Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru

Environmental Justice Warrior, Rhodes Scholar & Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist

Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru

Environmental Justice Warrior, Rhodes Scholar & Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist

Add to List Availability & Fees

Biography

Wawa Gatheru is a Kenyan-American climate activist passionate about cultivating a climate movement that reflects the voices, leadership, and lived experiences of all people. In 2019, she made history as the first Black person to receive the Rhodes, Truman, and Udall scholarships. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Connecticut and an M.Sc. in Environmental Governance from the University of Oxford. She is currently working on her debut book, Soul of Our Planet, forthcoming in April 2028 with HarperCollins’ Amistad imprint. It invites readers to imagine a more compassionate and just climate movement rooted in collective care and courage.

Wawa is the founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Environmentalist (BGE), the only national organization dedicated to addressing the pipeline and pathway issue for Black girls, women, and gender-expansive individuals in the climate sector. Under her leadership, BGE has become a trusted, national organization that has partnered with 150+ corporate and nonprofit organizations and hosted over 280 events across 15 HUB cities. In 2024, BGE launched the Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship Program—the first climate pipeline program created for and by Gen Z of color. With a membership of 3,000+, Forbes has described BGE as “one of the largest Black youth-led organizations in the country.”

Beyond BGE, Wawa serves on boards and advisory councils for Greenpeace USA, EarthJustice, Climate Power, Brian Eno’s Earth/Percent, and Sound Future. She was also an inaugural member of the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council of the U.S. EPA, the first federal youth-led advisory council in U.S. history. In this role, she advised Administrator Michael Regan on ways to strengthen the EPA’s work on environmental issues impacting youth.

For her leadership, Wawa has been recognized as a Glamour College Woman of the Year, a L’Oréal Paris Woman of Worth, a Climate Creator to Watch by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Sierra Club Trailblazer Award recipient. She has also been named to major lists in climate and culture, including Forbes 30 Under 30, Harper’s Bazaar’s “Most Powerful People,” Ebony Power 100, The Independent’s Climate 100, Grist 50 Fixers, and AFROTECH Future 50. In 2025, Billie Eilish named Wawa as one of her three inspirations—alongside her mother Maggie Baird and Jane Goodall—and Wawa was featured on the digital cover of Vogue with Eilish and seven other climate leaders.

Drawing on her work as a climate organizer, storyteller, and movement builder, Wawa speaks with universities, conferences, and organizations about climate justice, youth leadership, and building a more inclusive environmental movement. Through personal storytelling and policy insight, she helps audiences understand how climate action and social justice are deeply connected. Wawa works in partnership with APB Speakers for speaking engagements worldwide. As Wawa’s voice continues to shape the future of environmental leadership, she calls on the next generation to see themselves as powerful agents of change in the fight for our planet.

Speaker Videos

Loving a Better World into Existence

Hope is Earned Through Action

Wawa Gatheru talks about "Black Girl Environmentalist"

Meet L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth Honoree Wawa Gatheru, Black Girl Environmentalist

Access and Opportunities

Influence and the Future of Work

How Generation Z Is Saving the Planet | The 2020 MAKERS Conference

One Planet, One Home

Radical Imagination

Future Earth "Climate Talk" with Kendall Jenner

Wawa Gatheru X Mark Ruffalo Instagram Live

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

Leading the Future: One Generation’s Call to Protect Our Planet

In this inspiring keynote, Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru shares the remarkable story of how a young woman’s curiosity about the environment grew into a powerful voice shaping the future of climate leadership. From gardening with her mother and grandmother to studying environmental science and becoming the first Black person in history to receive the Rhodes, Truman, and Udall scholarships, Wawa’s journey reflects the determination and vision of a new generation of changemakers. Long before founding Black Girl Environmentalist, she was already organizing, researching, and advocating for climate solutions that connect environmental protection with human dignity and justice. Through powerful storytelling and reflection, Wawa shows how young leaders today are stepping forward to shape the world they will inherit. Her story is both motivating and deeply human, reminding audiences that leadership often begins with a simple decision to care, speak up, and act. This keynote challenges every generation to recognize the role they can play in building a better future for our planet and for one another.

Audiences will learn:

How Wawa’s journey reflects the emerging leadership of a new generation of climate changemakers.
Why curiosity, courage, and persistence can transform personal passion into global impact.
How individuals of any age can take meaningful steps toward shaping a better future for their communities and the planet.

The Fight for Climate Justice: Why Equity Must Lead the Environmental Movement

In this urgent and empowering keynote, Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru examines how climate change and environmental hazards disproportionately impact communities of color. Drawing on research, history, and her work as a leading voice in the environmental justice movement, Wawa explores how the legacies of colonialism, systemic racism, and inequality have shaped who bears the greatest environmental burdens today. She challenges audiences to rethink who is included in climate conversations and decision-making, and why marginalized communities are often excluded from shaping solutions that directly affect them. At the same time, Wawa highlights the long and often overlooked leadership of communities of color in environmental advocacy and climate resilience. Through powerful storytelling and forward-looking insight, she calls for a more inclusive climate movement that reflects the voices, experiences, and leadership of all communities.

Audiences will learn:

Why climate change and environmental hazards disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
The historical and systemic roots of environmental injustice.
How inclusive leadership and community-driven solutions can strengthen the fight for a just climate future.

Food Justice & Food Insecurity: Building More Equitable Food Systems

In this engaging and solutions-focused keynote, Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru explores the growing challenge of food insecurity and the urgent need for more equitable food systems. Wawa’s passion for food justice began early while gardening with her mother and grandmother, where conversations about agriculture, access, and community shaped her understanding of the issue. That commitment continued during her time at the University of Connecticut, where she co-founded the UConn Access to Food Effort (UCAFE) and led the first campus-wide food insecurity survey conducted at any public college in the state. Her research has since informed policy conversations, including being cited in U.S. Senator Chris Murphy’s report The Hidden Cost of College. Wawa also helped launch pop-up food closets across campus to provide free, healthy groceries to students in need. In this keynote, she explores why food insecurity remains a widespread issue in the United States and shares practical solutions for expanding access, strengthening community food systems, and empowering individuals to take action.

Audiences will learn:

Why food insecurity continues to affect millions of Americans, including college students.
How equitable food systems can strengthen communities and improve health outcomes.
Practical ways individuals, campuses, and organizations can help expand access to healthy food.

The Future of Work: Why Gen Z Is Demanding a Greener, More Inclusive Economy

In this forward-looking keynote, Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru explores how Gen Z is reshaping expectations around work, leadership, and the role businesses play in addressing the climate crisis. As the generation entering the workforce during a period of environmental urgency, many young professionals are prioritizing climate responsibility and social impact when choosing where to work. Wawa examines emerging trends such as “climate quitting,” where employees leave organizations that fail to take meaningful action on environmental issues. Drawing on her work leading the largest Black youth-led climate organization in the country, she also highlights the importance of creating pathways for young leaders to access careers in the growing green economy. In a moment when conversations around ESG and DEI are increasingly contested, she explains why climate responsibility and inclusive leadership remain central to the values of the next generation of workers. This keynote challenges organizations to rethink the future of work and demonstrates why building a greener and more forward-looking economy is essential to attracting and retaining tomorrow’s leaders.

Audiences will learn:

Why climate action is becoming a defining workplace priority for Gen Z.
How the green economy can create new pathways for leadership and innovation.
What organizations must do to attract and retain the next generation of purpose-driven talent.

Testimonials

"Wawa was an outstanding speaker and so approachable for our students. Her talks both in the small group and large group really made a huge impact on them. Many students want to know how they can continue to keep in touch with her. Several of our young ladies are interested in joining the Black Girl Environmentalist organization once they are in college."

- Bishop Dunne Catholic School, Dallas, TX

“Wawa was great! Very gracious with her time and students enjoyed her talk very much!”

- Kutztown University

"The panel discussion was wonderful! It was impactful and the audience was intergenerational and diverse. Many people expressed how moving it was. Thank you for all of your help with Wawa-- her participation was integral with the success of the program; she is quite amazing and I had the chance to speak with her more after the program."

- Smithsonian Institute

“Wawa is an outstanding speaker—very powerful. She’s an extremely pleasant person too! Overall the event went very well and the feedback has been fantastic. Specifically, our Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and our Director of Development were very pleased! Highly recommend!”

- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

“The event went GREAT! Wawa was WONDERFUL. The meeting with students was really impactful and her lecture remarks were engaging and inspiring, with several folks coming up to meet her at the conclusion. Wawa is also a very sweet person, so that made it all the better engaging with her.”

- Baldwin Wallace University

“Wawa was AWESOME! This event was open to the entire campus community- including student, staff, faculty, alumni, and trustees. Everyone enjoyed her talk- most especially the students. She was so relatable and perfectly balanced her competence with accessibility and her hope with her realism. She was great to work with and blended right into our community for the evening."

- Bryant University

"Wawa was fantastic! She did a wonderful job and was very engaging as a virtual speaker. Her message was clear and inspiring. We were very happy with her presentation. Thank you for helping us to arrange her virtual participation."

- Zonta

“Wawa’s story, experience, and words of wisdom were very much enjoyed and appreciated. She has a passion for her work and research and speaks with wisdom, confidence, and authority. A few of her statements were so bold and powerful, such as defining Global Warming as the grandchild of slavery. These are such important insights for young people to hear and understand, and to have faith in those who share these truths. Wawa is certainly one of those young people with that power.”

- Kimball Union Academy

"We had a great event with Wawa. Our audience loved her talk and were very engaged asking questions and posting comments. A big thank you to Wawa for inspiring our crowd at a fitting time during Earth Month."

- Catalent Pharma Solutions