Taylen Reddy

Activist, Idea generator, Public servant, Scientist

Taylen Reddy is a South African environmental justice advocate and the Founder of Zero Waste Durban, a youth-led organisation addressing plastic pollution, waste colonialism, and urban environmental inequality. He currently also serves as the Africa Regional Focal Point for the UN Environment Programme’s Children and Youth Major Group (CYMG), where he supports youth engagement in global policy spaces such as the Global Plastics Treaty. With a background in biotechnology and over 4 years of experience in grassroots organising, Taylen has worked at the intersection of youth leadership, climate policy, and inner resilience. Taylen is the Project Coordinator for Mitigation at the Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO), and convenes regional work for Climate Youth Resilience (CYR), where he helps integrate care-based and inner-led approaches into climate activism. Taylen has led local waste infrastructure pilots, artivism campaigns, and youth capacity-building programs across the Global South. His current focus is on building systems of environmental governance that centre dignity, justice, and cultural belonging, while ensuring African youth are meaningfully represented in decision-making spaces.