Campaigning for world leaders to act on climate change since she was 15 years old.
When Autumn was 8 years old, she attended a water ceremony in an indigenous community with her mother. There, she went to the loo and noticed ‘Don’t drink the water,’ ‘Not for consumption,’ and ‘Boil water advisory’ signs all over the walls. Autumn had never seen these before and was curious what they meant. Her mother explained that the community they were in had been on a boiled water advisory for over 20 years. This means that for all that time the water in the taps was contaminated and unsafe to drink without boiling it first!
Autumn decided to speak out about her discontent related to the fact that people in power had done nothing to change this over the last 20 years. She attended the annual winter meeting of the Assembly of First Nations and bravely addressed the Prime Minister, saying, ‘I am very unhappy with the choices you’ve made.’ Viewers were blown away by her talent for public speaking and admired her courage and passion for protecting water.
Autumn was then invited to talk at the UN General Assembly for the launch of the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development in 2018 and 2019. Autumn’s campaigning to date has been very successful. The government has made changes so that 88 of the long-term drinking water advisories have been removed and water is now safe to drink. But Autumn continues to push for the last 61 drinking water advisories to be eliminated and won’t stop until she has reached that goal. This is reflected in her advice to others where she says, ‘Keep going, don’t look back, and if you have an idea, just do it.’
Raising awareness of the effects of the Syrian civil war and calling for peace since she was 6 years old.
Challenging the representation of girls and women in society since she was 11 years old.
Running a marathon in 10 days to raise money for homeless people when he was 7 years old.
Fundraising for the farmers whose incomes have been affected by drought in Australia since he was 11 years old.
Inspiring girls to learn about and aspire to work in science and technology subjects since she was 16 years old.
Creating and growing a bank that helps children save money by recycling since he was 12 years old.
Designing technology to supply electricity and water without emitting greenhouse gases since he was 15 years old.
Campaigning for the banning of plastic bags in Bali since they were 10 and 12 years old.
Designing a solar powered ironing cart to reduce charcoal burning in India since she was 12 years old.
Petitioning for schools to give children reusable water bottles since he was 7 years old.
Campaigning for people and businesses to stop using single-use plastics since they were 10 and 12 years old.
Set up organisations supporting cancer patients, people in poverty, and promoting golf in young black girls, since she was 10 years old.
Saving the lives of hundreds of hedgehogs in the UK since they were 9 years old.
Campaigning to promote proper battery disposal and recycling since he was 10 years old.
Campaigning for people and businesses to stop using single-use plastics since they were 10 and 12 years old.
The world’s youngest sustainability advocate – working to make the world a better place since she was 3 years old.
Solving the problem of water contamination using science and technology since she was 11 years old.
