Mindchangers Climate Videos and Grassroots Actions

The videos produced by the Mindchangers’ Reporters are timeless and remain useful resources long after they are published. During the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin and the Cinemambiente Festival (the most important Environment Film Festival in Italy), young reporters interviewed eco-activists such as Vandana Shiva and award-winning directors, including Werner Boote, who produced “The Green Lie”.

Their educational value remains strong nine months on. Vandana Shiva described her first ecological activism to combat “cheap coal” in the early 1980s in her state of Punjab, India. She and other young women embraced trees and refused to let go - to stop them from being cut down. Werner Boote highlights the different roles different people can take to be active citizens in demanding a greener planet. “Not buying plastic is not enough,” he learned after he made the film “Plastic Planet”.

The Mindchangers’ Reporters were well prepared to produce the videos. The deputy editor of Torino Oggi gave them tips on how to conduct an interview and co-founders of Roundabout (a micro Influencers marketing platform) provided advice on how to make content on Instagram viral. In a preparatory workshop, they defined their objectives, themes, formats and channels.

Equipped with smartphones and microphones by the Eurovision main and side stages, they not only interviewed climate activists. They also engaged the Eurovision audience through a quiz on Sustainable Development Goals and an Instagram challenge for one green “virtuous action” at home, to counter the waste produced by Eurovision.

See more interviews with Italian rock band Marlene Kuntz (in Italian with English subtitles), eco-runner and science communicator Roberto Cavallo (in Italian) and the director of the Environmental Film Festival of Turin, Gaetano Capizzi (in Italian).  Read more about Mindchangers’ Reporters.

Mindchangers’ grassroots projects also continue to promote environmental learning and action. We highlight two activities, among the 60 new projects that have been granted in 2023:

1. Gratiferia, the free market (France)

In a bar in Lyon, 1 780 kilograms of items were donated and collected, and waste avoided. In February 2023, 2 000 people exchanged books, dishes, clothes, beauty products and more. The donated items thus gained a second life. Such events help to reduce consumerism and highlight the non-monetary value of objects. Watch Lyon media’s interview with Gratiferia

2. EcoShades - Our climate, our future: Training educators to ACT (Romania)

EcoShades launched its training course for educators, “Recycling policies in the EU and Romania” in January 2023. The course also highlights the Romanian National Strategy on Education for the Environment and Climate Change, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. 12 teachers and 200 16-19 year old pupils from Dolj County, as well as 200 members of the local community, will participate in the project. Read more about EcoShades

Read more about the 60 new Mindchangers projects, with their art performances, podcasts, poetry slams, and much more on migration, international solidarity, climate change and social justice.

Last but not least, see the practical guide for LAs and CSOs: “Youth engagement on the 2030 Agenda.” The guide provides practical tips on how to involve young people in their local and international activities. It focuses on how to shift them from simply being aware to engaging them for action. Download the guide in English HERE.

^{picture ©Mindchangers, Interviewing eco-activist Vandana Shiva}