HOW IT STARTED

It all started with a penguin. Well, sort of. In 8th grade, Paul Eakin drew a picture of a frightened penguin whose life had been shattered because of the loss of its icy habitat due to climate change. The drawing was posted on Facebook and resonated with thousands of people, who provided Likes and their feelings about the impact of climate change on animal life.

Paul dived into reading articles and watching documentaries about the subject, and it dawned on his dad that children’s artwork could be an outlet for kids to express their fears and solutions about climate change, and inspire the people around them to begin taking steps to help solve the biggest threat to our future way of life. Paul’s dad made a call to the state librarian in his home state of Louisiana, and the Climate Champions Youth Art Contest was born.

In a pilot program with Louisiana’s 160 public libraries, students in grades 1 to 12 from the smallest towns to the largest cities, submitted their artwork and received recognition. In 2023, when Paul entered his junior year in high school, he formed a team which successfully piloted the contest in Montgomery County, Texas.

In the fall of 2024, with the help of new supporters at national and statewide climate organizations, awareness of the contest will be expanded across Texas. Also, the prestigious John Cooper School in The Woodlands will add the competition to its curricula. And in the spring of 2025, with the assistance of students serving as Climate Champions ambassadors at participating schools, and with support from libraries and art museums, the competition will be promoted at the community level across Houston.