Local Tipperary secondary school competes in Young Environmentalists semi-final

The Munster semi-finals of the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards kicked off on Wednesday, March 19, with young people from schools and youth groups across Munster, including from Tipperary, taking part in the two-day event at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience, Lee Road, Cork.

ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards is an all-Ireland programme that recognises the work of young people, including from Tipperary, who have taken environmental action in their school or community and come up with creative solutions to solve environmental issues.

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Forty-three teams from across Munster, including from Tipperary, competed in the ‘ECO-Dens’, as the semi-finals are known, with day two taking place on Thursday, March 20, to win a place in the final of the Young Environmentalist Awards in Dublin in May.

Young environmentalists are taking part from schools across Munster, including Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles, to present findings from their in-school climate education workshop, which aims to foster a comfortable environment for open discussions about eco-anxiety and climate action amongst students.

The Munster regional ECO-Den is one of four provincial semi-finals being held across the country in March, with the winners of each advancing to the final.

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Speaking from the Munster semi-finals, Elaine Nevin, national director of ECO-UNESCO, said: “The ECO-Dens and Young Environmentalist Awards are some of the most exciting events in the ECO-UNESCO calendar. It is great to continue this year’s provincial semi-finals at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience again. The passion and problem-solving initiative of these young people’s projects, including those from Tipperary, offers great hope for the fight against climate change and reminds us that we can all play our part, from a community to a national level.”

Ms Nevin continued: “This year, we have over 500 young people representing 78 groups across 26 counties, including Tipperary, with projects addressing key problems like climate change, biodiversity, and waste. With such a high standard of entries, it certainly won’t be an easy decision for our judges. We are excited to see who makes the final and look forward to crowning winners across 30 junior and senior level categories in May. Regardless, the real winner is the future of climate activism, in the safe hands of these incredibly bright young people.”