Social Entrepreneur and Climate Activist
Ela Gökçiğdem is a passionate social entrepreneur and climate activist currently studying Economics and Sustainability at Babson College in Boston, MA. She has founded numerous ventures, such as The Avsa Project, which provides environmental curriculum to coastal Turkish communities, and Bloom, a clean-tech startup that is converting algal blooms to renewable energy sources.
Ela currently serves as the Representative of Turkey on Sustainable Ocean Alliance’s Youth Policy Advisory Council and is the Director of Finance for the youth-led climate organization This Is Zero Hour. In the past, she served on EarthEcho International’s Youth Leadership Council and participated in the drafting process of the Middlebury Institute’s Ocean Climate Action Plan. Aiming to increase the presence of marginalized voices at high-level conferences such as the United Nations Climate Dialogues, Ela also co-founded MENAeco, the first ocean-centered youth climate organization serving the Middle East and North African regions.
Learn more about Ela here.