Simon Pickup is the youth ambassador for Smart Growth Canada, assisting with youth outreach strategies. He has been working on sustainability and environmental issues since the age of 8, when he built his first hydrogen electrolyser.

In 2003, Simon founded Youth Hydrogen, a not-for-profit, youth driven organization, dedicated to raising awareness about, and demonstrating the viability of renewably-generated hydrogen as a fuel for today. This fall, Youth Hydrogen will launch a promotional campaign involving in-school presentations, hydrogen car test drives, radio and newspaper advertisement, and sponsored events, in conjunction with the unveiling of a design for a low-cost hydrogen refueling station.

An experienced volunteer at the City Hall of North Vancouver, Simon also represents over 7000 high school youth as President of the North Vancouver Student Leadership Council, and is actively involved in the world's first rotating, democratic, merit-based, youth driven fund – the Global Youth Fund.