A six-month youth climate education and innovation challenge that turns free, ready-built curriculum into local climate action — powered by Rotary clubs, judged by experts, and celebrated together on Earth Day.
TCI's climate literacy foundation + CAVU's storytelling toolkit, growing into local action.
Growing Green Leaders is ranked #2 on the Top 10 of 100 Projects in 100 Countries — the global competition run in partnership with CNN’s Call to Earth, The Environmental Xperience at EarthX, and Rotary.
Call to Earth
“Growing Green Leaders” is a 6-month initiative designed to educate youth and advance Rotary's 7th Area of Focus — Supporting the Environment. Powered by The Climate Initiative's core leadership framework, the program is the foundational engine for every participating student.
Students complete TCI's Climate Action Leadership Program (CALP) module to build an understanding of planetary health and solutions, analyze local impact, and design community action projects.
Students use CAVU's storytelling and video production modules to translate their TCI action plans into compelling short films.
Local Rotary clubs and media partners provide recruitment, mentorship, RCAT judges, and public celebration for every division.
The contest is organized by grade so every age group has an entry point matched to its skill level, using existing free national programs wherever possible.
Students produce an original video (4 minutes or less) featuring their community-based climate solution to enter CAVU's Climate Innovation Challenge (CIC) video competition, after completing the TCI CALP foundation and CAVU's storyboarding, storytelling, and production lessons. Sponsoring local Rotary clubs serve as project mentors while Interact clubs serve as peer recruitment channels.
Action Bridge — TCI Changemaker Award, Student Edition: For those students who take their project off-screen and execute it in their local community, submit their video and action project details to TCI to be entered in their Changemaker Award for cash prizes and global recognition on the TCI website.
Advanced climate action proposals and storytelling for post-secondary youth, college students, young professionals, and Rotaract members 18+, using the TCI CALP framework plus an optional CAVU storytelling toolkit. Local Rotary clubs provide professional mentorship, with Rotaract clubs as key participant networks. Judged jointly by The Climate Initiative and the Rotary Climate Action Team, with top entrants presenting at Environmental Xperience conferences worldwide.
Program brand and website launch; sponsor recruitment begins.
Educator training webinars on The Climate Initiative's Learning Lab and CAVU's CIC curriculum; Rotary clubs adopt participating schools.
Students move through the 5-lesson pipeline in participating classrooms and clubs.
Students submit their video and action project details to TCI for the Changemaker Award and prizes. CAVU's Climate Innovation Challenge is entered separately by March 5, 2027.
High School Video Track entries are due to CAVU's Climate Innovation Challenge. Entering the CIC does not automatically enter a student in TCI's Changemaker Award.
All division entries submitted for review.
Panels drawn from the coalition review every division.
Student finalists exhibited at Environmental Xperience events in the United States.
Winners announced across all divisions in a public, media-covered celebration.
Steven Bender is a global sustainability leader and strategic advisor with decades of experience turning environmental goals into practical, measurable impact across business, government, and civil society.
Leia is the Co-founder and Executive Director of The Climate Initiative, where she has spent 30 years building educational programs that connect young people to the places they live.
Morgan leads the development and implementation of the Climate Innovation Challenge at CAVU, bringing eight years of middle-school classroom experience to the program.
Rebecca manages the day-to-day logistics of the Climate Innovation Challenge, leads the CAVU youth advisory board, and supports classrooms across the country.
Ariel is TCI's Youth Engagement Manager and leads the teaching of the Climate Action Leadership Program for Growing Green Leaders. Since 2018 she has dedicated herself to teaching youth about climate change, advocating for learning about both the climate sciences and the social implications of climate change and its solutions. Based in Los Angeles, she brings a Fine Arts background to the work, using creativity to educate, excite, and activate young people around the climate crisis.
None is asked to build new curriculum — that work already exists at The Climate Initiative and CAVU. This is bigger than high schools: the 18+ Postsecondary Advanced Leadership Track brings colleges, universities, and Rotaract clubs in alongside them. The coalition's job is to recruit schools and post-secondary programs, fund prizes, judge submissions, promote the program, and host the celebration.
A bold new global sustainability event series launching alongside EarthX — the exhibition home for Growing Green Leaders finalists.
Learn moreA Global Service Club founded by Steve Bender, embracing the future while respecting the past.
Learn moreThe financial catalyst for the 7 Seas Initiative, funding ocean, climate, and community resilience projects worldwide.
Learn moreA global network of 702 Rotary clubs in 92 countries, mobilizing Rotarians, Interactors, and Rotaractors for climate action.
Learn moreA nonpartisan youth climate education nonprofit whose Learning Lab and CALP framework reach close to 1 million students and over 7,000 educators worldwide.
Learn moreAn international STEAM program for grades 3–12 where students design climate solutions and turn them into short videos, culminating in an international showcase with cash prizes.
Learn moreCommunication (intergenerational/community discussion about climate change impacts)
Adaptation (action taken now to manage the risks of climate impacts e.g. creating or influencing climate action plans for schools and communities)
Mitigation (action addressing the root cause of the problem, e.g. reducing greenhouse emissions)
Policy (supporting local, national or international policies formulated to tackle climate change)
Each Action Project, no matter the size, sets you and your community on the path towards creating a comprehensive Climate Action Plan, joining the millions of people around the world who are also on this comprehensive journey!
Want to learn about other Action Projects? Need a suggestion for getting started?
Sign-up is free. We'll follow Rotary International's youth protection guidance every step of the way — parents and guardians of every minor participant are part of the process.