Sustainability Chats - YCAF: Kaarina Dunn

Kaarina Dunn on site of her 2024 YCAF Project: Upcycle Our Symphony

Onalaska High School student, Kaarina Dunn,  is already making waves in both the sustainability and music worlds. A passionate environmentalist and a dedicated member of the La Crosse Youth Symphony Orchestra, Kaarina is proving that sustainability can find its place anywhere—even in classical music.

Her journey began in 2024 when she received her first Youth Climate Action Project grant for an initiative called Upcycle Our Symphony. Through this project, she helped reduce plastic waste and replaced concert materials with paper made entirely from 100% post-consumer recycled content. What’s especially inspiring is how she found a creative way to connect her love for music with her commitment to the planet—two passions that don’t often overlap.

Building on that success, Kaarina was awarded two additional grants in 2025:

• Restoring Our Shores — a project that will encourage youth to help restore local shorelines through hands-on activities and incentives. Volunteer Link coming soon: Restoring Our Shores

  
  

• Learn to Live Local — an upcoming summer camp where participants will explore healthy, low-carbon food choices and learn practical strategies to reduce food waste. Youth Camp Registration: Learn to Live Local

  
  

These projects are set to launch summer 2025, and Kaarina is already hard at work planning how to bring them to life.

In our Sustainability Chat, she shares her experience navigating her first project, the lessons she learned, and the challenges she overcame. She also offers advice to other young people who are interested in applying for climate action grants but feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the process.

Kaarina’s story is a reminder that no idea is too small and no field is too disconnected from sustainability. We are so excited to follow her journey as she continues to lead by example and inspire others to find their own path toward a more sustainable future.

About the YCAF Sustainability Chat Video & Blog Author:

Meg Erdenebat - Intern

The YCAF Sustainability Chat Series is compiled by the Sustainability Institute Program Intern - Meg Erdenebat. Meg is a college student from Mongolia who is currently at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse through their international student exchange program. Meg is working towards a bachelor's degree in Environmental Development at her main college in Japan.

"I am excited to be a part of the Sustainability Institute. I’ve just completed an academic year at UWL. My major is Environmental Development. Over the next two months, I’ll be working with the Sustainability Institute on their Sustainability Chats series interviewing Youth Climate Action fund recipients. This is my first job in the field, and while I’m both excited and a bit overwhelmed, I’m committed to doing my best to contribute."