The
Story of Your Stuff competition combines creativity and science, giving
students the chance to win €500 for themselves and €500 for their
school, alongside a new Climate Topic PrizeThe
young people who influence the trends of today will be the
decision-makers of tomorrow and are encouraged to consider how their
everyday decisions can have a positive impact on the environment – and
the world. That’s according to Dr Jonathan Derham, EPA Programme
Manager, launching The
Story of Your Stuff, an EPA competition aimed
at secondary school students, which seeks to empower young people to
make environmentally conscious decisions about their ‘stuff’ and
everyday activities.Now in its
fourth year, the competition brings together curiosity, creativity and
science, and aims to get young people thinking about sustainability,
climate action and environmental protection, and to spread the word
among their friends and family. Entrants are tasked with highlighting
the environmental impact of an everyday item or activity by creatively
telling its story through a visual medium. Entrants
to the competition will be in with a chance to win €500 for themselves
and €500 for their school, while a new ‘Climate Topic Prize’ will be
awarded to the entry that best addresses key climate considerations,
such as carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions or climate action. Speaking at the launch, Dr Derham said:
“Many
young people are deeply concerned about the climate and environmental
emergency now facing us worldwide, something that has been well flagged
by evidence from scientists, including the EPA. Urgent transformational
change is now required to meet these challenges, based on what the
evidence is telling us. The EPA is calling on second-level students to
enter The Story of Your Stuff competition and to use their artistic
talents to create stories to inspire others to make low carbon and
environmentally conscious consumption choices.” Last
year’s winners were Shurooq Azam, Aldiana Hoxha, Kar Gong Leong and
Tomi Ayibiowu from Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School, Dublin
15, who made a video on
the story of a toothbrush.Colette Ryan of the EPA said:
“The
Story of Your Stuff competition gets people thinking, talking and
making changes and identifying ways in which they can become responsible
consumers. The competition is a real highlight in the EPA calendar and a
testament to the students who take the time to explore the story of
their stuff and to the teachers who guide them. We look forward to
seeing the projects from this year’s entrants.”Competition guidelines and tips are available at http://www.thestoryofyourstuff.ie/. The deadline for entries is Monday, 9th March 2020.
