ETHAN BLEDSOE
UNITED STATES, 18
He/Him
Project: Confront the Climate Crisis (CTCC)
At 14-years-old, Ethan became captivated by the topic of climate change. He discovered his home state of Indiana had the eighth-highest per capita emissions in the United States, and was home to more coal plants than any other state. In April 2019, he and his friends organized their school’s first climate strike, while Ethan began drafting policy for city-based solutions. In September 2020, he officially launched Confront the Climate Crisis (CTCC) – a statewide, grassroots campaign working to achieve climate solutions by engaging the community in climate action events, educating youth through climate literacy programs, and implementing systemic change through legislation. CTCC literacy programs include climate resiliency libraries, an information hub of blogs on resilience projects, as well as community events. They facilitate relationships between youth, local organizations, and policymakers to accomplish specific goals. What started as a local initiative has expanded to 18 counties across Indiana, a team of 178 youth members, reaching 23,000+ people statewide. In the 2021 state legislative session, they partnered with Indiana Senator Ron Alting to introduce a bill to establish a climate task force and concurrent resolution. Ethan recognizes the climate crisis will continue to disproportionately affect BIPOC and low-income families, thus he is shifting CTCC’s activism to an intersectional approach that includes environmental justice. He will continue to mobilize the youth of Indiana to combat climate change and fight for legislation. By bringing youth to the forefront of state politics, CTCC knows they can create the change they need to see.