Plenary Speakers
GIN Conference 2020
Acting now for the survival of future generations
Confirmed speakers
Ilana Devillers
Food 4 All
“We have a worldwide vision for F4A, as this is a global issue and want to be the leaders of our generation on this matter.” - Ilana Devillers & Xénia Ashby, Co-Founders F4A
Ilana is co-founder, along with Xénia Ashby, of the software company F4A. F4A, standing for Food4All, has developed a solution to the problem of food waste by offering soon-to-be-expired food products for purchase in dedicated aisles in supermarkets, and promoted via its App. F4A encourages responsible consumerism and the need to preserve the future of the planet by offering a solution that allows consumers to shop in an eco-friendly way while saving time and money. It therefore engages customers in its mission by transforming their grocery shopping into a positive action for the planet.
Visit: https://www.f4a.icu/
Savannah Jenkins
News-Decoder
Savannah Jenkins is the Communications Manager at News-Decoder, an educational not-for profit which works with schools around the world to develop media literacy, communication and research skills in young people. A dual American-British citizen, she has been living in France for the past six years, where she completed a double major in International and Comparative Politics and History, Law and Society at the American University of Paris in 2017. She initially joined News-Decoder in 2018 and has experience working for non-profit and for-profit organizations. Savannah recently completed a stint volunteering in Greece, where she provided emergency relief to refugees.
Visit: https://news-decoder.com/
Aneesa Khan
SustainUs
Born in India and raised in Oman, Aneesa experienced first-hand the painful impacts of fossil fuel extraction. While growing up in a country where drilling for oil was cheaper than providing drinking water, she saw gruesome droughts and harrowing floods devastate her family’s home on the South Indian coast. Seeing the intersection of climate impacts on people and the environment at a very young age influenced Aneesa to dedicate herself to the movement for climate justice.
She studied international environmental law and politics at College of the Atlantic (COA) in the US and focused on telling stories of environmental inequity and injustice through graphic design. Aneesa stepped into the position of SustainUS’ Executive Director after spending time organizing with Earth in Brackets, Friends of the Earth International, and The Wilderness Society. She has attended United Nations climate conferences in Lima, Paris, and Marrakesh, and most recently led the SustainUS delegation to the 24th UN climate conference in Katowice, Poland in 2018.
This year Aneesa was chosen as one of Vice.com’s 11 Young Climate Justice Activists You Need to Pay Attention To. She’s currently attending the London School of Economics where she is studying towards her Masters in Environmental Policy and Regulation.
Visit: https://sustainus.org/
Natasha Lepage
Youth for Climate Luxembourg
“An educated and compassionate youth is our only hope for the future, and this is why I’m investing my time in the hope of making the leaders of our world realise how urgent it is to react now.”
16-year old Natasha Lepage is a youth activist and one of the coordinators of Youth for Climate Luxembourg, which is part of the international climate strike movement. Natasha was instrumental in coordinating the student-led climate strikes in Luxembourg in 2019. Youth for Climate Luxembourg has organised school walk-outs and demonstrations, gathering thousands of protestors in the streets to raise awareness and demand concrete government action to tackle climate change. The movement campaigns for the country to become carbon neutral by 2030 and fully reliant on renewable energy by 2040. Youth Climate Luxembourg believes that acts of mass mobilisation cannot go unnoticed, and have been encouraging the public to join their actions to be part of creating the change needed to save the planet’s future.
Visit: https://youthforclimate.lu/
Seongmin P.
Youth for Climate Luxembourg & ISL Green Club
17-year-old Seongmin joined Youth for Climate Luxembourg and helped build up the organization and plan the first student climate protests in Luxembourg in early 2019 which attracted tens of thousands of people. In February 2019, he was part of the delegation representing Luxembourg at the climate protests in Paris. In order to bring about change in his own community, he cofounded the Green Club at the International School of Luxembourg, implementing initiatives to decrease the environmental footprint of the school and promoting sustainability more generally.
Elisa M.
ISL Green Club
Elisa’s realisation that many people don’t seem to understand that humans are destroying the planet is what prompted her journey towards climate activism. She is a co-founder of the International School of Luxembourg’s Green Club, which promotes sustainable lifestyles in the school and the local community. Elisa was also involved in the Friday4Future marches in Luxembourg as a promoter and school coordinator. She leads by example; her vitality and passion rally children and adults alike in demanding a better and safer future, in which snow and Bengali tigers will not become consigned to history.
Adriana Mano
Zouri Shoes
Adriana is a marketing specialist, vegan activist, social entrepreneur and founder of Zouri, an eco-vegan footwear brand. Zouri uses plastic waste taken from the beaches of the Portuguese coast together with ecological and sustainable materials in a fair, local and ethical production process. Over the last two years, Zouri has been researching the best eco-friendly and vegan materials to use in manufacturing shoes.
Adriana describes herself as a restless mind and strategic thinker in several areas such as design, ecology and entrepreneurship. Believing in social and positive business as a force for a better world, Adriana is passionate about innovation and sustainability. Her goal is to inspire others to see trash as a raw material.
Visit: https://www.zouri-shoes.com/
May Taherzadeh
Inspire Courage for Change
May Taherzadeh is a multi award-winning filmmaker who has directed films in over 15 countries across 6 continents. She is the co-founder of Inspire Courage for Change foundation that creates films to inspire social action. Her latest short film Mercy’s Blessing has won 12 international film awards, and is supported by UNICEF, UNFPA, and the European Union. The film is being used in schools and communities in over 100 countries worldwide to inspire change. She is also a guest speaker having presented at:
The United Nations at a forum during Commission on the Status of Women, New York 2017
TEDx Wageningen University, The Netherlands 2019
ClassApp Escolas Exponenciais, Brazil 2017
UNICEF and UN Women campaign Keeping Girls in School, Malawi 2015
Sophie Scheytt
Sea-Watch Germany
Sophie Scheytt is the Head of Advocacy at Sea-Watch Germany. She leads the organisation's campaigning work, supporting the team to develop and implement evidence-based influencing campaigns. Sea-Watch is a German non-governmental organisation that rescues refugees in the Mediterranean, notably by commissioning rescue ships.