ECO-UNESCO's YEA 2016 Finalist Booklet by ECO-UNESCO

ECO-UNESCO

EC O

Ireland’s Environmental Education and Youth Organisation

O’s C S E N -U

Fin

a list Booklet

Environmental Protection Through Youth Action

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Message from Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland

Welcome to Ireland’s Biggest Celebration of Youth ECO-Action

I am delighted to send my best wishes to all those involved in the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Award Ceremony.

Welcome to ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards Showcase and Ceremony 2016. This is Ireland’s biggest celebration of young people taking environmental action and we extend our congratulations to all of you on your hard work throughout the year.

As global citizens, we share an enormous responsibility to protect our environment, and to play our part in preserving the planet for our own and future generations. It is critical that we all embrace this responsibility, recognising that each and every one of us can, in our daily lives, make a great contribution to creating a cleaner, safer and better world. Climate change is, of course, one of the great challenges of our time, requiring brave and wise decisions from world leaders. We must never lose sight, however, of the many small ways in which we can, together, make a significant contribution to our greater global welfare.

This year ECO-UNESCO is celebrating 30 years of conserving the environment and empowering young people and we are proud of our achievements in that time. We are celebrating 17 years of the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards, and with it, our largest showcase to date. The programme has grown from its beginnings in 1999 and through the years, tens of thousands of young people from all across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have participated, by developing local environmental action projects to help conserve and protect the environment and promote sustainable development and by encouraging others to do the same.

As President of Ireland I am very proud of the many young citizens in this country who are constantly willing to rethink, re-imagine and re-consider the way we live in order that real difference can be achieved.

The Young Environmentalist Awards recognises and rewards the work of young people all across the island of Ireland. This year there were over 270 entries from thousands of young people nationwide, and today we recognise the hard work and dedication to the environment from this year’s 80 finalists. Each of today’s finalists attended a regional ECO-Den, a Dragons’ Den style heat where participants pitched their projects to a panel of judges and put their best foot forward in order to secure their spot at this year’s Showcase and Awards Ceremony.

Since 1999 the Young Environmentalist Awards have been rewarding such transformational thinking; recognising and honouring those pro-active participants willing to make their own practical and imaginative contributions to our shared future. I congratulate all those taking part in the final Showcase and Awards Ceremony, and I thank you for being young citizens in whom Ireland can take very great pride.

We are extremely impressed by all the young people participating in this year’s awards programme. All of you have shown tremendous enthusiasm, creativity and innovation in your approach to protecting the environment and promoting environmental awareness amongst your peers, schools, youth groups and wider community. We would like to commend you all on your hard work, time and effort put into the projects by all the groups involved. We would like to thank everybody who supported this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards, our sponsors, funders, prize givers and our judging panel. We greatly appreciate your time, interest and commitment to this environmental programme and we look forward to working with you again in the future. We would also like to extend a warm welcome to Catherine Martin TD, Deputy Leader of the Green Party and Melody Boateng from the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences at UNESCO.

Michael D. Higgins Uachtarán na hÉireann President of Ireland

We hope you have a fantastic showcase and awards ceremony. We would encourage you to continue your great work and do let us know if we can help you to develop your projects further. Please encourage others to take environmental action and spread the spirit of the Young Environmentalist Awards.

Contents

Thank you for making the programme such a success and we hope you have a wonderful day!

Welcome Message························································································································

About ECO-UNESCO·······················································································································

About UNESCO Clubs·····················································································································

YEA 2016 Showcase and Awards Ceremony Schedule······································································

Floor plan······································································································································

Getting your youth group or school involved in ECO-UNESCO····························································

Finalist Project Summaries Biodiversity····································································································································· 10 Climate Change···························································································································· 14 ECO-Art & Design··························································································································· 16 ECO-Community Development······································································································· 18 ECO-Enterprise······························································································································· 19 ECO-Health & Wellbeing················································································································· 21 Energy··········································································································································· 22 Transport······································································································································· 23 Waste··········································································································································· 24 Water············································································································································ 28 Super Junior··································································································································· 30 ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards Funders & Sponsors ··················································· 32 Acknowledgements······················································································································· 33 Mansion House Code of Conduct···································································································· 34

Karen Furlong Chairperson ECO-UNESCO

Elaine Nevin National Director ECO-UNESCO

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

About ECO-UNESCO Founded in 1986, ECO-UNESCO is Ireland’s environmental education and youth organisation. ECO-UNESCO has extensive experience in the development of environmental education programmes for young people in schools, youth groups and community groups. ECO-UNESCO is affiliated to the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (WFUCA). ECO-UNESCO’s aims are to: • • • •

Raise awareness, understanding and knowledge of our environment among young people; Promote the protection and conservation of our environment among young people; Promote the personal development of young people through practical environmental projects and activities Promote the ideals of UNESCO

About UNESCO Training Programmes ECO-UNESCO develops and runs training programmes for young people and trainers within non-formal and formal education, providing a specialist approach to working with young people. The programmes include one-day training courses, and a range of QQI Accredited Courses including Introduction to Sustainable Development (L5), ECO-Community Development (L3), Peer Education (L5), Outdoor Vegetable Crop Production (L3), Growing Vegetables (L4) and Ecology and the Environment (L6).

Education Resources ECO-UNESCO produces environmental education resources including publications and posters suitable for primary and secondary school teachers, youth groups, community groups and individuals.

ECO-UNESCO’s Work

Consultancy

Environmental Youth Programme

ECO-UNESCO also offers consultancy services to groups and agencies that want a specialist approach to environmental education, environmental youth work and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

ECO-UNESCO develops and runs programmes for young people on a broad range of environmental issues through schools, youth organisations, community groups or local authorities. The programmes include environmental events and activities, environmental workshops, ECO-UNESCO Clubs, ECO-Youth Choices and Youth for Sustainable Development including a Peer Education Programme.

Following the devastation of two world wars in less than a generation, UNESCO was established in 1954 as a response to the firm belief of nations that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace. Instead, peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities. UNESCO has 195 member countries and it pursues its objectives through five major programmes: • Education • Natural sciences • Social and human sciences • Culture • Communication and information Even before the foundation of UNESCO, however, there were UNESCO Clubs, the first of which was established in Japan in 1947. The number of Clubs has grown hugely in the past 67 years with more than 4000 Clubs, Centres and Associations for UNESCO now operating in more than 100 countries worldwide.

About UNESCO Clubs The World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (WFUCA) aims to further the ideals, objectives and programmes of UNESCO. Club members include people of all ages and nationalities from every walk of life. Those involved with Clubs share a commitment to UNESCO’s ideals and work to translate them into reality on the ground. As such, members are well placed to present the views of civil society to decision-makers. The aims of UNESCO Clubs are to: • promote understanding of the aims and ideals of UNESCO and work for the success of their implementation • facilitate international understanding, cooperation and world peace • support human rights • contribute to the training of their members in civics and democracy • participate in social development, conceived as the attainment of the conditions most conducive to the full development of the human personality. Although they have features in common, Clubs for UNESCO may take many different forms. The nature of a Club is determined by its membership and by the conditions and social environment in which it is called upon to operate. As such there are Schools Clubs, Higher Education Clubs and Clubs which have a clearly recognised legal status, whose members includes leading members of the cultural and public service circles of the community. There are also Clubs that are Centres for UNESCO, of which ECO-UNESCO is a member. These differ from the aforementioned Clubs and Associations for UNESCO because they operate on a permanent basis in premises usually open to the general public. ECO-UNESCO and WFUCA: ECO-UNESCO has been affiliated to the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations since 1986. As an affiliate to the UNESCO Clubs, ECO-UNESCO works to implement and uphold the values and ideals of UNESCO in Ireland. Furthermore, as a youth organisation, ECO-UNESCO works to instil and develop these values in young people through its innovative environmental youth programmes.

Special Guest from UNESCO We are delighted to welcome Melody Boateng to Dublin and indeed to this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards Showcase and Awards Ceremony. Ms Boateng is an Assistant Programme Specialist of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences at UNESCO Headquarters. Ms Boateng will deliver a keynote address and will also present the Awards.

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Young Environmentalist Awards 2016 Showcase and Awards Ceremony Schedule Showcase Schedule 8:30 - 9:30 10:00 10:00 - 10:10

Registration and Project Set-up in Round Room Showcase & Interactive Zones Open to All Welcome to the YEA 2016 Showcase by Elaine Nevin, ECO-UNESCO National Director

10:10 - 10:20

Official Launch of the YEA 2016 Showcase by Críona Ní Dhálaigh, Lord Mayor of Dublin

10:20 - 12:45

Visit to Projects by the Expert Judging Panel

12:45

Showcase Ends

Awards Ceremony Schedule 14:15 - 14:30

Round Room Re-Opens

14:30 - 14:35

Opening of the YEA 2016 Ceremony by MC

14:35 - 14:40

Welcome Address by Elaine Nevin, ECO-UNESCO National Director

14:40 - 14:50

Opening Keynote Address by Melody Boateng, UNESCO Representative

14:50 - 15:10

Award Presentations and Youth Performances

15:10 - 15:15

Keynote Address and Welcome to Guest of Honour by Karen Furlong, ECO-UNESCO Chairperson

15:15 - 15:25

Special Keynote Address by Catherine Martin TD, Deputy Leader of the Green Party

15:25 - 17:00

Award Presentations and Youth Performances

17:00

A E J F B K C G L D H M I

56 57 60

62 63

65 66 7 8 6 9 6 6 70 72

76 77 80

78 79

11 12

14 15

50 51

17 18

40 41 2 4 3 4 4 4 45 48

34 35

38 39

28 29 0 3 1 2 3 3 33

73 74

25 26

23 24

53 54

Ceremony Closes

ENTRANCE 7

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Getting your youth group or school involved in ECO-UNESCO! ECO-UNESCO has a wide range of programmes – here are some ways that your school, youth group or young person can get involved.

ECO-UNESCO Clubs Do you want to meet like-minded people with an interest in the environment and in learning more about UNESCO’s work? If so, why not set up an ECO-UNESCO Club in your school or youth group? ECO-UNESCO Clubs are a great way to give focus to a group of young people who are interested in environmental issues! In a school setting the ECOUNESCO Club can meet during school hours (often during lunch time) or as an after school activity. In your youth group the ECO-UNESCO Club can take place as part of your youth programme and provide a special focus for some of your young people. ECO-UNESCO Clubs get involved in all sorts of activities – in particular Clubs take on the Young Environmentalist Awards programme and carry out action projects; they can also get involved in the Learning2Change programme or the Youth for

Sustainable Development and other programmes offered by ECO-UNESCO. They can also organise their own events and activities, which they can highlight through ECO-UNESCO. There are Clubs in countries all over the world and you can be part of this global network. If you want to set up an ECOUNESCO Club all you need to do is to register your group with ECO-UNESCO (www.ecounesco.ie). We have a dedicated Clubs Officer to help you establish and support your Club. We also provide a Clubs Manual and Leader Training for Clubs leaders. Contact: clubs@ecounesco.ie. “I have learned that there are several creative and original ways we can raise awareness about the environment.” Aimee Ward, Laurel Hill Secondary School

Youth for Sustainable Development (YSD); Global Youth Leader for Change Programme Are you aware of the links between your own life and those of other people around the world and how this links to sustainable development? ECOUNESCO’s Youth for Sustainable Development Programme involves a variety of initiatives to engage, empower and support young people aged 16 to 18 who are interested in sustainability and environmental issues. The YSD programme inspires, motivates and empowers young people to act locally in favour of sustainable development!

The programme is currently run in the Dublin area. If you are a young person who is interested in sustainability issues and wants to get involved with our Youth for Sustainable Development programme please e-mail us at: ysd@ecounesco.ie!

The Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) is an allIreland environmental awards programme for young people aged 10-18. Since 1999, ECO-UNESCO has run this programme to honour the work of young people to protect, conserve and enhance the environment through local environmental projects, making a difference to their lives and the lives of others, both locally and globally. After groups submit their ECO-Action project report, a number of groups from across Ireland and Northern

Ireland are invited to pitch their projects in the Dragons’ Den Style regional semi-final judging rounds; the ECODens. The finalists then showcase their project at the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards Gala Showcase and Awards Ceremony in Dublin. The programme is a fun and exciting way to empower young people to become better citizens, to build awareness of environmental issues in the community and to promote simple actions and lifestyle changes to help improve the environment.

YEA Transition Year Module ECO-UNESCO has a specific Transition Year (TY) Module designed to support teachers and young people to develop an action project for the Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA). The TY module includes a support and activities pack for teachers with themed activities related to the award categories such as Biodiversity, Waste and Climate Change. These activities aim to increase young people’s environmental awareness

and knowledge and upskill them on how to develop an environmental action project. This module is available from ECO-UNESCO. Contact: yea@ecounesco.ie. “I think it’s a very good idea. We raised lots of awareness in the school. It was a huge success across the school.” Emma Johnson, Jesus and Mary Secondary School

“I learned peer education and also a lot about the environment. I feel extremely happy for having learned these things, so I can improve my lifestyle.” Arta Kroni, St. Louis High School

Learning2Change Our World Programme Learning2Change Our World is an ECO-UNESCO programme aimed at promoting a Whole Schools approach to Education for Sustainable Development in post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. The programme works with students, teachers and school staff across a number of selected schools. As part of the programme teachers and students receive training; they set up an ECO-UNESCO Club for young people; they explore issues regarding sustainability and development and how these areas affect our local and global communities; they carry out a Young Environmentalist Awards Action project and

Young Environmentalist Awards Programme

work together in organising a week of action and awareness related to a local/global issue regarding sustainability. If you would like more information or have any questions on ECO-UNESCO’s Learning2Change Our World Programme please contact us at: learning2change@ecounesco.ie. “It was a very exciting experience. We worked as a team. And we learned more about the environment.” Niamh O’Driscoll, Manor House School

Young Environmentalist Awards 2017 Each year we offer free training to the registered groups! If you want to get involved with Ireland’s biggest environmental youth programme, e-mail us at yea@ecounesco.ie and book your training now! YEA 2017 Timeline Online Registration Opens: Sep 2016 Free YEA 6 Steps to Success Training: Sep – Oct 2016 Registration Closes: Nov 2016 Project Submission: Nov 2016 – Feb 2017 ECO-Dens Semi-Finals: Mar – Apr 2017 Showcase & Awards Ceremony: May 2017 Exhibition of Winning Projects: Jun 2017

Remember: The sooner you register the sooner you can get support from ECO-UNESCO! “Taking part in these awards is a very fun and worthwhile experience because it taught us a lot about the environment that we didn’t know.” Aimee Ward, Laurel Hill Secondary School

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Finalist Project Summaries

Appreciate Our Amphibians

St. Joseph’s College Summerhill, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Biodiversity Habitats for Biodiversity

Drumcree College, Co. Armagh

Young People: Conlon Cullen, Phoebe Bates, Andre Cassama, Leah Flack, Amy Kelly, Catherine Lavery, Brendan Og Loughan, Sandor Sternak, Kara Judge, Ellen Toman, Rebecca Skelton, Renate Dreimaine, Ryan Trainor, Vasco Amaral, Jay Quinn, Lily McVeigh, Eoin Breen, Cain Hendron, James Breen, Sara Azinhais, Monika Pociute, Karoline Ivanauskaite

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

St. Michael’s Community College, Co. Clare

Fun on the Farm

St. Joseph’s College Summerhill, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Presentation Secondary School, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork

S enior

Young People: Jade Barry, Rachel Caplice, Lauren Culloty, Eimear Davern, Avril Furey, Kate Hennessy, Aoife Jackson, Jemma Kenneally, Lorna Lewis, Aoife Murphy, Aisling O’Connor, Eva O’Donoghue, Shannon O’Regan, Ciara O’Shea, Hope O’Sullivan, Ana Pereira, Melania Perera The group found that some areas of their school needed work and they wanted to work with the natural beauty of the area to promote biodiversity and find unique ways of using recycled materials. The group decided that they could improve the area by clearing the weeds, replanting the overgrown area, and design eye-catching signage. They also wanted to turn old wooden pallets into a ‘Bug hotel’, and construct a bike rack using old car tyres. The group planted wildflowers in part of the garden, built a bug hotel, installed a new bike rack for students to promote cycling, and created signage to appreciate the environment. The raised awareness through their signage, social media and providing beautiful spaces that use recycled material and promote biodiversity.

Senior

Reducing waste on farms and protecting farm animals was a key aim for St. Joseph’s, Summerhill. The group met with a local farm to see how it was run and how waste management could be improved. They learned a lot by going to their local mart, as well as carrying out research into farming life to improve their own understanding. They met twice a week to discuss the project and came up with a series of ideas to protect animals. The group raised new fences to protect new-born lambs from foxes, censor lights to keep foxes away, they made mouse traps that were safe for the mice, and spray painted faces on bales of wrapped hay to keep the birds from pecking them. The group also came up with practical tips to prevent wastage on farms and want to run a poster campaign to raise awareness. They met the target of reducing animal cruelty and protecting the environment.

Young People: Abigail Anglim, Zoe Curry, Doirreann Corry, Gavin Curry, Laura O’Brien

The Wild Walk

Young People: Ava Lennon, Edel Carroll, Ciara Gleeson, Anna Connolly

Junior

The aim of this project was to introduce 1st and 2nd year students in school to biodiversity on a local and global level, in a way that was fun and interesting. They identified local wildlife as a good way of doing this, and decided that they would help the birds in their local community during the winter months of the year. The group collected different materials e.g. old cans and bottles, and made bird feeders which they put up around the local villages. Their principal was very impressed with the work and wants to set up a biodiversity educational programme for 5th and 6th class students in primary schools, where the older students would go to schools and host Ecology quizzes and talk about the local wildlife and how they can help. The group also plan to fundraise and donate to different charities that help different species of birds in Ireland.

Senior

This group aimed to protect and conserve the dwindling frog population at the school grounds, and inform students of how important frogs are. The group aimed to build a pond to provide safe and healthy living conditions for frogs. Frogs are important to our eco-system as they remove excess algae which can be harmful. The group researched how to build a pond and then devised a fundraising plan including doing a “stay awake”, with the money raised used to buy all materials needed to construct the pond. In order to raise awareness they created colourful posters and displayed them in various locations around the school. The posters had information about frogs and what people can do as individuals to help frogs, and also had the details of their “stay awake”. The fundraising event would also be exciting and memorable so that people would remember their cause.

Junior

The aim of this project was to transform the school grounds into a haven for all living things. After meeting with biodiversity experts at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, the group decided to build a willow dome, a mini-beast hotel, a butterfly garden, and bird feeders to improve biodiversity around the school. The willow dome can sustain over 200 different types of insects, good for attracting birds! The mini-beast hotel provides shelter for all types of bugs. The group set up an ECO-Club which met on a weekly basis, keeping the project on track and raising awareness. They approached local businesses to donate materials such as wooden pallets, and used other natural or reused materials such as fallen debris, leaves, bricks, twigs, plastic and carpet. They are now working on a beautiful butterfly garden and putting the finishing touches to the bird feeders. After, they plan to plant new hedges to provide more new habitats around school.

Young People: Sarah O’Connor, Ciara Fallon, Anna Burke, Ciara Beatty, Ciara Fitzpatrick, Georgia Tucker

Out with Japanese Knotweed

Presentation Secondary School, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Senior

Young People: Leona O’Shea, Ellie Stuart, Amy Qejuani, Kelly Tobin, Roisin O’Connell, Maebh Pierse, Muirne Scanlon, Anna Sheehy, Kate O’Connor, Caoimhe Hanafin, Jennifer Nolan, Sarah Tansley, Emma Slattey This project raises awareness of the negative impacts of Japanese Knotweed. Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant species. The group were concerned about the impact it was having on their community; especially on buildings and roads. The group have raised awareness by conducting surveys, running poster competitions, creating flyers and giving presentations in local schools. They have also done interviews for local radio stations, Irish TV, and featured in the local paper. They engaged with local celebrities, the leader of the Kerry Japanese Knotweed Survey, and the Environmental Awareness Officer from Kerry County Council. The group also fundraised for their project!

We haven’t heard the last whale songs St. Michael’s Community College, Co. Clare

Senior

Young People: Laura Redmond, Hazel Quinlivan, Ciaran Downes, Sarah McInerney This group wanted to inform people about the depleating number of whales in our seas and oceans and how our daily habits are contributing to that. The waste and litter that goes into our waters are harmful to whales, often causing death. The group took a proactive approach by cleaning their local beach. They took photos of the rubbish on the beach and created a poster campaign and Facebook page to raise awareness.

Up-cycled School Garden

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

St. Mac Dara’s Community College, Templeogue, Dublin 6W

Senior

Young People: Ronan Al Johmani, Jessica Byrne, Jason Caroll, Daniel Cummins, Luke Curley, Jane Douglas, Jack Dunne Rogers, Dean Ennis, Anthony Fagan, Ciaran Gibson, David Gilbert, Ciaran Halton, Sean Hyland, Aine Kane, Jessica Keating, Karl Lakes, Tommy (Siu) Lee, Finian McCarthy, Amy McGauley, James Nugent, Oisin O’Hora, Caoimhe O’Neill, Kate Perry, Kevin Roberts, Ethan Rooney, Shaun Smith, Lauren Taylor, Daniel Walsh The team realised that their school’s polytunnel was in need of attention, so decided to give it a makeover. They identified the problems, such as overgrown weeds, and made a plan of how to spruce it up. The aim was to have a fully functioning school garden for all students. They designed and made the new raised beds themselves using recycled materials. They got in touch with a local mechanic who donated old tyres which are used as flower beds and for growing potatoes. The group used leftover paints to freshen the place up. They also acquired an old fish tank which was converted into a wormery to create nutrient dense compost. The group plan to secure funding to purchase a special black plastic which will prevent weeds coming up. They then plan to put on top soil and tree bark to prevent draughts getting in.

Ratatouille

Villiers Secondary School, Co. Limerick

Senior

Young People: Natasha Hanrahan, Jodie Bullman This project raises awareness of rats and the harmful effect they have on the environment. The group researched rats and found that they can spread diseases and cause billions of Euro in damage every year including, but not limited to, spoiling food supplies and chewing through electrical wiring, causing fires. They conducted a survey at their school to assess people’s attitude and knowledge of rats. They came up with some handy tips of how to prevent rats infesting farms and the home, including tips on the storage of food, how to prevent them gnawing at lead and pipes, and how to prevent them entering your home. They also gave advice on how to trap rats should people have a rat problem.

The Biodiversity Initiative

Our Lady’s Bower Athlone, Co. Westmeath

S enior

Young People: Amy Hackett, Isabel Hamilton The Initiative aims to raise awareness and discuss the plight of bees and butterflies whilst helping people to learn about biodiversity at the same time. Native Irish species of these important pollinators are close to extinction. The group built a bug hotel and planted a garden to encourage the pollinators to visit their school. The group also lead a poster campaign and have a Facebook page. They also reached out to local media and their peers through presentations and surveys. The group also sent information leaflets to local national schools. The group set up a Garden Committee with 1st year students to maintain the garden.

“The Burren Beatha” – Love the Living Burren Coláiste Muire, Ennis, Co. Clare

S enior

Young People: Nina Bachanashvili, Wardah Rahman, Tuqa Mubdir, Megan McLoughlin, Chloe Messori, Kate Caroll, Ailish Moran Living near the Burren, the team from Colaiste Muire wanted to educate their peers on the historical, cultural aspects and biodiversity of the unique karst habitat that is the Burren. The Burren’s unique eco-system promotes the growth of rare flora and fauna. The group held workshops and created fun, educational games based on the Burren, including board games, jigsaws and a song about the Burren’s unique Flora.

H2Woah!

Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Senior

Young People: Aoife King, Gerard Tansley, Hugo Wells, Sean McElligott, Zach Brosnan, Colin McDaid, Julia Swigon The aim of this project is to prevent and reverse the effects of overfishing in both the local community and nationally. This project aims to educate people about overfishing and how to help stop it, by creating a short stop motion movie. The group had to research the problem and come up with a storyboard for their clip. The motion movie entitled ‘Save our Seas’ is a four-minute clip that creatively tells the story of the problem of overfishing and presents their recommendations for solutions, which include setting tighter regulations on netting and fishing equipment. It is very easy to watch and very informative. The group plan to make presentations of the film to primary and secondary schools and advertise their new stop motion film in papers and online.

Bats and the Environment

Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge, Co. Kildare

Senior

Young People: Robert Higgins, Tony Keogh, James Breeling, James Kiely, Sean McDonnell, Mark Glynn The group of Patrician High School aimed to make more people aware of the role that bats play in the environment and increase the bat population in their local area by building a bat box. The group felt that there was a stigma associated with bats and wanted to defuse it. They carried out research on the importance of bats in biodiversity and the environment, and found out they are an endangered species. They had to research how to make bat boxes and the best places to put them. Bat boxes are a safe haven for bats; they protect them from predators and encourage the growth of the population. The group put up a bat box at school and witnessed it being used by at least one bat! They promoted the project by putting up posters, creating a Snapchat account and posting regular updates, and they sent their work to Bat Conservation Ireland. In turn, they increased knowledge and helped their local bat population.

Development of Bird Habitats for Native and Migrant Birds on Irish Farms Moate Community School, Co. Westmeath

Senior

Young People: Eoin Shortall, Callum Dunne, Andrew Niall, Ben Hogan This project aims to raise awareness of the ways in which farmers can increase the populations of endangered species of birds on their farms. They planned to do this by surveying the wild bird populations, designing and producing bird boxes, and using the media to raise awareness. The team surveyed bird populations at five different farming habitats for twelve weeks. They researched how to make nest boxes for the birds which were designed specifically for barn owls and kestrels which were lacking from the survey. They ran a poster competition with younger students to engage them in a creative way. The group also met with farmers and attended Teagasc meetings to inform them about what they have learned in their project. They also gave a talk at a primary school and used local newspapers and social media to raise awareness. The group plan to meet with Birdwatch Ireland, make a wildlife video, and design an ecology module for first year students.

The Castle Pond

Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, Dublin 12

Senior

Young People: Alex Antochi, Aaron Sexton, Cormac Egar, Dean Kavanagh The group from Drimnagh Castle aimed to build a habitat for the wildlife in their area by building a pond. They were concerned with pollution in the local area and waste draining down from the main road into the local moat, which was having a destructive effect on the habitat of the wildlife living around the moat. They gathered information about the effects of pollution, made contact with a zoologist who supported their project and raised awareness about their project, the outcome of which was the building of a pond to protect the natural habitat of local wildlife.

Schools for Resilience

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Climate Change MicroChange

St. Michael’s Community College, Co. Clare

Coláiste Chill Mhantain, Burkeen, Co. Wicklow Junior

Young People: Conor Blake, Jayne Redmond, Micaela Glynn, Jason Kelly, Sophie O’Connor, Robin McNamara The aim of MicroChange is to inform the world about climate change! The group believe that their generation will play a vital role in either the continuation or ending of climate change. The group identified social media as a key way of reaching their peers, and set up social media accounts where they regularly posted about different ways that people can help the environment. They also designed and put up posters around their school, and wrote articles which were published in their school’s magazine. The group are planning to bring an environmental activist into their school to give a talk and inform their peers more about the issues.

Planet Pals Environmental Group St. Leo’s College, Co. Carlow

Junior

Senior

Young People: Cormac Byrne, Louise Byrne, Maria Byrne, Sarah Canterbury, Sophie Delaney, Rhys Doyle, Joshua O’Reilly, Mitchell Kelly, Jack Reburn, Liam Tierney, Shawn-Paul Dunne The group of Colaiste Chill Mhantain wanted to raise awareness about the abundance of locally produced organic food in their own area, which supports the local economy and reduces food miles. They decided to hold a community meal using locally sourced ingredients to highlight this, and create a recipe book. They split their group into teams to cover food production and cooking, recipe booklet production, and communications and fundraising. The group grew some of the vegetables in their school’s polytunnel and met with local producers and a local chef who came on board as well. To create atmosphere they upcycled materials to make decorations to hang around the room and had a live music performance, and on the night they had a charity raffle. They invited over 40 guests to the meal (which they cooked themselves!) and put a film of it on the website they created to help others who would be interested in doing a similar project in the future.

Young People: Alicia Premkumar, Abby Cleaver, Sara Andrade

It’s not our world we’re just borrowing it!

Planet Pals are an environmental group set up by Alicia Premkumar in 2013 and won the YEA’s Super Junior Award and then developed and re-established in St Leo’s with Sara Abby and Julia. Planet Pals is set up by kids for kids, their outreach is now 105,000 and they have gone global, have their own website, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube pages and have made many appearances on TV and radio. They visit primary schools, educating kids in a fun way, so they now know that no matter how small you are we can all make a difference.

Young People: Unity Ankomah, Claire Casey, Ciara Lehane, Chloe Lynch, Jane Sweeney, Sinead Shanahan, Tracy O’Keeffe, Carla Hanafin, Zara Harnett, Aisling Higgins, Rachel Maloney, Aoife O’Carroll, Ruth O’Connell, Olamide Ababeyo, Jenny Godley, Adele Hennessy, Ciara Jeffers, Gerry O’Brien, Daire O’Nullain, Sam O’Callaghan, Tammy Breen, Sinead Deasy, Clodagh Harrington, Roisin Lynch, Ellen O’Connell, Tara O’Halloran, Roisin Sheehan, Aaron Thompson, Michael Walsh, Rebecca Daly, Adam Bohan, Ada O’Connor

Rewetted and Drained Bogs: CO2 Emissions and Botanical Composition Athlone Community College, Co. Westmeath

S enior

Young People: Fiona Molloy, Sarah Denby, Louise Egan Living near bogs, the group compared carbon dioxide emissions from drained areas of their bog with the emissions from the rewetted area. Bogs in their natural state sequester and store carbon, however when drained carbon is oxidised into carbon dioxide and released into the atmosphere. The group undertook scientific methods to measure greenhouse gas emissions, water table depth, light, soil temperature and plant species. They found that the drained area of the bog is a carbon dioxide source, whilst the natural bog area is a carbon sink. The group created a website and Facebook page to show their findings, and presented their work to local councillors, the National Parks and Wildlife Services raised bog steering committee, the Community Wetlands Forum, and peers at school. The group have also appeared in local and national radio, newspapers and TV, including a feature in RTE Six One news. They also spoke with ECOUNESCO Patron, President Michael D. Higgins!

Dublin Pollution

St. Jospeph’s College Summerhill, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Senior

Young People: Beatriz Balbás, Nuria Lansac, Sofía Buisán, Rocío Valdivieso The group wanted to explore the impact that pollution has on Ireland. They researched the level of air quality in Ireland and found that it compares favourably with the rest of Europe, however there is still room for improvement, particularly in areas of factories, transportation and agriculture. They researched the solutions to many of these problems as put forward by the experts, and created handouts on the issues and solutions to distribute to raise awareness among their peers.

Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Senior

The team from Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk chose the issue of climate change. For them, it is something they read about and see every day. It is impacting our lives now and will only do so even more as time passes. The group are particularly concerned about their local community and the impact of flooding and colder winters. The group set about educating themselves in order to educate others on the issue. They wanted to make environmental education fun and informative. They held a school eco-forum, designed various workshops for local schools, an orienteering day on Earth Day, a symbolic tree planting.

The Environmental Impacts of Clothes

Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Senior

Young People: Oileán Stritch, Aoibhínn Nevin-Ginnetty, David Norris, Sarah Galligan, Isaac Hurley, Grace Dolan, Leah Malone, Edward Tierney The team wanted to find out about how the fashion industry is contributing to climate change and how it impacts the environment. They did a lot of research on how making our clothes affects the environment including on water and the effects in developing countries. To raise awareness about this among their peers and communities they held a fashion show to raise awareness on the environmental impacts of clothes. They successfully held the fashion show which was attended by more than 30 people.

Flooded by Droughts

Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Senior

Young People: Nikki Chen, Iris Pebredo, Hillary Nacpil, Sammy Choong, Aoife Raeside, Daniel O’Connor, Karl Caones This group aim to raise awareness of climate change and how it is affecting the world right now, and how it could destroy the planet if urgent action does not take place. They did extensive research on climate change and how it is affecting Ireland as well as the planet. The group plan to make a movie clip, survey, and create a presentation for their class which they can use to promote their project on social media. They hope to encourage young people to be more environmentally friendly.

The Rescue Plot

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

ECO-Art & Design Operation Eco-Park

Teach na nDaoine, Co. Monaghan

St. Angela’s College, Co. Cork Junior

Young People: Linda Reilly, Claire Ginley, Dean McCann, Emma Louise Gormley, Sophie Daly, Joshua Clerkin, Jake Mulhall Cleaning up their skate park and making it more environmentally friendly, vibrant and safe was a big aim for the Teach na nDaoine group. The group realised that poor facilities can impact the quality of life of local young people; a big environmental issue. They also wanted to raise awareness of the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. The group had to carry out research on recycling, as well as how to make a willow dome! They also made planters from upcycling old tyres, made bird feeders and a ‘recycle sign’, and did litter picks to make their skate park more environmentally friendly. To publicise their project they handed out leaflets, ran a poster campaign, and used social media. They also petitioned to get their park fixed and will be participating in St. Patrick’s Day parade! The group plan to make further improvements by improving the lighting and fixing broken equipment, through the new Junior Tidy Towns group.

Nature’s Bracelets

Killinarden Community School, Dublin 24

Junior

Young People: Elizabeth Campbell, Beatrice Virvara, Niamh Llynch The group in Killinardin Community School wanted to highlight the issue of waste and encourage more recycling and re-using of materials classed as “waste”. They felt that in their school there is not very much awareness about recycling or re-using. They came up with a way to change attitudes and raise awareness by re-using some of the materials thrown away into pretty bracelets and handbags that students would use. Fashionable jewellery is a creative way of demonstrating the reuse of plastics. The group use recycled materials, including paper to design and make the bracelets, which can be worn every day. The group set up a stand during break-time in the school concourse and displayed all of their lovely creations for all of the students and staff to see. They also held talks to their year group to show them the products and let them try some on. This has got students asking questions about recycling in their school!

Young People: Áine O’Brien, Kate Mulligan, Eibhlín Meere, Chloe Mehigan, Alina Wegner The group of St. Angela’s College wanted to do something locally about a global problem; the use of plastic bottles and how to reduce litter. The group wanted to create awareness about littering and encourage ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. They decided to create an eco-garden that would get people involved and create awareness of how to reuse plastic in an inventive way. They decided to creatively turn plastic bottles into plant pots – a simple and effective way of benefitting plants. They created school fundraising competitions to raise money for their garden, contacted garden centres and created workshops for students. They used Facebook and Twitter to advertise their project.

Dressing Up Pollution

Villiers Secondary School, Co. Limerick

ECO-UNESCO is a Key Partner of UNESCO in its Global Action Programme. UNESCO launched the Global Action Programme (GAP) to generate momentum on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This follows commitments made by the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development that called for changes about how we think and act to achieve sustainable development. The goal of GAP is to generate and scale up action in all levels and areas of education and learning to accelerate progress towards sustainable development. In 2015 ECO-UNESCO was recognised by UNESCO for its work in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and was selected by UNESCO as a Key Partner for the implementation of its Global Action Programme (GAP) in ESD under their Key Priority Action 4 – Mobilising and Empowering Young People. This recognition came from ECO-UNESCO’s work in ESD in particular through the Young Environmentalist Awards programme and Youth for Sustainable Development programme.

Senior

Young People: Demelza Palmer, Ellen Harrold The students of Villiers Secondary School are very concerned about the damage our society is inflicting on the world’s waters; particularly their local river, the River Shannon. The group decided to create workshops and an artistic piece to raise awareness of the poor quality of water in the Shannon. They created an art piece made from rubbish that often ends up in our rivers or thrown away otherwise, including old chicken wire for the base, vegetable netting that they saved from the Christmas preparations, and vast quantities of odd junk jewellery. The trident was part of an old Halloween costume that they spray painted white and covered with junk jewellery. Many of the items were selected because they are known to be extremely dangerous to marine life, for example beer can rings. This should get to think about what they do with their rubbish and consider where it will eventually end up.

Outdoor Retro-reflective Christmas Decorations St. Brendan’s Community School Birr, Co. Offaly

Senior

Young People: Annie Nichol, Laoise Murray, Jessica Fitzgerald The team of St. Brendan’s Community School come from an area that is known for its historical links to astronomy. Keeping the skies clear, protecting nature and saving energy is crucial for Birr. Light pollution can distract and confuse animals, waste electricity and cause damage to trees. Creating decorations using reflective material is a way of reducing these impacts. Designing the decorations in consultation with experts, promoting their project online and displaying their project in their library, open nights and Arts Hub allowed them to reach the wider local community. The group has their project featured in various national media like the Irish Times and TV3 news.

Hot Off the Press Dress

ECO-UNESCO and GAP:

Senior

St. Michael’s Community College, Co. Clare

Senior

Young People: Laura Redmond, Hazel Quinlivan, Ciaran Downes, Sarah McInerney This group wanted to make people aware about the amount of paper being wasted around the world, so decided to create a fun design that would help showcase this, and also use used paper in a creative way. They had to collect a lot of paper so everyone set about gathering newspapers from all available sources including school and from home! They also gathered old cardboard that would have been thrown out at school to make the structure of the dress and then made a lot of paper mache around the cast to form a shape until the dress was wearable. The group met once a week to ensure progress. Once the dress had been created the displayed the dress and showed people that upcycling doesn’t mean compromise!

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

ECO-Community Development Don’t be a lazy ‘spud’ get out of the raised beds! CBS Roscommon, Abbeytown, Co. Roscommon

ECO-Enterprise Junior

Young People: Andrew Carroll, Gearóid Grady, Gareth LaPina The group wanted to encourage self-sufficiency and educate their peers on how to grow their own food. The group identified an unused space at an Autism Centre in their community, and decided to build an ecocommunity garden, which would bring benefits to the whole community. The group researched what vegetables to grow and how to grow them. They made the raised beds in woodwork class and then set up the community garden. The garden has improved the look of the area, given the community a nice place to visit, and students are learning valuable life skills growing and harvesting their own plants, as well as learning how to mind the chickens. The group recorded their progress on social media.

Trees for Life

Loreto College, Swords, Co. Dublin

Junior

Young People: Sophie Coleman, Erika Corrigan, Emma Delany, Deborah Ezumezu, Charlie Flanagan, Rebecca Foley, Aoife Galvin, Laura Giffney, Mia Hickey, Chloe Hughes, Honey Jose, Amy Joyce, Suzanne Kavanagh, Aoife Kearns, Aisling McCann, Rebecca Molloy, Osaretin Omorowa, Erika Reilly, Niamh Reilly, Julia Robak, Oliva Sasse, Emma Stafford, Ava Staunton, Emilia Strungaru, Sneha Thomas, Rachel Tully, Grace Tyrell, Ciara Walsh, Sinead Walsh, Linh Wilkins The aim of this project was to raise awareness of the importance of trees and to encourage the planting of trees. They planned to do this by planting an arboretum at school, and raise awareness during National Tree Week; by doing a performance by ‘Trees’; creating an exhibition; and giving PowerPoint presentations. The group started off by researching trees, visiting a local Botanical Centre, and doing a survey to see the attitude towards trees. In order to buy the trees for planting, the group organised a cake sale which raised over €100 to buy 135 trees. The trees were given to parents and teachers as well as being planted in the school arboretum. They succeeded in raising the money, greening their community and positively impacted the environment around them!

Wooden it be nice!

Youthreach Carlow, Co. Carlow

Senior

Young People: PJ Ryan, Joseph O’Connor, Jamie Moran, Tara Condren, Andree Carroll, Dawn Cockley The group’s aims and objectives were to upcycle unwanted pallets and make products that would enhance their Youthreach centre. In order to achieve this, the group started by researching the life cycle of wooden pallets, what upcycling is, how to design, create and manufacture products out of reclaimed wood, and how we can reduce and minimise our impact on the planet. Through their project, they creatively thought of ways on how to use, reuse and recycle. The group created a herb garden, flower boxes, dog beds, phone holders and other items from the unwanted pallets they gathered. They let people know what they were doing through blogs and posting photos on Pinterest. Their beautiful products have helped enhance their centre!

Stimulating Our Senses in the Dún na Sí Amenity Park Moate Community School, Co. Westmeath

S enior

Young People: Mairead McCormack, Rachel Keane, Kate McLoughlin, Nicole McKenna, James Fitzmaurice, Cathal Byrne, Sorcha Handy The group from Moate has been developing a Sensory Garden for their local community; incorporating solid structures and plants. They have consulted local artists, gardeners, nurseries and crafts people to improve and discuss their ideas. They organised a fun planting day involving people from St Hilda’s, some of whom have impaired senses. They also took part in a filming day with RTE’s Nationwide during Easter.

Tales for Tots

St. Tiernan’s Community School, Dundrum, Dublin 16

Junior

Young People: Grace Mortimer, Ryan O’Brien, Guillerme Santos, Flora Mwale, Angel Oyedoh, Katie O’Hara, Lee Malone, Samantha Doyle, Pola Kowalska, Jane Bruton, Leoni Mc Fall, Carl Gill, Teni Alake, Craigh Pagan, Kulsoom Raza This group aims to educate primary school children on the importance of being environmentally aware. As the primary audience was children, the group thought that creating colourful and imaginative books would be the best way to educate a young audience. They identified two environmental issues to highlight; biodiversity and water. The group had to come up with the story and then the design of the book, which required a lot of creative skill. They created two beautiful and engaging books; ‘Anna and the Duck’, which was a story about a girl who found herself wasting water through her love of baths, getting dirty, and washing her teeth with the tap on! But that all changed when she met a duck who told her the effects of her actions on the environment. They also created the tale of ‘Jacob and the Bees’ to show the vital role that bees play in our environment.

Coconut Oil Deodorant

St. Aloysius Secondary School, Co. Cork

Junior

Young People: Sarah Lane, Saoirse Brazil Kearney, Rameen Siddique The group from St. Aloysius Secondary School were concerned about the aluminium and other chemicals added to commercial deodorants and the health implications that they may be having on us. They set about creating an alternative: Coconut Oil Deodorant, which is made from kitchen storecupboard ingredients. Natural deodorants are a great way of reducing environmental and health impacts. Coconut oil has anti-bacterial and antifungal properties. When combined with the other ingredients, it becomes a very effective deodorant! They advertised and sold the product in their school and also in their local health shop.

Caonach Cliste

Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Senior

Young People: Ciara Mac Carthy, Claire Lemass, Ellen Finucane This project aimed to conserve water by harvesting and filtering rain water by natural means for commercial, industrial and domestic use. This group aimed to use sphagnum moss, which inhibits the growth of microbes, and reduces the need for the use of chemicals to clean natural water. They developed a filter system which decreased water hardness. It also reduced the PH level, oxygen content and dissolved substances in the water. The group plan to continue developing the system and continue their research to see if this system could be implemented in developing countries.

Poly-Clean

Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Senior

Young People: Tierna Maguire, Sharon Casey The group wanted to raise awareness about polythene silage covers and educate local farmers about good practices in using these materials. Plastic sheeting used for sealing silage mostly ends up in landfill, and burning plastic sheets may cause dark smoke and poisonous by-products. The group investigated alternatives that could be used that are environmentally friendly. They designed and created workshops for local foroige clubs and invited farmers. They created a new cover called Moo Munch.

Development of Eco-friendly Plastic

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Portlaoise College, Co. Laois

S enior

Young People: Danielle Feane, Darragh Twomey, Matthew Bride, Shantell Lawless, Maria Adeline, Paige Wilcox, Jorja Phipps, Laciey Gorman, Christopher O’Connor, Kewin Krol, Aaron Carroll, Reiltin Farrell, Ciara Matthews, Brian Quinn, Helena Ward Delaney, Demi Lewis The group had an ambitious aim to reduce the amount of plastic bags ending up in landfill by creating a biodegradable plastic that would degrade in less than 90 days as an alternative to plastics made by crude oil. They also wanted to educate their peers on the negative impact of using bioplastic. The group educated themselves on renewable materials and carried out experiments to see which materials were the strongest, and how long it would take their bag to decompose. They found that cornflower worked best for making the plastic bag and they were successful in creating a strong, thin bioplastic bag that will bio-degrade in less than 21 days and shared their findings with other students!

ECO-Health and Wellbeing Nature’s Way

Ennistymon Vocational School, Co. Clare

Junior

Young People: Darragh Bairead, Hannah Wagner-Askey, Ciara Gilligan, Roisin Dillon, Michael Sulley, Krystian Mazurek The Nature’s Way project aimed to encourage teenagers to connect with nature outside of school and socialise in a healthy way together. The local environment is a good way for students to appreciate nature and use it as a positive and healthy activity and time out. The group carried out an online survey among students to find out their socialising habits and how they connect with nature. In order to engage their peers they ran a poster competition at school where their classmates made posters promoting nature and mental health. They decided to organise a Nature Walk in a local forest to get teenagers out and enjoying nature. To promote it they put up posters, gave the students letters to give to their parents, and used local media. Forty participants came out on the walk, and their teacher has applied for funding to continue the walks, and encourage the use of the local environment for positive physical and mental health.

BeeAware

Ratoath Foroige Youth Club, Ratoath, Co. Meath

Junior

Young People: Holly Hagan, Ciara Fenessey, Rebecca Mahon, Sophie McLoughlin, Lara Walsh Fagherazzi, Lucy Kelly, Joey Roche, Annia White, Ava Mulreany, Colm Hunes, Leah Coffrey, Nia Mulreany, Aoife Healy This project aims to raise awareness of bees and mental health. The aim is to develop a derelict garden and plant bee friendly wildflower seeds in the garden. The garden will promote positive mental health. They also want to create an information pack about bee pollination which will include a pot of honey, flower seeds and a postcard. These bags will be sold and proceeds will be donated to Jigsaw Meath Mental Health. This project highlights how the environment impacts us and living things.

Are diesel cars affecting our health?

Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Senior

Young People: Sarah O’Rourke, Natasha Jocher, Emma Clarke

What’s So Hot About Climate Change - Road to Paris ECO-UNESCO was delighted to host a transnational youth project ’What’s So Hot About Climate Change—Road to Paris’ for young people from across Europe in 2015; this was funded under Erasmus+ through Leargas. The project comprised a 3 day youth forum which gave over 72 young people from Norway, Albania, Italy, Czech Republic and Ireland the opportunity to challenge and ask questions to policy makers and experts through a structured dialogue process on issues related to climate change and the environment; discuss what actions they want to see politicians make on their behalf at COP21 held in Paris; and work on action-led projects to create change in their own communities. Recommendations from the project were sent to politicians and policy makers prior to COP21; groups carried out action projects in their local communities and are showcasing the results at the Young Environmentalist Awards 2016. The young people’s recommendations and actions are on display at the international zone of the YEA Showcase for everyone to read.

The aim of this project was to find if and how diesel car emissions affect people’s health. The group wanted to raise awareness at school of these impacts and promote the use of alternatives, namely electric cars, for the future. The group carried out research into the effect of car emissions on the health of the population, and then designed and printed posters to illustrate their findings, which were put up around their school. They also reached out to local media and used social media to raise awareness.

Geo Organic Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Senior

Young People: Abigail Adrian-Sisson, Lynette Murphy, Lauren Kelly, Rhianna Corcoran, Laura Doyle, Aoife Carey, Manel Bouhadja The aim of this project is to raise awareness of the environmental impact that some beauty products have and to promote the use of local or organic beauty products. They researched the carbon miles that go into making products and started researching recipes to make organic products at home, which they would promote online by creating videos and blogs. As none of the group had experience making films this required some research too! They set up a Youtube page where they could showcase their organic products for a beauty blog. Using this, they would be spreading the benefits of organic products. They also have picked up 200 likes on Facebook, 80 followers on Instagram and have 320 views of their videos on Youtube. The group would like to make more videos in the future.

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Energy Energy Conversation

Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Transport Junior

Young People: Albin Jacob, Sean Whelan, Kyle Al Kaadiri, Liam Hanley, Katie O’Connell, Rebecca Reid, Debbie Cummins, Joel Babu The goal of the Green Lights Group was to raise awareness of the misuse of energy and promote proper energy conservation and efficiency. They came up with the idea of a Power Day, which involved turning off the electrical power in three local schools for a day! Firstly, they had to meet with the Principals of the schools to get their permission. They agreed to turn off the lights in school for one day, as turning off computers, projectors etc. would harm learning. However they didn’t let this deter them from raising awareness of wasting energy generally. They conducted presentations with 5th, 6th & 1st and 4th years in three different schools in their area. They also gave a presentation with green schools committee and teachers. All the schools turned off their lights for an entire day, saving the school some electricity costs too!

Find a Remedy to Save School Energy

St. Mac Dara’s Community College, Templeogue, Dublin 6W

Senior

Young People: Jess Keating, Jason Carroll, Aine Kane, Kevin Roberts, Jessica Byrne, Karl Lakes, David Gilbert, Sean Hyland, Shaun Smith, Dan Cummins, Luke Curly, Jack Dunne Rogers, Anthony Fagan, Jane Douglas, Caoimhe O’Neill, Kate Perry, Ethan Rooney, Oisin O’Hara, Ciaran Halton, Ciaran Gibson, Ronan Aljohnmani, Kaylee Watt, Lauren Taylor, Amy McGauley, Tommy Lee, James Nugent, Daniel Walsh, Dean Ennis, Finian McCarthy, Chloe Wynne As a team, The ‘Energy Aficionado’s’ wanted to cut down on energy use in their school and save money, and raise awareness among students and staff about energy conservation in school and at home. The group arranged for an engineer to visit the school and carry out an energy survey to identify areas they could improve. They also measured the electricity meter before and throughout the project so they could measure their impact on energy use. To raise awareness of ways to be more energy efficient the group gave presentations to all classes, put up posters, made announcements at school, invented mascots “Professor Green and 00Green”, and carried out activities during “Green Week” such as turning the lights off, in school. The group were able to measure that they saved the school €1,400, €400 of which was donated to charity and the rest invested in making further energy improvements at school.

Gone with the Wind: what is the impact of windfarms in our community? Lanesboro Community College, Co. Longford

Senior

Young People: Lauren Cox, Adam Farrell, Nicola Farrell, Laura Farrell, Ciara Geraghty, Sorcha Hanlon, Olivia Lisle, Emmet Nolan, Regina Mullen, Hannah Shea, Sean Kearney, Owen Murray, Karl Nerney, Michael O’Donnell, Padraig Sorohan, Rarai Trimble, Oran Wyse, Will Dennigan, Brandon Donlon, Joe Gill, Dylan Glancey, Damien Hulston, Ryan Kidd, Cathal Reynolds, Alex Regan The team wanted to investigate the concept of wind turbines as a form of renewable, clean energy in their locality. They also wanted to raise awareness on the issues that accompany wind energy. They started by doing vast research into wind energy. They then carried out two surveys to examine attitudes of students towards wind farms and wind energy whilst the other looked at attitudes of those living in the wider community towards the construction of a wild farm on Sliabh Ban. They found that societal opinion on wind farms differs greatly between people. The majority of people are in favour of the construction of wind farms, however believe wind farms should be located further from people’s homes than they currently are. They raised awareness by disseminating this questionnaire, placing articles in local media, displaying their project in their local library and using social media. They plan to do another larger survey and continue raising awareness.

Wheeler Dealers

Rathdown School, Glenageary, Co. Dublin

Junior

Young People: Éile Ní Chianáin, Isabelle Byrne, Olivia Adeleke The aim is to promote walking by decreasing the weight of schoolbags. They have designed a more efficient school bag to encourage students to walk to school – it has a solar panel which charges your phone and wheels which light up for improved visibility. It also has the option of straps for carrying as a backpack to use when the bag is lighter during school time. The school bag has been successful and the students are already receiving requests on when they can be purchased!

Cars and Climate Change; what’s the connection? Lanesboro Community College, Co. Longford

Junior

Young People: Roisin Brennen, Kaithlin Brady, Ann Kenny, Conor Sorohan This project aims to raise awareness of climate change and the impact that cars can have on climate change. They aimed to change the behaviour of students and adults to think about car usage. They carried out a survey of 39 students to explore attitudes towards using cars and examine their knowledge of their effect on the environment. The results showed that people really don’t know how they are affecting the environment and they don’t know how to help cut down on emissions. The group also did an experiment into acid rain around school, as emissions from cars are one of the main causes of acid rain and it is becoming a bigger problem. The group raised awareness of alternatives such as walking or carpooling!

Grow Some Veg, Be a Ledge!

Christ King Girls’ Secondary School, Co. Cork

Senior

Young People: Meave McTaggart, Aoife Corkery, Alice Gough, Ellie Neville The Christ King Girls’ School group wanted to show their local community how easy it was to support local business and produce while reducing food miles. The group saw that this very current problem had simple solutions and wanted to raise awareness of them. The group carried out a workshop with first years on recipes using the own home grown and local vegetables that they gathered from local businesses and markets. They made clever videos and designed a poster using pictures they gathered from our local food market which were distributed around school. The videos and posters promote locally sourced, healthy produce that reduces environmental impacts and encourages us to eat healthier. They also created Facebook and Twitter accounts to spread their message.

A Leap 2 the Future

Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Senior

Young People: Leon Gill, Martin Winterlich, Emma Kennedy, Chantée Sharkey, Sean Young, Philip Manifold This group wanted to tackle the issue of climate change on a local level by reducing emissions from transport in Dublin City Centre. The project builds upon their success of the previous year’s project which aims to make the Dublin Bike Scheme more accessible to young people. They identified that many young people cannot access the scheme because it is compulsory to have a credit card, which young people do not have. The group propose to link the Dublin Bike Scheme with the Leap Card which is widely used by young people. The group contacted local TD’s and Councillors and have had encouraging meetings. They have used social media campaigns to raise awareness of what they were doing. The group is very determined to see this through and their work with politicians is ongoing.

Stop Food Waste, Reduce Food Miles

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Waste Do Thimpeallacht do rogha Coláiste Lú, Co. Louth

St. Louis Community School, Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo Junior

Young People: Cody Mac Giolla Riabhaigh, Lee Ó Conghaile, Dearbhla Ní Mhurchú, Nicole Nic Mhurchú, Taylor Ní Chathasaigh The aim of the project from Coláiste Lú was to study how their new school was in relation to litter and waste. All of their school’s students use iPads thus reducing paper trails. They held a week of activities to highlight the importance of reducing waste and draw attention to their work and what they want to achieve as a group. The used promotional posters, and even made their own video! Their project is aptly titled ‘Do Thimpeallacht, Do Rogha’ – Your Environment, Your Choice.

Christmas Can Can

St. John Bosco Community College, Kildysart, Co. Clare

Junior

Young People: Jasmine McGrath, Linda Murrihy, Róisín Donnellan, Lilly Keane, Rachel Conway, Rachel Murphy, Katie Donnellan, Hannah Mikhael, Shóna McNamara The ‘Christmas Can Can’ group from St, John Bosco Kildysart wanted to reduce the amount of aluminium cans that are wasted in a fun and creative way. The group did research into the amount of cans that are produced and recycled each year. The students then got as creative as they could be, decorating bins to look like cans, and using old cans to make creative decorations. They then put the decorations on the town’s Christmas tree in the town square, their school tree, and took part in their local craft fair. The group opened the eyes of locals who could then see a can becoming something more than that and being turned into a decorative item. They also created posters and a catchy slogan to raise awareness at school. All of these actions have reduced the amount of waste cans in their school and created lovely decorations for the community for all to enjoy!

Beauty and the Beads

Lismore Comprehensive School, Craigavon, Co. Armagh

Junior

The main object of this project is to raise awareness on the hidden dangers of plastic beads used in beauty care products, better known as micro beads. Micro beads are tiny, spherical particles about the size of a pinhead, made of plastic that have made a home in many beauty products you use every day: exfoliants, body scrubs, even toothpaste. Once they are washed down the drain upon rinsing, they make their way into the water system. Since they are too small to be captured by wastewater facilities (and do not biodegrade quickly when washed down drains), they then end up in our lakes, rivers, and oceans, and are harming the environment. The group want to submit a petition to the local council and, in the future, to the health minister to stop their use.

Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, Dublin 12

Young People: Sinead Comer, Hannah Commons, Emily Concannon, Adam Finn, Joseph Brennan, Aaron Fenton, Joseph Murray, Cara Creighton, Ciara Carroll-Moran The group aimed to raise awareness of food miles and reduce food waste from their school canteen. They recognised the importance of acting locally in order to make a difference globally in tackling global warming and climate change. They decided to calculate the food miles of the foods most wasted in the canteen and educate their peers about food miles to help them make better choices. They did observation studies in the canteen to identify the foods most commonly wasted, and interviewed canteen staff as to where the country of origin was for those products. They were then able to calculate food miles and they also weighed and measured food waste in the bins. The group then conducted workshops at school on food miles and waste, created posters to put up at school, and started growing their own herbs and vegetables. Their efforts reduced their school’s waste by 50%.

Electronic Waste Recycling in Our Area

Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, Dublin 12

Junior

Young People: Adam Browne, Edward Bowes, Jason Foley, Denis Dogoker, Adam Skelly, Conor Ray, Kamil Goworek The group from Drimnagh Castle wanted to reduce the amount of electronic waste and encourage recycling. The group found through their research that electronic waste in landfills can release harmful acids and toxins into the environment and contribute to the damage of our ozone layer. The group wanted to raise awareness and take action by setting up recycling collections in school and around the community. They put up posters around school and gave presentations to different classes to educate them about electronic waste. They put W.E.E.E battery recycling boxes in the classrooms, and collected 20 full boxes of batteries which were left to a recycling centre.

Plastic Waste

Loreto Community School, Milford, Co.Donegal

Young People: Adam McShane, Daniel Pires

Phone & Batteries

Junior

Young People: Niall O’ Toole, Ryan Reilly, Ryan Cahill, Ben Carolan, Dev Singh, Dean Moore, Leon McLoughlin & Luke Mullen ‘Phone & Batteries’ project aims to collect old and broken phones and games to recycle, whilst raising awareness in their school and community about waste and landfill and it is harmful effects on the environment. They identified the current barriers to recycling phones and games, including the fact that the places require them to be in perfect condition so they could buy them and sell them on for a profit. The group saw the opportunity to collect old phones and games, working or not working, and dispose of them properly. To achieve this, the group realised that publicity would be very important. They made posters and hit the ground (literally), getting out and talking to people, and collecting as many phones and games as they could. They plan to collect phones to donate to charity.

Junior

Young People: Alannah Ferry, Megann Ferry The Loreto College group wanted to promote recycling plastic waste and other materials in a fun way. The group did a lot of research into plastic and how much is wasted, and wanted to raise awareness on micro plastics which are a growing problem for the world today. By raising awareness now we can make small steps towards the future of a greener planet. The group started off by telling their families and they hoped this would turn their local mini project into a global one, due to the fact that many have family members living abroad. The group came up with different ways to creatively reduce, reuse and recycle, including a bird shelter and a rain gauge. They also made a poster on recycling.

The Plastic World

F.C.J. Secondary School, Bunclody, Co. Wexford

Senior

Young People: Ciara Banville, Aideen Kinsella, Maura O’Rourke, Roisin Nolan, Amy Conroy, Anna Dillon, Liza Bates, Saoirse Power, Keith Connell, Orlaith Breen The ‘Green Student’ group from Bunclody wanted to raise awareness about recycling and make their school a cleaner place to be in. They realised the importance of keeping plastics away from landfill. They identified plastic bottles as being a tangible way they could tackle this, as until recently plastic bottles were not recycled, even ones that were in good condition. Being creative, they created a plastic man of bottles, which involved collecting plastic bottles and keeping them stored until needed. The aim was to show students how to think outside the box and recycle their plastic. They raised awareness at school by putting up posters around school, setting up a Facebook account, running a recycle awareness campaign in school, putting a display on the Green schools notice board, and establishing recycle centres located around the school. In 10 days they recycled 4,400L of bottles and they plan to reduce plastic waste in school by 10%.

Use by, sell by, what’s it for?

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

St. John Bosco Community College, Kildysart, Co. Clare

Senior

Young People: Ciara Kenny, Caoimhe Moore, Paige Foley, Rebecca Burke, Nyomi Curry, Alanna Kilenney The group wanted to bring awareness to the vast quantities of food waste and clarify the terms ‘use by’, ‘sell by’ and ‘best before’. They carried out a survey about use by, sell by and best before dates, and did a taste test! They ran a slogan competition with “use by, sell by, what’s it for?” coming out as the winner. The group made fridge magnets which explain these terms in a fun way and remind people not to waste food. The group are distributing their fridge magnets at school, and to local shops and businesses. They plan to hold a bake sale to fundraise to make more fridge magnets. They publicised their project on the school’s website and Facebook page, and made announcements at assembly or over the intercom. Attitudes towards food wastage in school have changed and they hope to keep working to end the problem of food wastage.

Beat the Bottles

St. Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow, Co. Cork

Senior

Young People: Aisling Murphy, Aisling O’Sullivan, Abigail O’Regan, Grace Moloney, Lauren Hadden, Mickela Roche, Cheyenne O’Keeffe, Aine Hennessy The ‘Beat the Bottles’ group noticed that so many plastic bottles were being thrown out in their school. The group wanted to encourage more recycling and re-use of bottles, as the impacts of not recycling can harm the environment and animals. The group surveyed students on their knowledge of plastic bottles and found out their recycling habits. To encourage more plastic bottle recycling the group created a new bin for the bottles, which was cleverly made out of recycled plastic bottles! They placed facts round it to promote the use of the bin and gave a presentation to the school. The group did another survey after this and found that there was a decrease in the consumption of plastic bottles and an increase in the number of reusable bottles being used. They also raised awareness through Twitter and poster campaigns.

Dumb-sters

St. Angela’s College, Co. Cork

Senior

Young People: Éabha Hegarty, Jessica Quarry, Aideen Whitford, Emily Whyte, Claire Cullinane The group of St. Angela’s College in Cork noticed that waste management was an ongoing issue for their school. The group wanted to promote waste disposal in a proper way in order to protect the environment. They met with the Principal to help pick new recycling bins for around the school, and Informed people in the school and community about the importance of disposing of waster properly. The group set up Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to highlight the dangers of not disposing of waste properly to the environment. The group also gave talks and ran a poster campaign. They have had great feedback from the Primary School. The project has helped to build their team-working skills and become good friends.

Bottled Up

St. Angela’s College, Co. Cork

Senior

Young People: Caitlin Mulcahy, Julie Mackey, Rachel Barday, Alice McCarthy, Emma Kearney The main aim of this project was to raise awareness of how plastic bottles can impact people’s health and the environment. The group wanted to reduce their schools environmental impact by encouraging students to reuse bottles. They sold reusable bottles in school and posted facts about the impacts the bottles can have on social media. The students went to all junior cycle years and ran workshops. They also created a Twitter account to promote their work and made posters. As a result of their project, they cleaned up their school and removed new bottles from circulation!

If Your Dog Poops, You Scoop

Presentation Secondary School, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Senior

Young People: Nora O’Connell, Nela Budayava, Emma Sheehy, Erika O’Sullivan, Mary Fitzpatrick, Rachel McCarthy, Rebecca Devane, Linda O’Connor, Muara Adams, Elena McLoughlin, Ava McCormack, Elizabeth Meehan, Roisin Curran, Sarah Campion, Shannon Quill, Shannon Bunch, Ciara Scokerry, Sarah Buckley The group were concerned about the environmental impact dog waste was having on Tralee. The group were particularly concerned about the lack of bins available in the town and the impacts it can have on our health and environment. The group conducted a local survey of 250 people and did a survey of how much waste was around the town. In response to this, the group held an awareness day giving out stickers, leaflets and dog waste bags. They also met their local council on the issue and have built contacts to lobby for more bins and signs. They also advertised through local media and social media. Moreover, the group are involved with educating national school children about the importance of scooping their dogs poop.

Dunk Your Junk

St. Mary’s Academy CBS, Co. Carlow

Senior

Young People: Neil Webb, Sean Doyle, Jack Regan, Ryan Sheeran, Jack Malone, Lee Walsh ‘Dunk your Junk’ wanted to reduce waste around their school. They did this by presenting slideshows to 1st year students and leading a poster campaign. This campaign led to a reduction in litter around their school. They also used recycled material to create ‘dunk your junk’ basketball hoops and fixed them onto school bins to encourage recycling in school with an emphasis on sport.

Inner EcoCity

Belvedere College, Clontarf, Dublin 3

Senior

Young People: Matthew Bellintani Matthew Bellintani noticed that improvements could be made to the inner city of Dublin and that encouraging recycling in York Street and Mercer House would be a great way to go about that. He conducted a survey which showed that children and their parents lack awareness of the benefits of recycling, and the lack of recycling amenities allowing the residents of the area to effectively do even basic recycling. Matthew created and agreed a plan for improving recycling which was approved for rollout by the management team. This included creation of recycling worksheets, the collection of plastics/paper/ tin etc. He organised an “Earth Awareness Week” and lead a team of both children and volunteers in providing information and practical ideas to the general public. He also addressed his local church which was a great way to get the message out to the local community. Lobbying city officials will be an ongoing effort, as well as ongoing awareness raising in the area.

Plastic Recycling – What can we do?

Moate Community School, Co. Westmeath

Senior

Young People: Javier Carrillo, Sara Galan, Sandra Martin, Laura Gonzalez The Moate Community School group wanted to reduce the amount of plastic being wasted and raise awareness of the effects that plastics have on our environment and animals. They firstly researched what happens when plastics go to the environment and how they can affect our wild-life and our seas. They paid a visit to the recycling centre in Athlone to see what they do with the plastics there, and discovered that they compact all the plastics together and then send them to China. The group also did a survey of two classes of First Year students to find out if students recycle their plastics. The group created a poster to let people know the importance of recycling and how they could recycle. They put up the posters around school and gave talks to different classes. They also used Facebook and Twitter to publicise their findings and promote better recycling. They plan to make recycling easier at their school by introducing recycling bins.

Dealing with Denim: a Jeanuine Problem

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Senior

Young People: Aoibhe Casey, Sofia Gutsaeva, Maryia Amelyanchuk, Shannon Jones, Felicia Omodunni This team wanted to raise awareness about the impact that producing denim has on the environment on a local and global scale. They wanted to educate their school community of these impacts. They use the internet to reach out and educate people on the harmful effects of denim and promote the buying of eco-jeans. Some brands produce eco-jeans which are produced in a more environmentally friendly way. They set up a denim clothes bank at school to collect unused denim, and gave talks and used posters to let people know what they were doing. They used this denim to donate, recycle and carry out denim D.I.Y. workshops. The donated denim is available to fashion designers to reuse.

Water You Waiting for

Rathdown School, Glenageary, Co. Dublin

Senior

Young People: Linda Robinson, Lauren Rush, Aisling Kelly, Sophie O’Loughlin, Lucy Fitzsimmons, Emily Gallagher, Ann Jaffray, Moira Blanchard, Nancy Murphy, Evelyne Caffrey This group collected rainwater from the roof of their school instead of mains water in order to save water and prove that schools can use rainwater to replace mains water. The rain catchment system was set up on their school roof along with a water purification system. They spoke in assembly and helped raise awareness of their new system. The school now uses rainwater for flushing toilets and bathroom taps. The only revert back to mains water when there is a dry spell, a rarity in Ireland!

An Foíreann Uísce Chonfai

Confey Community College, Co. Kildare

Senior

Young People: Aoife Neville, Aisling Chambers, David Treacy, Beth Stellard, Caoimhe Ebbs, Chloe O’Connell, Stephen Briggs The group of Confey Community College chose to raise awareness about the issue of water within their school and community. They researched ways to conserve water and why water is so important for the planet. To share their findings they created a website about the issue of wasting water and provided tips on water conservation which they shared with their peers.

Water Water…a Global Concern

Lismore Comprehensive School, Craigavon, Co. Armagh

Junior

Young People: Anna Kubiak The aim of this project was to teach people about water and, in particular, about its availability and conservation. Water scarcity is a global issue and we need to start saving it. The objectives were met by raising awareness among schoolchildren, talking at school assemblies, making posters, and liaising with parents. The school also raised money for a water pump in Uganda.

Fluoride in Our Water

St. Joseph’s College, Summerhill, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Senior

Young People: Ciara Beatty, Anna Burke, Edel Carroll, Anna Connolly, Rachel Connolly, Lauren Conroy, Clodagh Cunnane, Claire Dolan, Claire Fallow, Rachel Gallagher, Ciara Gleeson, Ava Lennon, Aimear McNally, Sarah O’Connor, Rebecca O’Connor, Adriana Ruzic, Beatrice Sousa, Georgia Tucker The group from Summerhill, Athlone wanted to explore the effects of fluoride on the body and find out how much of it is actually in our water. They researched the advantages and disadvantages of fluoride. To educate their peers on fluoride they created fact file posters which were put up at different areas around school. They wrote an article for their school’s website and newsletter, and set up a Facebook page. The group learned a lot about the positive and negative impacts it can have on our bodies and environment. They plan to start a petition to minimize the amount of fluoride in their local water supply and send it to their county council.

A Little ‘TAP’ on the Shoulders St. Angela’s College, Co. Cork

Senior

Young People: Molly Ryan, Sally Boylan, Tanya Milner, Claire Stack, Méabh O’Brien St. Angela’s College wanted to reduce water wastage in their school and promote water conservation. Running taps for too long, leaving empty water bottles and general water wastage can all gather up to become a significant environmental issue. By using toilet charts, students were engaging in the issue and wanted to know what it meant. They measured themselves, becoming tap monitors! They used social media, created a video and an in-school awareness campaign which has reduced their schools water wastage.

Investigation to find if plants can decrease the level of nitrates in water caused by pollution Meánscoil Naomh Iósef, Castleisland, Co. Kerry

Senior

Young People: Molly O’Callaghan, Gillian Hanifin This project aims to find a natural way to reduce nitrate levels in water which can deteriorate the quality of water. The group looked at the nitrogen cycle and found that plants naturally absorb nitrates. The group made islands that float plants on top of various water samples.

BIO2 System – An additional step to treating sewage effluent before it leaves our home St. Munchin’s College, Co. Limerick

Senior

Young People: Aaron O’Callaghan, Aengus McGill, Andrew O’Connor The system this group has designed has an aim of improving the quality of sewage effluent. It focuses mainly on rural area septic tanks and how problematic they can be. It clearly identifies high levels of pollution which can lead to eutrophication and algal bloom in Irish waterways. The group are using their schools website, Facebook and Twitter to share their idea. They plan to do pre and post analysis of the water quality using scientific methods.

Garden on the Move

Kilmore Youthreach, Artane, Dublin 5

Senior

Young People: Jessica Whelan , Shane McCann, Zach Weafer, Dean Ahern, Sinead Taaffe, Jessica Quinn, Apurva O’Leary, Thomas Gorry, Megan Dalton, Matthew Broderick, Courtney Adams, Karl Ahern, Oisín Kelly, John McDonnell The group from Kilmore Youthreach went to work on developing a rainwater collector for their garden, which would bring environmental benefits and save their Youthreach Centre costs on the water bill. The issue of water charges prompted them to ask ‘why do we need these charges?’ and encouraged them to set an example for their community about water waste. Before working on the rainwater collector they wanted to make the garden more environmentally friendly. They planned to build a pergola, their irrigation system, and build flower boxes. All of this involved a lot of research! The group now have a beautiful garden arch with an incorporated rainwater collection design. They raised awareness by asking their school to get involved by saving their cups to be used for planting seeds, kept a scrapbook and shared photos of their progression.

Water

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Senior

Young People: Alexandru Antochi, Bróna Lynch, Bronagh Campbell, Dean Kavanagh, Michael Portes, Niall O’Toole, Rachael Byrne, Ryann Reilly, Dev Singh This group wanted to educate people on the issue of water scarcity, and raise awareness about the plight for millions of women in the world that have to walk for hours each day to find a clean source of water to provide for their families. They held a ‘Walk for Water’ in one of their local secondary schools where they carried water on their bacs. They also made filters from recycled materials to help raise awareness for water scarcity in local areas.

World Water Day

Youth for Sustainable Development Programme, Dublin 2

Senior

Young People: Devkaranpal Singh, Alex Antochi, Leah Malone, Katie O’Connell, Oilean Stritch, Albin Jacob, Rachael Byrne, Bronagh Campbell, Joel Babu, Kyle Al Kaadiri, Aobhinn Nevin-Ginnetty, Sean Whelan, Dean Kavanagh, Debbie Cummins, Rebecca Reid, Isaac Hurley, Edward Tierney, Grace Dolan, Liam Handley The Youth for Sustainable Development Group decided to raise awareness of water leading up to World Water Day. They picked several important issues to highlight about water: sanitation, water foot print, and the effects of fast fashion and the food industry on water. They aimed to raise awareness by celebrating World Water Day. The group divided these issues amongst themselves and so split into three teams. Each team designed and delivered a 30 minute workshop based on their theme – water, energy and fashion. They invited their peers to attend the event and delivered their workshop to them, helping to raise awareness in a fun and educational way.

Super Junior Save Every Drop, Be a Water Cop!

St. Colman’s National School, Ballindaggin, Co. Wexford Young People: Conor Sinnott, Ciaran Doyle, Cathal O’Gorman, Conor Cooney, Niamh Raleigh, Gavin Breen, Sean Redmond, Claire Doyle, Jessica O’Donovan, Evan O’Conor, Hannah Kavanagh, Louise Williams, Lauren Roban, Gavin Roban, Ben Kavanagh, Ryan Gowler, Christina Collins, Emilia Fortune, Ciara Tobin, Holly O’Brien, Jack Cullen The group from St. Colman’s are aiming to save water and money by making creations that retain rainwater. They researched the importance of water and came up with a plan to make models of rain water harvesters to show how much more water can be saved and get people to think about how much more water they can save. They created a water filtration system and also a ‘Crop the Drop’ which was a large barrel with a water butt placed outdoors in the school. This was used to water plants and to encourage others to use rainwater they came up with the idea of planting bulbs and keeping them alive with rainwater. They made a website, created songs and mascots, and gave presentations on how to save water! This proved to be a fun and creative way of working together to take action.

Nature Nerdz: “There’s always a solution for pollution!” Ballymote Community Library, Ballymote, Co. Sligo

Young People: Jenny Waters, Kian Reynolds, Christopher Downes, Grace McGlinchey, Naoise Kelly, Sean Woods, Elizabeth Tighe, Nicola Maguire The Nature Nerdz team wanted to bring positive energy to the issue of pollution and littering in Ballymote. They were aware of the negative effects of litter on local wildlife, and the negative image it portrays of the community. The group organised a family nature walk in the local park to educate locals on how to protect the environment and its wildlife. The group wrote and performed a fun play about litter. They made handmade gifts which they gave to those who help keep the town clean, along with seeds. They also designed and installed art in the trees of the local park to make it more beautiful and all materials used were safe for birds.

Eco Eddie and His Bionic Blue Bin Carnaross N.S., Kells , Co. Meath

Young People: Melanie Bermingham, Isabelle Brady, Ben Brecknell, Alannah Connell, Grace Daly, Dylan Delerue, Hannah Donaghy, Eleanor Farman, Louis Finnegan, Heather Gibney, Megan Harten, Finn Maguire, Emma Muldoon, Cian Murphy, Aoife Reilly, Freddie Sheridan, Luke Sheridan, Nadia Smith, Leone Yore The aim was to write a book that would engage young people in a fun, catchy and interesting way on environmental issues. The book follows the journey of a green alien whose job it is to inspect all green areas. This book awakens an interest in young people to talk about environmental issues and is catchy. The book is now printing and selling in Ireland: a great achievement!

Exploring the Many Uses of Solar Power Scoil Seosamh Naomtha, Navan, Co. Meath

Young People: Cora Brady, Michelle Murtagh, Rowan Smith, Shannon Smyth, Jack Brennan, David Murtagh, Conor Sheridan, Connor Bowman, Fergal Bowman, Niall Darcy, Shane Dooley, Josh Cosgrove, Courtney Connaghan, Caitlin Walsh, Darragh Fay, Harry Bowman, Ben Egenton, Ben Darcy, Tadhg Dowd, Ryan Walsh, Enzo McConnell, Cian Coogan, Emily Stenson, Tameka Tango, Ruby Toole Costello, Sarah Pierse The group were very interested in solar energy as something that can have a positive impact on the world. The group wanted to highlight that harnessing the renewable energy available to us can be done at minimal cost. They decided to build solar ovens and heaters, both of which involve highly technical processes! The hope was that a pot of water would be placed into the solar oven, on top of the heating tray. The initial temperature of the water was recorded and monitored on the hour. If successful, the temperature of the water would increase due to the reflective panel, focusing the sun’s rays onto the water, and the insulation stored within the oven. The water’s temperature did increase under the heat of a lamp. The heaters were just as technically difficult but successful! The projects were presented to the school open night to demonstrate the power of solar energy.

Acknowledgements

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Gold Funders & Sponsors The Department of Children and Youth Affairs focuses on harmonising policy issues that affect children in areas such as early childhood care and education, youth justice, child welfare and protection, children and young people’s participation, research on children and young people, youth work and cross-cutting initiatives for children. The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset for the people of Ireland and plays key roles in environmental regulation, provision of knowledge and advocacy for the environment. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government promotes sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life in Ireland through protection of the environment and heritage, infrastructure provision, balanced regional development and good local government.

ECO-UNESCO would like to thank all of the participants, teachers and youth leaders who took part in this year’s ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards, We would also like to thank our volunteers and those involved in promoting and supporting our work over the last year including:

ECO-UNESCO Board, Staff & Interns Board: Karen Furlong, Liz Carroll, Anne Marie Kilshaw, Jamie Cudden, Thomas McGovern Staff: Elaine Nevin, Ji Hyun Kim, Niamh Hand, Dunchadh Kinane, Roberta Bellini, Jenna Cains, Sarah Walsh, Anthony Burrowes, Lisa Wilson, Eneina Hernandez

Interns: Veronica Adami, Patrick Dempsey, Gary Molloy, Jane Eunjae Lee, Do Hyung Kim, Serena Choong, Jessica Butler, Monika Mentel, Mona Scheewe, Maria Fracassa and all of our interns who have helped throughout the year

Volunteers: Emma Gilson, ECO-UNESCO Peer Educators, ECO-UNESCO Green Skills Programme participants and all of our volunteers who have helped throughout the year

Special Thanks to: ECO-Den Judging Panel: Elaine Nevin (ECO-UNESCO), Nial O’Connor (Monahan County Council), Gemma Richardson (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council), Joan Shine (The Southern Education and Library Board), Karen Foley (Clare County Council), Louise Ryan (Galway & Roscommon Education and Training Board), Fiona Coen (Galway City Council), Prof. John O’Halloran (University College Cork), Mary Stack (Cork County Council), Sinead McDonnell (Limerick City and County Council), Karen Mahon (Alupro Ireland), Claire Downey (Community Re-Use Network), Mary Cunningham (National Youth Council of Ireland), Dean Eaton (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council), Ellen Donnelly (Trócaire), Niamh Hatchell (Environmental Protection Agency)

Bronze Funders & Sponsors

ECO-Den Sponsors Donegal County Council Monaghan County Council Mayo County Council Clare County Council Cork County Council

Kerry County Council Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Fingal County Council Kildare County Council

Prize Sponsors & Other Supporters Venue Sponsors:

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Institute for Lifecourse and Society, NUI Galway University College Cork The European Commission Representation in Ireland Dublin City Council Lord Mayor of Dublin

Prize Sponsors:

Longford County Council Laois County Council Meath County Council Westmeath County Council Mid Ulster District Council

Showcase Expert Judging Panel: Mary Cunningham (National Youth Council of Ireland), Niamh Hatchell (Environmental Protection Agency), Karen Mahon (Alupro Ireland), Tim Duggan (Enrich), Pat Ó Súilleabháin (National Sea Life Bray), Dean Eaton (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council), Niamh Ní Cholmáin (Dublin City Council), Vivienne Parry (UNICEF Ireland), Cathal Comey (Department of Environment Community and Local Government), Karen Brown (Mid Ulster District Council), Ann-Marie Kelly (Laois County Council), Dara Wyer (Kildare County Council), Nial O’Connor (Monahan County Council), Karen Foley (Clare County Council), Sinead McDonnell (Limerick County Council), Ellen Donnelly (Trócaire), Gary Brady (Longford County Council), Bernadine Carry (Meath County Council), Franziska Fehr (Communications Consultant), Aidan Clifford (City of Dublin Education and Training Board), Siobhan Sleeman (Dublin City University), Lizzy Noone (WorldWise Global Schools), John Dolan (Department of Education and Skills), Emer Barry (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland), Anthony Purcell (An Taisce), Moira Leydon (Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland) Ceremony Award Presenters: Melody Boateng (UNESCO HQ), Catherine Martin TD (Green Party), Mary Cunningham (National Youth Council of Ireland), Karen Furlong (ECO-UNESCO), Niamh Hatchell (Environmental Protection Agency), Karen Mahon (Alupro Ireland), Duncan Stewart (GreenMe), Tim Duggan (Enrich), Pat Ó Súilleabháin (Nation Sea Life Bray), Dean Eaton (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council), Cathal Comey (Department of Environment Community and Local Government) Entertainment: Michel M. Dugon (RTÉ Presenter), EVOKE Others Supporters: Críona Ní Dhálaigh (Lord Mayor of Dublin), Melody Boateng (UNESCO Representative), Catherine Martin TD (Deputy Director of the Green Party)

Enrich National Sea Life Bray The Office of Public Works

The Young Environmentalist Awards are organised by ECO-UNESCO, Ireland’s Environmental Education and Youth Organisation. For further information please contact: ECO-UNESCO Tel: +353 (0)1 662 5491 Email: info@ecounesco.ie Web: www.ecounesco.ie

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016

Venue Location Map Round Room adjacent to the Mansion House, Dawson St., Dublin 2, Ireland

Marks the spot! Accessibility: The Round Room is wheelchair accessible – please feel free to contact us if you require any specific arrangements.

Scan this QR-Code to have the map directly on your smart phone. Code of Conduct The ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016 is being held once again in the prestigious Round Room and the Oak Room of the Mansion House, Dublin. We would like your group to gain as much from the experience as possible and for this, full cooperation and good behaviour will be expected from group members at all times. Please make note of the following rules, regulations and procedures and contact us if you have any queries or require any assistance. We look forward to a highly enjoyable event. Project Displays • The Venue will be open for set-up at 8:30am – all displays must be completed by 9:30am sharp. • Display materials are to be prepared in advance, adhering to criteria detailed above. • You MUST NOT attach anything to the walls by any means; tape, blue tack, drawing pins, etc. • Selected projects will form a public exhibition (venue TBC) after the Ceremony. For this purpose, all projects are to be left in the Round Room after the event. • NOTE: DISPLAYS CANNOT BE RETURNED TO GROUPS. Showcase • 2 team members must be present at team’s display at all times. • Group representatives must be prepared to talk to visitors and judges about their project. All displays will be visited by judges during the showcase. Food • Each group is responsible for organising their own lunch between 1:00pm – 2:15pm. The Mansion House will not permit participants to eat in the venue. The Mansion House is in close proximity to St. Stephen’s Green and Grafton Street, which can be used as possible lunch alternatives. • All participants are requested to bring in waste-free lunch, snacks and drinks (water) in reusable snack and drink containers. Award Ceremony • All group members must return to the venue before 2:15pm and

be seated by 2:25pm. • All group members must stay in the Round Room until the Ceremony closes. • An individual representative from each award-winning group may be asked to say a few words about their experience during the Awards Ceremony. We would advise that you prepare for this in advance and nominate a suitable representative from your group. • ECO-UNESCO reserves the right to eliminate and/or combine categories where there are a low number of entries or where entries are deemed not to have reached the required standard. In this situation, there may not be an award made in each category. A number of high commendations may also be made. General Terms & Conditions • All participating group members must commit to attending the entire event (8.30am – 5pm). • Leaders and teachers are responsible for the conduct of their individual groups. • Dress code is optional, we would suggest that young people should decide themselves what they wish to wear. Part of the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards ethos is to encourage young people to make decisions for themselves. • Groups are advised to check their travel arrangements as soon as possible. The nearest train station is Pearse Station, while the Luas Green Line terminus is close by at St. Stephen’s Green. • A Recycling Zone will be present and must be utilised by all participants. • ECO-UNESCO and the Venue take no responsibility for lost or stolen or damaged goods during the event. • As per the details signed in your original YEA Registration Form, please be reminded that images and/or video footage may be utilised by ECO-UNESCO for promotional usage in print and online publications; educational resources; publicity; advertising; web content; and other ECO-UNESCO media. ECO-UNESCO may use these images / video clips with or without names.

For more information contact: Tel : +353 (0) 1 662 5491 Email : info@ecounesco.ie Web : www.ecounesco.ie

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Tel : +353 (0) 1 662 5491 Email : info@ecounesco.ie Web : www.ecounesco.ie

ECO-UNESCOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Young Environmentalist Awards 2016 is supported by: Gold Funders & Sponsors:

Bronze Funders & Sponsors: