Vishruth Dinesh

Fremont, CA

Empowering youth to achieve self-sustainability through gardening

Vishruth Dinesh, 16, wanted to get involved in climate activism when he was eight years old. But whenever he asked about how to do so, he was always met with the same two discouraging routes: consider making the switch to EVs, or vote green. Given his young age, he wasn’t in a position to carry out such strategies. Effective climate action appeared to be a privilege that the majority of the global population, small children and teenagers, could not partake in.

So, in late 2022, Dinesh created The Green Therapy, a grassroots organization dedicated to anchoring young people in the climate movement via sustainable gardening, which not only helps reduce food waste, preserve native biodiversity, and combat pollution, but is also affordable and universally accessible.

The Green Therapy works directly with schools, helping them set up environmental courses and garden-based educational programs that pave a path for youth to become rooted in nature. Currently, the nonprofit is actively collaborating with 14 schools all across the San Francisco Bay Area. It has worked with and equipped students with the knowledge and skillset to protect the health of the planet by practicing sustainable, native-friendly gardening at and beyond the school environment. The Green Therapy will continue building its school garden network even after its current members graduate.