Bees and Alien Species triumph at
ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards 2008
Young people from all over Ireland were awarded at the Young Environmentalist Awards 2008 ceremony, which took place on Tuesday, 13th May in the Round Room of the Mansion House, Dublin 2. There were 40 short-listed projects competing the awards in fifteen categories including Junior (12 – 14 years old) and Senior (15-18 years old). The overall Junior Young Environmentalist Awards 2008 went to young people from St. Catherine’s College, Co. Armagh with their project called ‘Bee Garden and Bee Beautiful’. The overall Senior Young Environmentalist Awards 2008 went to the young people from St Mary's Secondary School, Mallow, Co. Cork with their project ‘Alien plants - should we be concerned?’.
YEA 2008 Winners
YEA 2008 Photos
YEA 2008 Videos
"We’ve had such an outstanding range of projects this year focusing on diverse environmental issues including climate change, biodiversity loss, water and waste issues. We are thrilled with the young people’s creativity and dedication to their projects and happy to be celebrating their achievements at the Young Environmentalist Awards ceremony." Comments Elaine Nevin, Director of ECO-UNESCO.
Seventeen groups of young environmentalists from all around Ireland and Northern Ireland were awarded in various categories. Some of the highlights were the Senior Energy winners from Ballybay Youth Centre, Co. Monaghan with their project on electricity pylons, the Senior Waste winners from Presentation Secondary School, Tralee, Co. Kerry with their ‘Chews to stick it’ project which focused on gum litter. This year’s two special prizes were COMHAR SDC prize for Sustainable Development, presented to Moate Community School for their commitment to providing a long-term environmental solution to a social and economic issue and the Special Department of Transport Award presented to Ardscoil Rís, Co. Limerick with their project ‘Reducing Car Emissions’.
Aidan Power (RTE2 TTV and The Café) was the master of ceremony, with a keynote address from Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan. Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Seán Haughey, TD presented the overall winner prizes and maSamba’s Youth Group shook the Round Room with their samba tunes closing the event.
This year, the YEA had over 140 registered projects from which 40 were short-listed and displayed at an open showcase prior to the awards ceremony. ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards Programme has been running since 1999 and has attracted the participation of over 10,000 young people and reached countless others with awareness raising campaigns in over 750 schools and communities in Ireland.
YEA 2008 WINNERS LIST
Junior Overall Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Bee Garden and Bee Beautiful'
FROM: St. Catherine's College, Armagh.
Senior Overall Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Alien plants - should we be concerned?'
FROM: St Mary's Secondary School, Co. Cork.
Junior Waste Category Winner 1
PROJECT TITLE: 'Composting - teabags, worms and beyond'
FROM: Grosvenor Grammar School, Co. Antrim.
Junior Waste Category Winner 2
PROJECT TITLE: 'You can do it, we can't do it alone'
FROM: St. Clare's Comprehensive School, Co. Leitrim.
Senior Waste Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Chews to stick it'
FROM: Presentation Secondary School, Co. Kerry.
Junior Biodiversity Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Bee Garden and Bee Beautiful'
FROM: St. Catherine's College, Armagh.
Senior Biodiversity Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Alien plants - should we be concerned?'
FROM: St Mary's Secondary School, Co. Cork.
Junior Climate Change Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Kids change the climate'
FROM: St Mary's Holy Faith, Dublin 5.
Senior Climate Change Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Spread the solution not the pollution'
FROM: Presentation College, Co. Galway.
Junior Energy Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Energy and water efficiency in St. Colm's High School'
FROM: St. Colm's High School, Co. Derry.
Senior Energy Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Pylon the pressure'
FROM: Ballybay Youth Centre, Co. Monaghan.
Senior Water Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Glaine Na h-Abhna'
FROM: Ennistymon Vocational School, Co. Clare.
Junior Eco Art and Design Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Eco Art and Design'
FROM: Stella Maris Secondary School, Co. Waterford.
Senior Eco Art and Design Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Green School Musical'
FROM: Loreto College, Co. Cavan.
Junior Eco Consumerism Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'The waste warriors'
FROM: Ionad na nÓg, Clones, Co. Monaghan.
Senior Eco Consumerism Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'Tree Wise and Waist Knot'
FROM: Coláiste Mhuire, Co. Clare.
Senior Eco Community Category Winner
PROJECT TITLE: 'The Community Garden'
FROM: St Kilian's Community School, Co. Wicklow.
Special COMHAR SDC Sustainable Development Award
PROJECT TITLE: 'Nothing but acres of tar and cement'
FROM: Moate Community School, Co. Westmeath.
Special Department of Transport Award
PROJECT TITLE: 'Reducing Car Emissions'
FROM: Ardscoil Rís, Co. Limerick.
PHOTOS
Photographers: Eleonora Lorenzini and Christina Edlinger
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Lord Mayor Cllr. Paddy Bourke officially launches the YEA 2008 Showcase
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Lord Mayor Cllr. Paddy Bourke visits Showcase
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Liz Carroll (Chairperson, ECO-UNESCO), Elaine Nevin (Director, ECO-UNESCO) and Lord Mayor Cllr. Paddy Bourke
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Bio Zone
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Creative Recycling Zone
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Teachers and Leaders Zone
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Photo Zone
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Keynote address from Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan
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Junior Waste Category Winners – Young People from Grosvenor Grammar School, Co. Antrim
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Junior Waste Category Winners – Young People from St. Clare’s Comprehensive School, Co. Leitrim
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Senior Waste Category Winner – Young People from Presentation Secondary School, Co. Kerry
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Junior Biodiversity Category Winner – Young People from St. Catherine’s College, Armagh
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Senior Biodiversity Category Winner – Young People from St. Mary’s Secondary School, Co. Cork
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Junior Climate Change Category Winner – Young People from St. Mary’s Holy Faith, Dublin 5
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Senior Climate Change Category Winner – Young People from Presentation College, Co. Galway
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Junior Energy Category Winner – Young People from St. Colm’s High School, Co. Derry
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Senior Energy Category Winner – Young People from Ballybay Youth Centre, Co. Monaghan
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Junior Eco Art and Design Category Winner – Young People from Stella Maris Secondary School, Co. Waterford
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Senior Eco Art and Design Category Winner – Young People from Loreto College, Co. Cavan
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Senior Water Category Winner – Young People from Ennistymon Vocational School, Co. Clare
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Eoin O'Brien and Darragy Keary from Cresent College (Limerick) perform their song "What have we done?"
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Junior Eco Consumerism Category Winner – Young People from Ionad na nÓg, Clones, Co. Monaghan
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Senior Eco Consumerism Category Winner – Young People from Coláiste Mhuire, Co. Clare
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Senior Eco Community Category Winner – Young People from St. Kilian’s Community School, Co. Wicklow
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Special Department of Transport Award – Young People from Ardscoil Rís, Co. Limerick
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Special COMHAR SDC Sustainable Development Award – Young People from Moate Community School, Co. Westmeath
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Most Creative Display Award – Young People from Dominican College, Dublin 9
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Most Interactive Display Award – Young People from Laurel Hill Secondary School, Limerick
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Most Environmental Display Award – Young People from St. Mary’s Knockbeg College, Co. Carlow
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maSamba’s Youth Group shakes the Round Room with their samba tunes
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Junior Overall Winner – Young People from St. Catherine’s College, Armagh
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Senior Overall Winner – Young People from St. Mary’s Secondary School, Co. Cork
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