Action for Conservation with Katie Driver

One of the charities we support through our 1% for the Planet commitment is Action for Conservation. Action for Conservation works with young people from diverse backgrounds, helping them build confidence, take action for nature, and become community leaders.

An Ambassador for the charity since the age of 14, Katie Driver tells us all about her passion for nature and learning invaluable life skills by being part of the charities’ projects and initiatives. Now 23 years old and graduated with a Master in Biology at the University of Oxford, she is a Research Associate specialising in vertical farming at GrowUp Farms. Katie also loves cycling – from her daily commute to touring – and will go on a bikepacking trip from Munich to Verona this summer. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself – how did you find out about Action for Conservation and what made you decide to get involved? 

From a young age, I have loved connecting with nature and I wanted to do more for the environment. I started searching for opportunities online and found out about Action for Conservation. They ran an essay competition, asking young people to write about an environmental issue in their local area they felt passionate about. When I got selected, I was happy to receive an invitation to go to Wales on a residential Summer Camp together with lots of other kids. We got really immersed in nature as we were being taught subject matters and ways of learning outside of the classroom. We did various things, from bat watching and habitat restoration to discussing how we can change the systems we live in. Being actively involved in these initiatives, meeting with likeminded people, feeling like my voice was being heard and also finding role models in the Youth Leaders has been one of the driving forces for me to pursue an environmental career.

Tell us a bit more about your role within Action for Conservation and about some of the projects you have been involved in.

As an Ambassador, I represented the charity and would speak at and attend various events, networking opportunities and workshops. I have really loved staying in touch with people that I have met throughout the years! One of the projects that has been my highlight is the Penpont Project , which started in 2019. This is an intergenerational nature restoration project in the heart of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) in Wales. Visiting the site is always a magical experience for me, filled with walking, planting, wassailing, and swimming in the chilly river Usk! I was part of the Youth Leadership Group, where 12-18 year olds were involved in all of the planning, processes and mapping of the site. In essence, we were working in partnership with farmers, the landowners, conservationists and local stakeholders, to restore habitats and ecosystems and explore innovative farming and forestry approaches to provide a healthy support system for people, biodiversity and agriculture. We drew maps of what the land used to look like, what it looks like now and what we wanted it to look like in the future. It was a really cool experience to be an advisor within this project and working with different people who all have different interests at heart also meant collaboration was a key part to come to practical solutions. Learning to approach conservation not only from a purely environmental perspective, but also with the cultural and historical context of the land and peoples livelihood at the forefront of the decision making process has been an invaluable learning curve for me. Some of the big outcomes of this initiative were the planting of some 3000 trees, conservation grazing, regenerative agricultural practices, agroforestry, habitat restoration and species support actions.

In your view, why is the work that Action for Conservation does so important? And how important is it that young people like yourself take action and get involved?

I believe that reconnecting with nature is really important, especially nowadays, and Action for Conservation really inspires this. It’s about fostering that connection and the charity does lots to make it more accessible too, for example by going into schools via the WildED Programme . Young people bring an uninhabited mindset - sometimes their ideas are wild, but they can inspire conversations and ways of thinking that can then lead to new solutions. Young people are the future and therefore, what they see as important needs to be taken seriously, Action for Conservation gives young people a voice and platform from which to be heard.

What would you say is one of the biggest environmental challenges we face today; that could be local, national or global? And what do you think could be done about it? We understand that it’s hard to pick one, but perhaps there’s one environmental challenge that’s particularly close to your heart that you would like to highlight.

That is a really tough question, but the one that is closest to me and I dedicate my work to is addressing the immense pressure we are placing on ecosystems through the way we currently produce food The widespread use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilisers not only harms pollinators, but also leads to nutrient runoff, polluting our waterways and driving eutrophication. Meanwhile, vast areas of natural habitat are being cleared to make way for monoculture plantations, reducing biodiversity and increasing our vulnerability to pests, disease, and climate change.

These environmental issues are deeply intertwined with social ones. Food inequity is growing at both regional and global scales, with a significant portion of the world’s population lacking reliable access to adequate nutrition.

Tackling these challenges requires a fundamental shift in how we think about and produce food. Innovations such as vertical farming offer promising solutions to support agriculture by using fewer resources and reducing the need for agricultural land. But we must also adapt and reimagine traditional agriculture by embracing more regenerative practices — such as agroforestry, intercropping, and conservation grazing — that work with, rather than against, natural ecosystems.

As individuals, we have power too. Choosing to eat more local and seasonal foods, supporting sustainable producers, and reducing our consumption of red meat are meaningful steps we can all take to relieve pressure on an already strained food system.

What advice would you give others if they wanted to do something impactful - even in small ways - for the environment?

I think that as an individual you can make a positive impact by leading by example. By changing habits and educating yourself, you can create ripples that grow. Things such as recycling correctly, eating less meat, buying second hand rather than supporting fast-fashion – you can show and share with others how you do it. Another important aspect is to read critically and spread the right information. Anything you can do to share and spread awareness is a good thing!

We would like to thank Katie and Action for Conservation for their time and the amazing work they do.

We are proud to support Action for Conversation in their mission to empower 100 Young Environmental Leaders in 2025. Watch the video to hear from young people about their incredible journeys. To find out more and to contribute to their amazing work, please donate today or get in touch with the team by emailing fundraising@actionforconservation.org

• Did you know that 64% of 11 to 16-year-olds in the UK experience eco-anxiety? Action for Conservation has found that one of the most effective ways to help is giving them the tools to connect with nature and take action to restore it.

• With your support, over 100 young leaders will take 400+ impactful actions from restoring wildflower meadows to shaping environmental policy.