The Boston GreenFest has just reached its tenth anniversary this year, and increasingly focuses on raising people to create a more sustainable and healthier world.
From business to nonprofit, neighborhood association to academic institution, State and city leaders, sustainability experts, students and citizens of all spheres of social life took part in the zero-waste event, focusing on issues such as racial equity, local food, transport, and trends Green technologies.
As part of the event’s International Youth Summit, many young people from as far away as China, have opted for ‘alternative-formative holiday’ by joining the dialogue on climate change and the role of youth play.
Among them the name of Jeremy Fryer-Biggs – co-founder of Evaptainers, a LAUNCH food innovator to address the deterioration of food and its enormous social and environmental impacts. Evaptainers uses EV8 technology to counteract the deterioration of fruit and vegetables thanks to the world’s lowest-cost fridge, powered by evaporation. Jeremy has revealed how difficult it is to start, especially when you have no relationship and it has warned the innovation community that it should limit barriers to young social entrepreneurs. His first suggestion was to reach young people to demystify the process of implementing a social enterprise, providing them with basics to know where to start. His second suggestion was to push them beyond the idea of action.
Hence, and among other presentations, the need to design solutions in partnership with young and old, of various races and backgrounds, to ensure collective buy-in and collective action. And, above all, encouraging youth participation: Boston’s GreenFest has given ample test of this and it would be great for other cities to get the next generation of changemakers.