touted as the first youth-led climate movement to focus on animal agriculture.

"You can make a change at any age, and I am very proud of my work to motivate youth to be activists and to make a difference," Butler said.

Butler said she's always loved animals and has been an activist since she was 6 years old, inspired by her great uncle civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. She describes herself as an environmental and animal rights activist, a vegan and a friend to all animals.

Winners of the award announced by Action For Nature are selected by a panel of independent judges, including experts in environmental science, biology and education. Including this year's awardees, Action For Nature has recognized 339 Eco-Heroes from 27 countries in the past 20 years.

"Genesis and all of this year's young climate champions are proving one thing loud and clear: the next generation of leaders has arrived, and they're unleashing their power on a global scale to tackle the climate crisis head-on," said Beryl Kay, president of Action for Nature. "The incredible accomplishments of Genesis and our other winners are more than just isolated projects – they're changing lives and transforming communities for the better."