Here at Climate Reality, we are fortunate to work with some highly motivated young climate activists through our Inconvenient Youth program.

One of these incredible people is Aitan Grossman, a student from Palo Alto, California. Aitan joined Inconvenient Youth in 2010, but his commitment to solving the climate crisis extends well beyond his work with Climate Reality. He wrote his own song called “100 Generations,” and started a website, kidEarth, to share his song, and message, with children around the world. Aitan sat down with me to share his experience as an Inconvenient Youth presenter and the inspiration behind his fight to solve the climate crisis.

Why did you decide to become an Inconvenient Youth Presenter?

I decided to present because I’m a strong believer in awareness. I am always baffled that people don’t know the importance of recycling, or aren’t aware of the negative effects of smog in the atmosphere. And for the people who do know what climate change is, I feel that I am heightening the urgency that something must be done to put a stop to it. This idea of awareness was also the driving force of my kidEarth project, the idea that the power is in the people, and the people can’t fight if they don’t know what to fight for.

Tell us about the most memorable presentation you’ve ever given.

The most memorable presentation I gave was to my old teacher’s class of 4th graders. I was utterly blown away by how engaged and excited to learn the students were, and also how much they respected the work I am doing. After they enthusiastically worked with me to record their chorus of my song “100 Generations,” I felt like I really had an impact on that small group of kids. Not only did I impress on them the significance of a world issue, but I also set an example that you can fight for what you believe in, regardless of your age.

What gave you the inspiration to start your own website, KidEarth?

I initially started my website to compliment my song; to provide links to download it and to watch YouTube videos of children worldwide singing my song. But later, it served as a way of telling my story, documenting my projects’ successes. It also provides all the resources one would need to organize a recording of my chorus, including sheet music, sample tracks, and instructions. To date, the website and videos have gotten over 700,000 hits from 110 countries!

What advice do you have for other youths who would like to join the climate movement?

My advice for aspiring climate activists is to never doubt yourself. You are just a smaller version of the person you’ll grow up to be, so there’s no reason to put it off for later. If you want to raise awareness, my advice is to be original in whatever you do. For example, I use my passion and talent – music – to get the word out.

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