Galway pupils among winners in Young Environmentalist Awards

Young environmentalists from Galway have been named among the winners of this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA).

Pupils at Cloghans Hill NS in Tuam were named the ECO-Innovation Super-Junior Category Winners for their project Play Your Part at the virtual awards ceremony last week.

The project aims to raise awareness about saving energy in the home. Brothers Nathan Fitzgerald and Ewan Fitzgerald created an interactive model house which gets the message across in a fun and interesting way.

They used their knowledge of coding and electronics to design a computer programme that links to a fun model house. Most of the materials required for this project were recycled or upcycled items to keep carbon footprint low.

Tree Huggers from St. Jarlath’s College in Tuam and Going Single Use Plastic Free in Galway ETSS were also highly commended at the ceremony for their environmental projects.

In its 22nd year, the awards programme rewards young people aged between 10 and 18 who have taken environmental action to benefit their community and created awareness of climate change.

“We are delighted to be able to host such a programme that encourages and supports young people’s passion for positive environmental change,” said Elaine Nevin, Director of ECO-UNESCO.

“These young people are our future generation of leaders and it’s truly inspiring to see them so active in their schools and communities and so dedicated to tackling climate issues.

“In a recent survey by ECO-UNESCO, over 58% of young people in Ireland said they’d like more local opportunities to get involved in climate action so these projects are a great way for young people to be collaborative in their communities while leading the way towards a more sustainable future.

“We would like to congratulate all of our winners this year and all of those who participated.”

To celebrate, ECO-UNESCO hosted ECO Week from 24th to 28th May, including a range of environmental workshops, well-being activities, talks, and challenges for young people alongside the YEA Winner announcements.