To me LUGO represents a great learning school for understanding how to have a positive impact within a large organisation, all the while having the support of fun colleagues. One project that I learnt a lot from was the Climate Call, where we gathered signatures to convince the Executive Board that sustainability should be at the core of the University’s principles, and essentially that students should have a voice in what the sustainable university of the future should look like. It’s not enough to have recycling bins, there are thousands of students graduating every year and they should have thought about the way their studies and future careers can contribute to a more sustainable world.

Through my work for The Ocean Cleanup I can see how my law studies and sustainability are interlinked. As a legal assistant I can help think about the legal status of plastic collected from the ocean. Is it a commercial good for example, or hazardous waste? I think that every student should have the opportunity to learn about sustainability in their education. As UN Youth Representative on sustainable development I aim to bring this message across within the huge UN arena. The UN is still focussed on raising awareness about climate change amongst young people. Here in the Netherlands so many of us are aware of the climate crisis already that it’s time to take the next step. How can we contribute to mitigating the effects and adapt our local communities to the impact of climate change?