Genesis Butler has a special request for the Prince William Earthshot Award.
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that the 16-year-old animal rights and climate activist has teamed up with Generation Vegan to ask the Prince of Wales to add an alternative meat category to his prestigious environmental award. Butler, who has been vegan since the age of 6 and gave her first TED talk at the age of 10, argues that adding a plant-based bounty is urgent for the benefit of the planet.
Generation Vegan has announced that it is offering a £1 million ($1.2 million) prize for the “Advance a plant-based diet” category, matching the amount awarded to Earthshot winners in statement on social networks August 17. A letter was sent to Prince William at Buckingham Palace at the same time. Today, Butler tells PEOPLE exclusively that he plans to be on the court when the royal, 41, travels to the US next week.
The heir to the throne will attend the second annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York on September 19. The summit is organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies and will feature fifteen 2023 Earthshot Prize finalists who are pioneering climate solutions to repair the Earth by 2030. The exciting event, which takes place during New York Climate Week, will also bring together past Earthshot Prize winners and finalists with policymakers, global business leaders, philanthropists and climate activists to scale their innovative solutions.
How Kate Middleton and Prince William pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth: ‘Something they think about every day’ (Exclusive)
Looking ahead, Butler tells PEOPLE that she hopes Prince William will respond to correspondence sent to the palace and add a reward for a meat alternative. The current Earthshot categories aim to revive and repair the land, air and sea through the Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revitalize Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate awards.
“I’m hoping to get a response from him, whether he responds to that or even by just adding this. That’s all we’re asking, just to add a plant-based winner,” says the teenage activist.
The latest launch of Generation Vegan (also known as GenV) already has celebrity endorsements — some with royal connections! The non-profit organization announced in August that the Earthshot Prize initiative to advance plant-based food systems is supported by Olivia Colman, Sharon Osbourne, Emma Thompson, Alicia Silverstone and Annie Lennox. Colman played Queen Elizabeth in the third and fourth seasons Crown on Netflix, while Thompson attended the coronation of King Charles in May and Lennox performed at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston last year.
Prince William ‘very excited’ to take Earthshot prize to Asia, CEO says (Exclusive)
The new campaign marks Butler’s third collaboration with GenV, formerly known as Million Dollar Vegan. She previously teamed up with the organization to offer Pope Francis a $1 million donation to charity if he goes vegan for Lent in 2019, and also proposed a matching donation to veterans if then-President Donald Trump adopts a plant-based diet for one month. The California teenager was delighted to receive a response from the Pope, who sent a letter with a blessing.
His Holiness Pope Francis received your letter and asked me to thank you”, says Msgr. Paolo Borgia, an official of the Vatican Secretariat of State, reports the National Catholic Reporter. “He appreciates your concern for the care of the world, our common home, which prompted you to write to him. The Holy Father will remember you in his prayers and send you his blessing.”
Looking back, Butler tells PEOPLE that getting the pope’s attention was “very inspiring” and that it was a pleasure to spread awareness of vegan influence.
“I think it really made me realize why it’s so important to question these world leaders because it got a lot of attention. That’s why I continue with these campaigns, especially the new one in which we are looking for Prince William – he says. “It made me realize that it’s so important to ask these world leaders these big questions because then it gets a lot of attention and helps our planet for the better.”
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to receive the latest news on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
The young changemaker is the great-niece of late civil rights leader Cesar Chavez and said she draws strength today from his legacy.
“I know that throughout his work he knew that what he was doing was right. It really inspires me to keep going and not take ‘no’ for an answer and just keep being persistent in my activism. He always really helped me remember that it’s really important to be fearless and speak up,” she tells PEOPLE.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(689x229:691x231)/prince-william-earthshot-prize-092222-2-cafeca90d5d04fb3bc1922adb95d4547.jpg)
Prince William talks to children as he visits Kew Gardens for the Generation Earthshot 2021 event Ian Vogler-WPA Pool/Getty
The Earthshot Prize will next travel to Singapore for its third annual awards ceremony on November 7, with the winners of the five current categories announced as recipients of £1 million each to help assess their environmental solutions.
Over the past year, the 2023 Earthshot Prize cohort has driven incredible impact on the repair and regeneration of our planet with more than 1.5 million people directly benefiting from the finalists’ solutions. Over 7,000 hectares of land and nearly 2.1 million hectares have been protected or restored, while over 35,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been reduced, avoided or sequestered.
The eldest son of King Charles launched the competition in 2020 with plans to award the Earthshot Awards by 2030. The inaugural awards were held in London in October 2021.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education