Our Young Climate Designer is Foday David Kamara, 22, from Sierra Leone. Kamara is a sustainability advocate who uses plastic extrusion technology to transform waste into bricks and paving tiles – reducing the reliance on imported cement bricks. Working with his mentor, architect Dominic Leong, on the project titled Ecovironment, Kamara has addressed the need for sustainability within communities, and the environmental issues caused by post-consumer plastic waste and unsustainable building materials. Kamara’s project stands out for the manner in which he is bringing this training into local communities. Ecovironment is also highly scalable, having so far created 60 jobs, recycled 460 tonnes of plastics, and used its profits to feed 1,500 schools.
The Young Climate Prize jury said: “This project stands out not only for the idea of recycling plastic waste in a realistic and scalable way, but also for the emphasis on systems, training, and education, and the plan to embed these broader ideas into local communities. The project can also be applied to other countries and has the potential for truly global impact.”
Kamara said: "I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to connect with 24 other climate champions. Seeing so many people are so young, motivated, and accomplished is remarkable! Every single project has inspired me to improve my work. It's indeed unique. The best part is that everyone is so abject and is always teaching, learning from, and supporting one another to thrive.
I look forward to working together as a team and mitigating the climate crises over the years!"