Emily and Errita Xu are two siblings both passionate about the environment and sustainability. Errita attended BETA Camp in summer 2021, and Emily joined BETA Camp's sister program, the Climate Action Bootcamp by Prequel in summer 2022. The sisters are currently finishing high school in Toronto, Canada. They have also converted their passion for environmental science and writing into Dear Earth, a climate hub that aims to tell the stories of climate activism through publishing personal reflections and conducting scholarly research.

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Emily is a high school senior. As a passionate environmental leader, creative activist, and researcher, she hopes to share her passion and experience battling the environmental crisis. With her growing interest in the environment, she has recognized the need for a total cultural shift, where taking care of the environment is more than switching to new technology. Emily hopes to use Dear Earth’s platform for reflection, growing, and connecting others.

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Errita is a high school junior passionate about engineering, business, sustainability, and exploring the intersections between these fields. Specifically, she has uncovered the urgent yet limited progress we have been making with regards to incentives for actions and effective, efficient, and affordable solutions. Having been involved with local organizations and projects, Errita co-founded Dear Earth to share her experience, opinions, and knowledge with hopes of inspiring others to take action on this urgent issue.

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How did you hear about BETA Camp?

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We heard about BETA Camp and Prequel as we were looking for opportunities to pursue our interests during the summer. We loved the programming of BETA Camp and the Climate Action Bootcamp. Through this, Errita was able to connect with others across North America to create a startup and develop her passion for business, while Emily was able to develop a stronger passion for environmental activism alongside an enduring interest in the research behind climate change.

What effect did BETA Camp have on your lives? 

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BETA Camp allowed us to engage with people across the globe. It allowed us to think more deeply about social responsibility and climate action through different perspectives. We learned to apply textbook knowledge into real-world contexts. Further, we were able to connect with professionals in the industry.

Tell me about Dear Earth:

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Dear Earth is a climate hub where we share the stories and facts of climate activism through personal reflections and scholarly research. We always wanted Dear Earth to be a climate hub, rather than just a blog, to showcase the works we, our school, and our community does, and allow Dear Earth to be a place where people can learn and be inspired. Emily and I have always loved being in nature, despite living in the city. Through that we acquired our strong passion for promoting climate action, which is reflected in Dear Earth. We hope that readers can learn something new from everything that we write and share. This is also a place for reflection for both of us. We would like to document our climate action journey, because our thinking about the environment has definitely changed. We hope our readers can join us on that journey.

Find out more about Dear Earth here!

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