Featured Youth Activist: Karen Abe, ʻIolani School

Karen Abe is our featured youth activist this month! She is a senior at ‘Iolani School and a co-founder of the school’s Plastic Free Initiative. She is an enthusiastic environmentalist who lives a nearly plastic-free lifestyle. She has testified at the capitol for environmental bills and presented locally and globally to inspire her peers and community about sustainability.  Karen is an incoming college freshman at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and she plans to pursue a career in Environmental Communications. This path will allow her to bridge science and society, and awaken the community about the significance of protecting the islands’ beauty. Karen also plans to get active in Hawaiʻi’s government as a way to create long-lasting change and a just society that values the islands’ health over convenience and money.