Registration is now open for Ireland’s environmental awards programme for young people, the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards.
The Awards recognise and reward the green achievements of any group of young people, aged 10-18, who want to take action on key environmental issues such as climate change, energy, waste, biodiversity, transport and more.
Over 25,000 young people have been involved to date, with record numbers expected to take part in the all-island programme run by ECO-UNESCO, Ireland’s environmental education and youth organisation, this year.
“Last year’s awards saw innovative young people from across Ireland come up with real solutions to local and global issues, through projects ranging from carbon footprint apps to guerrilla gardening groups, from biodiversity trails to a dam building project on the river Corrib and even a climate change campaign involving polar bears made of recycled materials being placed around Dublin city! We are looking forward to more outstanding projects this year.Through these projects young people are taking action and raising awareness about important environmental issues among their peers, their schools and youth groups and the community as a whole.” said Elaine Nevin, National Director of ECO-UNESCO.
Each May, ECO-UNESCO hosts the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards Showcase and Awards Ceremony to honour the outstanding green achievements of young people from youth groups and schools across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards programme has been running on an all-island basis for 13 years, with over 25,000 young people becoming involved over that time. Numbers have been growing each year, and in 2011 over 4,000 young people participated, many of them showcasing their projects at an exhibition held in the Mansion House, Dublin, last May. The National Showcase, attracts hundreds of young people who get an opportunity to show their environmental project work to the public.
“The young participants of the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards programme concretely show what it means to act as agents of positive change and make a difference”, commented Walter Erdelen, UNESCO Assistant Secretary General for Natural Sciences in a special message of support to the young environmentalists.
Participants in ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards have until February 2012 to complete their project in one of nine categories including climate change, biodiversity, energy, waste and transport. Once registered, ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards groups can avail of ECO-UNESCO’s advice and support as their projects progress. Registration for ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards 2012 closes on November 25th 2011.
Teachers and youth leaders can register groups of 2-20 young people on www.ecounesco.ie or by contacting ECO-UNESCO at +353 1 6625491 yea@ecounesco.ie.
