Columbia, South Carolina – There will be two public Climate Action Showcases in late January and early February that will show off environmental projects carried out by young people in the City of Columbia. The events will highlight initiatives made by local teens and young adults who got help from the City of Columbia Bloomberg Youth Climate Action Fund.
The showcases are meant to be drop-in events, so people can go around and look at a number of booths that explain each climate action project and what it accomplished.
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Volunteers who worked on the projects will be there to talk about what they did, what they learned, and how the projects helped with environmental issues in the area. City officials said the purpose is to show people how ideas from young people can be turned into real solutions for climate change.
On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., the first showcase will take held in the City Hall lobby at 1737 Main Street. About half of the 17 people that got grants will be at this first event. On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the same place, the other projects will be displayed.
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Bloomberg Philanthropies gave the City of Columbia $100,000 in 2025 to help pay for these initiatives. Young people between the ages of 14 and 25 got the money to plan and carry out climate action projects. The initiatives that get funding address a wide range of environmental topics, such as community education, conservation, and creative reuse and waste reduction.
Some of the projects that are highlighted include turning old sports jerseys into blankets, cleaning up rivers, and teaching people not to litter. The people who come to the event and the people who participate come from a wide range of local groups and institutions, such as the University of South Carolina, the Darla Moore School of Business, Columbia College, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Dreher High School, and the NAACP Youth Council.
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City officials say the displays are both a way to celebrate and a way to learn. The city wants to honor the work of young citizens by putting these projects together in a public space.
It also wants to get people talking about how they can be more environmentally responsible and take action in their own communities. Anyone can come to the events, and members of the media are also welcome.
