Young eco-activists from Dublin have reached the final of this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA).
Hosted by ECO-UNESCO, the winner’s will be announced virtually at the YEA virtual ceremony on the 26th of May.
The Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) is an all-island programme that recognises and rewards young people aged 10-18 who have taken environmental action and come up with innovative solutions to environmental issues.
Over 200 projects applied to the YEA programme this year. Despite Covid-19 interruptions, young people continued to work on their projects at school, at home and during youth clubs in an effort to tackle climate issues.
Emilia Bennis and Anna Bennis from Scoil Mhuire Sandymount
Included in the 14 groups from Dublin that have made it to the finals are young people from Mount Carmel Secondary School in the City, Scoil Mhuire in Sandymount and Mercy College in Coolock who have made it to the finals of the Senior Waste Category for their Project Oceanique.
They have created a project to get local supermarkets to decrease the amount of plastic they use in their stores, by sending emails on how they one more eco-friendly and the reasons why they should follow eco-friendly practices.
Elaine Nevin, Director of ECO-UNESCO said “We are so proud of the projects that have been submitted this year and the efforts these young people have made to create awareness and make a positive environmental difference.
“It is these individuals that are shaping a better future for our planet and we are so excited to announce our winner’s at this year’s ceremony.”
“To celebrate this youth eco-activism we are holding a week-long celebration of virtual events, talks and workshops for any young people who’d like to get involved.”
Speaking about the YEAs, one member from Mercy College said “We are so excited to have made it to the finals of the young environmentalist awards. It’s so important that we raise awareness of environmental issues in our communities and play our part in improving our environments and ecosystems.”
An event that usually brings schools and community groups together from all over Ireland to showcase their projects, will be a week-long celebration for the second year.
ECO Week 2021 will be held from 24th to 28th May and will include a range of environmental workshops, well-being activities, talks, and challenges for young people alongside the YEA Winner announcements.
The aim of ECO Week is to celebrate the achievements of young activists, to allow young people to explore career opportunities in environmentalism and to educate them on a range of environmental topics.
The YEA Showcase is taking place virtually in www.ecounesco.ie where you can see all our fantastic Young Environmentalists projects.
The YEA Ceremony will take place on Wednesday 26th May on ECO-UNESCO’S YouTube Channel – ECO-UNESCO Ireland in a live transmission at 2pm. For more information on the Young Environmentalist Awards please go to www.yea.ie