As one of the top 100 participants in Africa for the Earthshot Prize Youth Programme, Stellenbosch University student Lesedi Monnanyane has had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discuss climate change challenges with Prince William.
Monnanyane, in his final year of a Diploma in Sustainable Development in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, describes the experience as “unforgettable". Impressed by the heir to the throne's energy, Monnanyane says: “(Prince William) showed genuine interest in the ideas and stories shared by the youth involved in the programme. I felt both humbled and inspired to be in the presence of someone who not only represents change but is actively working to drive it on a global scale."
As founder and president of the Earthshot Prize, a global environmental award, the prince was in Cape Town for the fourth annual award ceremony where five winners will each receive £1 million (R23 million) to scale their businesses. He has spent the week meeting eco-warriors and taking part in various events focused on environmental innovation. This included meeting participants in the Earthshot Prize Youth Programme.
Monnanyane knows first-hand how change that starts at home can become a scalable solution. He hails from the small mining town of Potmasburg, in the Northern Cape, where water scarcity is an ongoing concern. The town is also home to more than 35 mining operations, so pollution is a daily reality. “This made me passionate about reducing CO2 emissions and drove me tackle the most pressing environmental challenges. The pollution there is not something we read about in academic papers; we live it. I believe we deserve cleaner air and a healthier soil."
He runs a successful waste, gardening and cleaning business that has created 30 job opportunities for local community members to solve hygiene and waste problem challenges. The business is now pivoting from cleaning, gardening and selling recyclables to generating carbon credits and producing biofuels from organic waste, invasive plants and energy crops such as hemp. “Our reimagined mission doesn't not only make our air cleaner, communities healthier but also ecologically restore our dry and arid lands. This opens opportunities for generating carbon credits locally. We can generate carbon credits through adopting practices that sequester carbon and reduce emissions to help fund local projects focused on climate resilience."
Monnanyane has also established a biorefinery startup that is exploring the possibility of producing biodiesel from invasive plants through Fischer-Tropsch (chemical reaction in which a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is converted into a synthetic liquid hydrocarbon) technology. “Through education and entrepreneurship, I hope to contribute to a more competitive energy diverse landscape where biofuels can be viable and outcompete fossil fuels." The collaborations and partnerships within the Earthshot Prize network will allow his businesses to have a more meaningful and scalable impact, he says.
The Earthshot Prize Youth Programme is a climate leadership platform that offers mentoring and networking opportunities for young people between ages of 15 to 35 years. One of the objectives is to ultimately prepare young climate leaders to effectively take their shot at becoming an Earth shot Prize finalist. “For me, being part of the Earthshot Prize Youth Programme will be incredibly valuable to my studies because it will give me the opportunity to apply and advance the concepts and theories, I have been exposed to in my sustainable development studies."
Monnanyane says he chose to study at SU because of the strong emphasis on practical and entrepreneurial solutions to real-world environmental and social challenges. “SU seemed like a right place to learn today and implement tomorrow." He says that he chatted to Prince William about various topics, including the newly launched Earthshot Prize Launchpad. “The Launchpad is a platform that connects African (and global) start-up entrepreneurs like me to investors who are looking for scalable environmental solutions. Being a part of the Earthshot Prize Youth Programme and meeting Prince William reinforced my belief that youth-led innovation is key to solving global challenges. I am more determined than ever to contribute to the environmental movement and collaborate with like-minded individuals to make a meaningful impact on our planet."
