Prince William Pens Foreword for New Book Inspiring Next Generation of Climate Changemakers (Exclusive)

Prince William is joined by actress Shailene Woodley and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough in encouraging the optimism of his Earthshot Prize

Prince William is taking his conservation message to the next generation.

The Prince of Wales, 41, penned a message for a new children's book that outlines his hopes for his environmental award that seeks to find solutions to help the planet, the Earthshot Prize.

In A Handbook for Dreamers and Thinkers: Solutions to Repair Our Planet, Prince William underlines his hopes for the Earthshot Prize and explains what drove him to set it up.

"In the 1960s, the world looked to the skies as the great unknown, and the American president John F. Kennedy set a Moonshot challenge...encouraging scientists, innovators and businesses to come together to put a person on the moon," William says in the book's foreword. "Right now, we need to shoot for the EARTH. Our planet is the only home we have, and we must think big and dream bigger if we are to protect it."

Related: Prince William's Earthshot Prize Finalists Revealed! Meet Who Is in the Running for the $1.2 Million Prizes

Prince William created the Earthshot Prize in 2020, kicking off a decade-long mission to find solutions to restore the planet.

He says in the foreword that he has been "extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to meet dreamers and thinkers from all around the world. These inspirational people are devoting their lives to a cause bigger than themselves, coming up with new ways to solve old problems."

Giving examples of "how seaweed can replace plastic" (last year’s Earthshot Prize winner Notpla makes sustainable packaging from seaweed) and "whole countries team together to protect rainforests," he says, "Our goal with A Handbook for Dreamers and Thinkers is simple: to encourage you to think about how you can become one of these amazing people contributing to the vital mission to repair our planet."

William hopes that the stories "will leave you feeling INSPIRED and OPTIMISTIC, because if we put our minds to it, the urgency we need, with the optimism we must hold on to, will equal the action we need to repair our planet."

Related: Prince William Visits FDNY Firehouse to Wrap New York City Trip — and Does a Surprise Walkabout!

For more on Prince William, the book from his Earthshot Prize and his visit to New York City last week, pick up a copy of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

Also making contributions to the book are actor Shailene Woodley, broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and diplomat Christiana Figueres, a global leader on climate change agreement. The book is on sale starting Oct. 12.

Last week in New York, Prince William unveiled the next 15 finalists hoping to be rewarded with $1.2 million to help further their innovative ideas to help save the planet. Five winners — one for each of the five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build A Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate — will be announced at the awards evening on Nov. 7 in Singapore.

At the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, the prince brought together business leaders, philanthropists and some of the former winners to help engender more cross-pollination of ideas. At the event, he spoke about why they chose Singapore to host the third prize ceremony. "We want to get around the world. We want to see solutions in different places; we want to work with those existing ones while opening new chapters, new areas," he said.

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"I think Singapore is a gateway to Southeast Area; it's a new region. We know the innovation sectors there are huge and technology is booming there. Singapore is a city of nature, so they get it," he said. "So it's really exciting what's going to happen in Singapore. We take a lot of time and we try to work out where is the next place to go."

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