Environmental award for Olive Blackburn’s eco-champion

A campaigning pupil from The Olive School, Blackburn has won a regional environmental award for tackling pollution around his school and home community.

Muhammad Abdulrashid took home the ‘Young Nature Champion’ award at the inaugural South Pennine Park Awards.

The South Pennines Park, which covers a 460-square-mile area cutting across the Yorkshire and Lancashire county boundary, is the only upland region in England not designated as a national park or area of outstanding natural beauty. The awards celebrate those who support the park’s mission to look after nature and the environment.

Muhammad, who has asthma, has made it his goal to tackle climate change by spreading awareness of the dangers of car idling. Car idling is harmful to the environment as it increases the amount of CO2 emissions, producing twice the amount of a moving car.

The Year 6 pupil at the school has been politely encouraging those on the school grounds to turn their engines off while they are not moving. Muhammad also regularly takes part in The Olive School, Blackburn’s regular community environmental activities, which include tree planting and litter picking around the area.