Meet Sarah Wang | Founder & President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Wang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up in a low-income household, I became increasingly aware of the effects of climate change, yet my family and I lacked the resources to adapt. That realization started in school, where I noticed that environmental education was either minimal or completely missing from the curriculum. Like many others, my school simply didn’t have the funding or support to prioritize climate or environmental science. This gap in knowledge didn’t just affect me—it made it harder for entire communities to understand or respond to the environmental issues affecting them.

Over time, I came to understand how climate change impacts low-income communities more severely, often without the support needed to adapt. When I transferred to Westminster, a private school, and gained access to more educational opportunities, I wanted to use those resources to make a difference. I started researching the intersection of climate and public health and realized how much more could be done with the right tools and a focused effort.

That’s what led me to found the Georgia Youth Environmental Coalition—a network of over 150 students across the state committed to making climate education and advocacy more accessible. We focus on raising awareness, supporting youth leadership, and making space for students to take action on issues that affect their communities. Starting GYEC was a way to bring together what I had learned and to help close the gap in access, knowledge, and opportunity for students like the one I used to be.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is rooted in the Georgia Youth Environmental Coalition (GYEC), a student-led network I founded to expand access to climate education and empower youth—especially from low-income and underrepresented communities—to lead in the fight for environmental justice. Through GYEC, we’ve grown into a statewide community of over 150 students committed to climate awareness, leadership development, and local advocacy.

What sets GYEC apart is our focus on meeting students where they are. One of the projects I’m most proud of is our Climate Learn Initiative, which began as a way to introduce younger students to environmental science in a way that felt both accessible and hopeful. As part of that, I wrote and illustrated Sunny’s Journey to Planet Earth, a children’s book that explains climate change and sustainable habits in a story-driven, age-appropriate way. We’ve donated over 2,800 copies to Title I schools and held in-person lessons with elementary students, many of whom were hearing about climate change for the first time. Their curiosity gave me a renewed sense of purpose—and mentoring them has become one of the most meaningful parts of my work.

Of course, the work hasn’t always gone as planned. One ongoing challenge has been our extreme heat preparedness project. We developed educational booklets to help families in vulnerable areas prepare for rising temperatures—but getting them into the hands of the right communities has taken longer than expected. Early on, I struggled to reach the local government partners I had hoped to collaborate with. That experience taught me that good ideas and clear information aren’t enough—you need champions on the ground, relationships in place, and trusted networks to actually deliver impact. It’s a lesson that’s shaped how GYEC approaches everything we do now: coalition-building comes first. With the help of local organizations and the $5,000 grant that GYEC recently received from the Atlanta Youth Climate Action Fund, we are now working to create and distribute heat resilience kits and accessible climate education resources to neighborhoods across Georgia.

What I want people to know about my story, and GYEC’s story, is that environmental injustice is a shared fight. It touches every community in some way, and it will take all of us—especially young people—to drive lasting change. Everyone deserves to understand what’s happening to their environment and feel equipped to do something about it. Our job is to open that door for those who have historically been left out.

GYEC isn’t just an organization—it’s a platform to amplify youth voices, connect communities, and reimagine what climate leadership can look like. I’m proud of what we’ve built, and I’m even more excited about what’s ahead.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend came to visit Atlanta for a week, I’d want them to experience the city in a way that feels real—past the tourist spots and into the places where stories, activism, creativity, and community live. It would be a mix of history, food, art, nature, and books.

We’d start in Old Fourth Ward with breakfast from Le Petit Marche—a cozy café that feels like the kind of place where everyone knows each other. Then we’d walk the Eastside BeltLine Trail to take in murals, public art, and community parks. Along the way, we’d stop at Ponce City Market to explore the small shops (and maybe get a King of Pops popsicle) before walking over to Historic Fourth Ward Park to relax by the pond.

One of our first deeper stops would be the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. I’d take them to Ebenezer Baptist Church, The King Center, and Dr. King’s birth home. These spaces offer powerful reminders of the city’s legacy in the civil rights movement. Afterwards, we’d visit Busy Bee Café for lunch—one of Atlanta’s most iconic Black-owned restaurants, known not just for great food, but for the history and community it represents.

Because I’m passionate about literacy and amplifying underrepresented voices, we’d spend another day visiting some of Atlanta’s best indie bookstores. We’d start with Charis Books & More in Decatur—one of the oldest feminist bookstores in the country and a space that uplifts queer, BIPOC, and youth authors. Then we’d head to For Keeps Books, a Black-owned bookstore on Auburn Avenue focused on rare, classic, and contemporary Black literature. And if we had time, we’d check out Little Shop of Stories in Decatur Square—great for children’s and young adult books, and super welcoming.

To get out of the city for a bit, we’d go hiking at Arabia Mountain. It’s only about 30 minutes from Atlanta but feels like a totally different landscape, with exposed rock, rare wildflowers, and wide open skies. Afterwards, we’d stop at Your Dekalb Farmers Market—not just for snacks, but to explore food from around the world and see how global Atlanta really is.

On Saturday, we’d start at the Freedom Farmers Market at the Carter Center, where local vendors sell fresh produce, baked goods, and handmade crafts. Then we’d stop at Krog Street Market for lunch—there are so many options, from tacos to dumplings, so it’s easy to find something for everyone. Afterward, we’d walk through Cabbagetown to see the murals and street art.

One afternoon, I’d bring them to visit a community garden or mutual aid fridge in Southwest Atlanta. That’s an important part of the city that doesn’t always show up in travel guides, but it’s where you see people taking care of each other through grassroots work—growing food, redistributing resources, and building relationships.

To slow things down, we’d spend an afternoon at Piedmont Park or the Atlanta Botanical Garden. They’re both great places to walk, reflect, and enjoy nature in the middle of the city. We’d bring books, snacks, and maybe something from Savannah’s Candy Kitchen at the park for dessert.

If there’s time left, we’d check out Plaza Theatre—Atlanta’s oldest indie movie theater, where they often play documentaries, classic films, and local features. Or we’d visit Atlanta Contemporary, a free contemporary art space that’s small but thoughtful.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My biggest shoutout goes to the elementary school students I’ve worked with through the Climate Learn Initiative. Their energy, questions, and curiosity gave me the motivation—and the vision—to keep building something that didn’t yet exist. I remember reading Sunny’s Journey to Planet Earth at Boyd Elementary when one student asked, “Can we really stop climate change?” and another added, “Is it getting worse?” For many of them, it was their first time hearing the term climate change, yet they jumped into the conversation with urgency and openness.

Through both my personal experiences and the hardships I witnessed in my communities, I understand what it feels like to be left out of environmental conversations—to feel the impacts of climate change but never hear your story fully reflected in the solutions. That gap is what pushed me to write and publish Sunny’s Journey and launch the Climate Learn Initiative, which has now reached over 2,800 students across Title I schools in Atlanta. I started by donating books and teaching lessons, but over time, I became something more—a mentor, someone they could turn to with their big questions and ideas.

These students are the reason I do this work. They’ve helped me see that climate justice isn’t just about the policies or the science—it’s about making sure every child, no matter their zip code, has the chance to understand what’s happening to their planet and believe they can be part of the solution. Their voices have shaped my purpose and reminded me what we’re really fighting for.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youthenvironmentalga/