24 May 2021
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Young eco-activists from Cork have reached the final of this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA). Hosted by ECO-UNESCO, the winner’s will be announced virtually at the YEA virtual ceremony on the 26th of May.
The Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) is an all-island programme that recognises and rewards young people aged 10-18 who have taken environmental action and come up with innovative solutions to environmental issues. Over 200 projects applied to the YEA programme this year. Despite Covid-19 interruptions, young people continued to work on their projects at school, at home and during youth clubs in an effort to tackle climate issues.
Included in the 17 groups from Cork that have made it to the finals are young people from St. Peter’s Community School, St. Brogan’s College in Bandon and last year’s winners, Davis College in Mallow who have made it to the finals of the Senior Biodiversity Category for their Project Rebel Green. They have come together to support local produce, local ethically made products and local groups that are making a change in our community. They have set up a website and used social media and local papers to help support locals. The aim is to create awareness of the benefits of shopping locally and season, and the cost of transporting products from abroad and its impact on the environment.
Rebel Green, Davis College, Eco-Community Development
Elaine Nevin, Director of ECO-UNESCO said “We are so proud of the projects that have been submitted this year and the efforts these young people have made to create awareness and make a positive environmental difference. It is these individuals that are shaping a better future for our planet and we are so excited to announce our winner’s at this year’s ceremony.”
Elaine continued “To celebrate this youth eco-activism we are holding a week-long celebration of virtual events, talks and workshops for any young people who’d like to get involved.”
An event that usually brings schools and community groups together from all over Ireland to showcase their projects, will be a week-long celebration for the second year. ECO Week 2021 will be held from 24th to 28th May and will include a range of environmental workshops, well-being activities, talks, and challenges for young people alongside the YEA Winner announcements. The aim of ECO Week is to celebrate the achievements of young activists, to allow young people to explore career opportunities in environmentalism and to educate them on a range of environmental topics.
The YEA Showcase is taking place virtually in www.ecounesco.ie where you can see all our fantastic Young Environmentalists projects.
The YEA Ceremony will take place on Wednesday 26th May on ECO-UNESCO’S YouTube Channel – ECO-UNESCO Ireland in a live transmission at 2pm. For more information on the Young Environmentalist Awards please go to www.yea.ie
