As climate change intensifies globally, so does the need for people willing to move the conversation from awareness to action. For Temilade Salami, that journey has unfolded across different chapters: from studying Marine Science and building a career in environmental education, to leading youth climate initiatives, writing about sustainability and now translating years of environmental experience into entrepreneurship.
Fondly called Global Temi, Salami is an award-winning environmentalist, climate education and communications expert, and author. Over the years, she has led youth-focused environmental sustainability initiatives across Nigeria and built platforms that help young Africans understand environmental challenges and participate in climate action.
Her journey, however, has never been defined by one role. Each chapter has built on the last, expanding the ways in which she approaches climate action and the question at the centre of her work: how do we move people from simply knowing about a problem to becoming part of its solution?
Temilade started out studying Marine Science at the University of Lagos, an early introduction for her into the environmental field. She has since earned a master’s degree in Environment, Development and Policy from the University of Sussex. At the centre of her work sits climate change and climate education.
Temilade Salami believes that environmental education for young people is crucial to developing meaningful climate solutions. That belief became part of the foundation for EcoChampions, the environmental network she founded and now leads as Executive Director. Described as one of Nigeria’s largest networks of professional environmentalists, EcoChampions has provided a platform for climate education, training and community engagement, while tackling issues including waste management, tree planting, plastic pollution and ocean conservation.
She launched the Climate Education Leaders Fellowship in Africa, created to strengthen climate education leadership across the continent. She has also been part of international education and development networks, including the UNESCO SDG4Youth Network, and served as a Global Partnership for Education Youth Leader with the World Bank.
Her approach to advocacy has also been shaped by creativity. Salami has authored two environmental books for children, using writing and storytelling to make climate issues more accessible to younger audiences. Through her climate education, leadership and storytelling work, she has reached over 20,000 young people across 27 African countries.
Over time, that work has earned her recognition. In 2020, she was named one of Nigeria’s 25 Under 25 Leaders on Energy and Sustainability. She has also been recognised as an LASEPA Ambassador against Noise Pollution and as an Idea Hub Africa Talent of the Future. At the University of Sussex, she served as Deputy Chair of the Student Sustainability Committee, extending her environmental leadership into the academic community.
Salami has spent years building programmes, educating young people and creating platforms that allow others to engage with climate action, and her influence has continued to grow.
Now, that experience is taking her in a new direction: climate fashion. In 2026, Salami launched Tuntunre, a circular fashion business that transforms discarded denim into clothing, bags and accessories. The venture is informed by years of work and experience in environmental advocacy and is not a break from the values that have shaped her career.
Salami has spent years asking how people can better understand environmental responsibility. With Tuntunre, she is exploring what it can look like when those ideas are translated into products, design, local production and a business model. By working with Nigerian artisans and tailors, the venture also brings together sustainability, creativity, livelihoods and economic opportunity.
She has not built her career around one title or one definition of impact. She has been an environmentalist, climate educator, youth leader, writer, advocate, programme builder and now entrepreneur. Each chapter has added another tool to the way she approaches the same larger question: how do we move people from simply knowing about a problem to participating in solutions?
From Marine Science to EcoChampions, from climate education to continental youth programmes, from environmental storytelling to Tuntunre, Salami’s career reflects an expanding understanding of what climate action can be.
And perhaps that is why her journey matters. Sustainability does not always remain in policy papers, classrooms or advocacy spaces. Sometimes, it becomes a community, a programme, a story, a new generation of environmental leaders or even a business.
For Temilade Salami, the work continues to evolve, but the purpose remains recognisable: making sustainability easier to understand, easier to participate in and, ultimately, easier to build a life and future around
