2022 High School Winners

Carter Sutton is a junior at Reedy High School in Frisco, Texas. His video highlights wildlife corridors as a way to fight some of the negative effects that urban sprawl has on many creatures’ habitats. “That’s just always been something that’s really resonated with me,” he said. “Frisco has been fast-growing, and I’ve seen urbanization take a toll because I’ve lived here my whole life. And I’ve seen a lot of local parks and forestry be affected by growth.”

Carter has five years of broadcasting experience and is currently the lead producer for his school’s TV network, OPEN Den. He was looking for ways to get some video experience outside of school, and the World of 7 Billion contest seemed like a great fit, especially because it combined Carter’s love of film and environmentalism.

He says the hardest part of the whole process was cutting his video down to fit the one-minute time constraint. “I found that really hard because the issue is very complex,” he said.

In his free time, Carter runs hurdles for his school’s track team, represents his peers on student council, and is a member of his school’s DECA team. He also founded a school environmental club called Alliance for Sustainability, where students get together to do local projects around the city, fundraise, and volunteer for larger organized environmental projects in their community.

In the future, Carter is interested in combining his passion for business and sustainability and says that he’d love to look at big business practices from a more environmentally-friendly standpoint.