Green Ambassadors of 2026–27: The Young Volunteers Turning Climate Promises Into Local Action

A new generation of green ambassadors is getting to work this autumn. Thirty high-school students in the US state of Pennsylvania, 800 young climate leaders in Uzbekistan and more than 1,000 volunteers in the European Union’s Climate Pact are all starting organised terms of climate action in their own communities. This is an awareness article: it explains what green ambassadors do, who is joining the movement in 2026–27, and why their local work matters for the climate.

Pennsylvania names 30 young ambassadors

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful have announced the 2026–2027 cohort of Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania. Thirty students in grades 10 to 12, drawn from schools in 15 counties — from Allegheny to York — will serve from September 2026 through May 2027.

Now in its fifth year, the programme is designed to cultivate young community stewards. Ambassadors develop civic leadership skills and gain hands-on experience as they champion clean and beautiful communities across the state.

Their training covers the impacts of litter, litter prevention, waste management and recycling, civic engagement and related public policy, volunteer management and social media marketing. Ambassadors can also apply for job shadowing with Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, funded by the NiSource Charitable Foundation and Dow, and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful provides a stipend to support their time and travel expenses.

“Across the Commonwealth, PennDOT and our partners are working diligently to prevent the long-term environmental damage caused by litter,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “We’re excited to partner with our most creative and passionate young leaders to clean up Pennsylvania’s environmental future.”

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will award two $1,000 scholarships: one to a current senior in the programme and one to an alum. “As the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Young Ambassador Program enters its fifth year, we celebrate the outstanding young leaders who are helping build a brighter future for Pennsylvania,” said Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Executive Director Shannon Reiter.

A movement that spans continents

Pennsylvania is far from alone. The ambassador idea is now running on every continent, at every scale — from a single US state to a United Nations programme reaching more than a million students.

In Europe, the European Climate Pact — the European Commission’s citizen movement for climate neutrality by 2050 — ran its 2026 call for new ambassadors from 1 to 31 October 2026. Applicants receive answers in November or December, and the new ambassadors are confirmed in early 2027. They join a community of more than 1,000 ambassadors, serve a one-year term and commit to at least three concrete climate initiatives in their own communities. One of them, Olivia Mandle from Spain, was just 13 when she developed the Jelly Cleaner, a simple filtering device made from two plastic bottles and a pair of tights to trap microplastics and clean the ocean.

In Central Asia, a three-year project by UNDP, the Education Above All Foundation and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Pre-school and School Education is building a network of 800 Young Green Ambassadors. Together with other young people in their communities, they co-design and implement 48 community-led climate actions — from planting drought-resilient species in Moynak to launching sustainable aquaculture initiatives. The project aims to equip 1.3 million school students and youth with climate knowledge and green skills, train 50,000 teachers, and offer 4,000 young people vocational courses in renewable energy and climate-smart agriculture, with at least 48% women’s participation.

The same pattern is visible in smaller programmes too. Edupro’s Global Green Ambassador Programme named 61 volunteers from 23 countries in 2026, and Azerbaijan launched its Green Life Ambassadors project for young people in the Gakh region on 2 November 2026. At the COP17 Green Zone in Yerevan, Olympic wrestling champion Artur Aleksanyan was reappointed as a UNICEF National Ambassador for two more years on 30 October, with climate change and environmental education for children and young people part of the work in Armenia.

What a green ambassador actually does

Despite the different flags and funders, the job is strikingly similar everywhere. Ambassadors are not figureheads; they are trained, working volunteers.

Learn

Ambassadors are trained in the issues they will speak about: how litter damages waterways and wildlife, how waste, energy and water use drive emissions, and how local government and civic action work.

Act

They carry out practical work in their own neighbourhoods: community assessments, cleanups, tree planting, waste sorting and school or community education events.

Inspire

They recruit others. The Pennsylvania programme, the EU Climate Pact and the Edupro network all measure success the same way: how many more people start acting because an ambassador showed them how.

FAKTA

• Pennsylvania: 30 Young Ambassadors, grades 10–12, 15 counties, serving September 2026 to May 2027; fifth year of the programme.
• European Climate Pact: more than 1,000 ambassadors; 2026 call closed 31 October 2026; new ambassadors confirmed in early 2027.
• Uzbekistan: 800 Young Green Ambassadors, 48 community climate actions, 1.3 million students reached, 50,000 teachers trained.
• Edupro: 61 Global Green Ambassadors from 23 countries in 2026.
• Azerbaijan: Green Life Ambassadors project launched 2 November 2026 in the Gakh region, running until 1 December 2026.

Why local ambassadors matter for the climate

Global climate targets are negotiated in conference halls, but they are met — or missed — street by street. Littered roadsides, wasted water, unsorted rubbish and energy-hungry homes are local problems with a measurable climate cost, and they are exactly the problems a trained young volunteer can see and fix. Ambassadors translate distant goals into visible local change, and they carry the message further than any official campaign: into schools, families and friendship groups. That is why governments, the United Nations and grassroots groups are all investing in the same model at the same time.

Frequently asked questions

What is a green ambassador?

A green ambassador is a trained volunteer — often a young person — who promotes climate action in their own community through education, practical projects such as cleanups and tree planting, and by inspiring others to act.

Who can become a green ambassador?

It depends on the programme. Pennsylvania’s Young Ambassadors are high-school students in grades 10 to 12; the European Climate Pact accepts people of any age who live in an EU member state; Edupro’s programme is open to motivated volunteers worldwide.

Do green ambassadors get paid?

Most programmes are voluntary, but many offer support. Pennsylvania provides a stipend for time and travel, plus two $1,000 scholarships, and job-shadowing opportunities with sustainability professionals.

What do ambassadors actually do?

They are trained in climate and environmental issues, assess needs in their community, organise cleanups or education events, and promote habits such as waste sorting, water saving and energy conservation.

How is the European Climate Pact ambassador programme organised?

Ambassadors serve a one-year term, commit to at least three concrete climate initiatives, and join a community of more than 1,000 ambassadors across Europe. The 2026 call closed on 31 October 2026, with new ambassadors confirmed in early 2027.

From Pennsylvania to Uzbekistan, the class of 2026–27 shows that climate action does not only happen at summits. It happens when a young person decides their street, their school or their village is worth fighting for — and is given the training and the backing to do it.