Who We Are
We began just two years ago as a small group of high school students interested in solutions-based approaches to climate action. Since then, we’ve grown into a larger climate organization, mobilizing over 20,000 young people worldwide.
Along the way, we’ve built more than 50 partnerships across communities on different continents. In 2025, we hosted five international events uniting youth, experts and leaders to tackle climate action. Key partners have included the United Nations Association in Canada, the World Federation of United Nations Associations, L’Oréal Canada, the Dartmouth Climate Alliance, Yale Blue Green, and WWF-Canada
To learn more or get involved, reach out to us at [email protected]
Lucas Allen
Founder and President
Lucas is the founder of One Degree Cooler, a grassroots organization mobilizing over 20,000 youth worldwide for climate action. He was recently appointed by the Government of Canada as one of two Canadian Youth Delegates to COP30. He also serves on Senator McPhedran’s Youth Advisory Council and the UN Association in Canada’s SDG Council, leading national climate action projects.
He is passionate about the harnessing the power of technology and entrepreneurship to solve society’s problems, organizing Canada’s largest AI hackathon in 2025. He is a high school student at Upper Canada College in Toronto, Canada.
Executive Committee
Our Executive Committee is comprised of youth leaders from across the globe, each bringing unique expertise and a track record in climate action. They guide the vision and strategy of One Degree Cooler, ensuring our initiatives remain innovative, inclusive, and effective in combating the climate crisis. This exceptional group exemplifies the power of youth leadership to create a more sustainable future.
Lucas Allen
Lucas is the visionary founder of One Degree Cooler. He applies expertise in organizational development, stakeholder engagement, and collaborative partnerships.
Jacob Bassey
Jacob was named a top 50 most influential agribusiness women in Africa. She has worked in Carbon Farming, Agribusiness Consulting, Climate Change, and Rural Development.
Chao Hemajit
Chao was selected as a delegate of RCOY APAC 2024; Co-Founder at Nature Emergency Foundation, and selected by YECAP as an Indigenous Fellow.
Mubashir Waheed
Mubashir is a member of the World Youth Parliament for Water. He has championed circular economy models, advocating for sustainable production and consumption patterns.
Benyapa Achariyakaroon
Benyapa is the founder of Green Youth Thailand. Her journey began as a Model United Nations delegate, and over the past two years, she has published over 200 media pieces, reaching more than 50,000 people organically.
Atia Hussain
Atia is UNESCO’s Regional Conference of Youth (RCOY) /LCOY delegate, and a Hey campaign finalist. She is also founder of EcoArtisan and FXB climate alumni.
Claire Fernandez
Claire is Student Ambassador at WorldVision Philippines. She has actively contributed to marketing initiatives by promoting campaigns, and engaging with communities to support fundraising efforts.
Edward Du
Edward serves as an executive member and school chapter lead at One Degree Cooler, where he works to empower youth to take meaningful action in tackling the climate crisis.
He is also passionate about public policy and is actively involved in Model UN conferences, focusing on diplomacy, negotiation, and global collaboration.
Our Story
One Degree Cooler (ODC) was born in 2023 when founder Lucas Allen recognized the difficulties facing youth in taking meaningful climate action. Driven by the urgent need to empower the next generation to tackle climate change, Lucas established ODC as a non-profit organization helping students find green internships to gain work experience in sustainability.
Our vision has evolved to other solutions-based approaches for youth engagement on climate, inspiring global collaborations and events. Let’s create a more sustainable future, one degree at a time!
What We Do
At One Degree Cooler, we know that today’s youth are concerned about climate change, but often struggle to find meaningful ways to take action. We have created partnerships to support change, starting with green internships that allow youth to gain hands-on experience in their areas of interest from a sustainability perspective. We have collaborations with over 50 partners to create a network of opportunities.
One Degree Cooler also has other initiatives including climate hackathons and events bridging youth to impactful climate initiatives in collaboration with governments, companies and NGOs. We’re always looking for volunteers and partners, so reach out anytime. Let’s drive change one degree at a time.
