On April 25, 2026, MCE honored eight recipients of its inaugural Because of Youth Impact Award. This award recognizes outstanding young people across MCE’s service area who are making a meaningful difference through environmental action and leadership in their communities.
Entre los galardonados de este año figuran:
- Erik Hagstrom and Syrus Tator, Solano County
- Claire Mulligan and Gemma Roberts, Napa County
- Azucena Macias and Raini Chugh, Contra Costa County
- Alex Macias and Ben Smulewitz, Marin County
Erik Hagstrom
Erik was inspired as a kid to learn about climate stewardship after seeing the Bay Area’s natural spaces being impacted by urban expansion. He recognized early on the power of one person mobilizing others, and he views his environmental work as a form of service to communities everywhere.
He understands that failure is a growth opportunity, and he embraces how collective action and teamwork can turn setbacks into shared lessons, building knowledge and improving outcomes for everyone involved. His efforts have helped lead to funding and housing for foster youth, the recovery of 3.6M pounds of food, and the first of its kind land use ordinance that will bring $20M to Solano County’s local communities.
If you are interested in getting involved in climate action, Erik recommends “Find other people who care about similar things and work on them together. Just by finding one other person to work on something on together, you will be more committed to seeing the project through, the outcome will be better from two minds working together, and you will command more attention (especially if you give your duo a name).”
Syrus Tator
Syrus’s mom taught her to be conscious of the environment from a young age. She’s been gleaning , collecting and saving fresh produce from farms and markets that would otherwise go to waste, for years. She stepped in to restart the Solano Gleaning Initiative after it lost momentum, taking on the role of its new founder and focusing on reducing food waste while improving food access in Vallejo.
Through partnerships like her collaboration with Food is Free Bay Area, she’s helped recover and redistribute thousands of pounds of fresh produce to food-insecure residents. These efforts divert waste from landfills, reduce methane emissions, and support a more sustainable, community-centered food system. She continued to advance this work with the support of her dedicated team that keeps her motivated through the challenges.
She also credits much of her strength and persistence to the incredible team around her. When the work becomes challenging, it’s their shared dedication and support that keeps her motivated to keep going and continue making an impact.
“The most important thing when starting a project is finding a good team to do it with” said Syrus.
Claire Mulligan and Gemma Roberts
Claire and Gemma are interns at Napa’s Sierra Club, whose voices and leadership have made a big impact on several environmental projects. American Canyon’s City Council voted to add environmental protections to the nearby wetlands when Clarie and Gemma made public comments urging them to do so. While this dynamic duo serves as co-Presidents of their school’s environmental club and collaborates on a climate-focused podcast, Eco-Unfiltered, they are individually committed to climate action in Napa.
Claire began her climate activism in middle school after the Napa wildfires in 2017. The wildfires opened her eyes to the local consequences of climate change. At her high school, Claire spearheaded a student awareness campaign to protect a local creek from contamination — an effort that has helped support the return of salmon and steelhead to the Napa area.
“Don’t wait on change. Be the change” Claire stated.
Gemma got into climate advocacy after feeling hopeless about the state of the climate. She got involved with various climate action organizations including Napa Schools for Climate Action, leading to a passion for environmental activism. Gemma produced a Public Service Announcement video for the Sierra Club highlighting the importance of protecting Bay Area wetlands.
“The overwhelming fear I felt at a young age grew into a passion for advocacy, and I was able to channel it into meaningful work that will contribute to positive change for our shared environment” said Gemma.
Azucena Macias
Azucena was introduced to environmental work at a young age through her family’s landscaping business. As a student in landscape architecture, her knowledge of plants and landscaping has been instrumental as a volunteer for The Watershed Project. She has restored two creeks to reduce flood risks in Richmond, maintained two bioswales and pollinator gardens, and installed a rainwater harvesting system and rain garden for residents. Community education is integral to her activism. She designed a physical model demonstrating the impacts of sea level rise on groundwater, increasing access to environmental education for youth and Spanish-speaking communities.
“It wasn’t until I began studying landscape architecture and working in restoration that I understood the deeper impact our environment has on people” said Azucena. “It showed me that this work isn’t just about plants or design, but about people, culture, and creating spaces that support communities.”
Raini Chugh
Raini started her journey in climate action in the third grade. She rallied her classmates to create Project Earth Team, a group of her peers that have worked on reducing a problem they could see at their elementary school, car idling. Over the last 7 years she has engaged with city leaders, raised public awareness, and advanced idle-free policies across Contra Costa County. Her efforts have contributed to city proclamations, educational campaigns, and visible signage across schools and community spaces, driving lasting behavior changes and reducing emissions around local schools. Her message centers youth voices driving local change, starting in schools. ‘Our future, our voices, our power’, we tackle the climate crisis by working with our local schools and cities to adopt stronger environmental policies.
“With a problem as massive as the climate crisis, collective action is the most powerful tool we have. If we all come together in our communities and push local decision makers to act on climate issues, together we can work towards the same goal of a more sustainable future” Raini shared.
Alex Macias
Alex attributes a fourth-grade lesson on sea level rise to his environmental awakening and passion for land preservation and outdoor education. Alex has participated in handson service projects to preserve important nature reserves such as Lake Lagunitas and the Marin Audubon Preserve. Understanding the personal power of climate education, Alex actively participates in youth programs to teach elementary and middle school students about environmental stewardship, teamwork, and connection to the natural world. He has developed elementary climate education lessons to teach complex concepts such as sea level rise to elementary school students, empowering children to understand and care about the future of their community.
“Visit your parks” Alex said. “It’s the easiest way to feel connected to your environment and find opportunities to make a difference.”
Ben Smulewitz
Ben credits his education at Marin School for Environmental Leadership as an impetus for his environmental awareness and leadership. His approach to environmental advocacy is intersectional and visionary. Ben is a lead volunteer for the Ceres Community Project, where he provides sustainability lessons while cooking over 1,000 healthy meals to clients with autoimmune diseases. In his sophomore and junior years, he founded a Prom Boutique at his high school, and a sustainable business, Reclaimed Roots. His prom boutique has grown to include over 250 formal dresses and 15 suits at no cost to students, reducing fashion waste from the landfill, while making prom affordable for students. His business, Reclaimed Roots, uses herb plant boxes to divert over 465 ft of wood from the landfill, while reducing Co2 gases and teaching the community about gardening without harmful pesticides.
Ben stated “Even if you don’t feel like you’re making a difference, even the smallest action can have a big impact.”
