Environmental leaders

BAIE VERTE -

Green leadership was celebrated on June 2, at the Newfoundland and Labrador 20th Annual Environmental Awards in St. John's, with a Baie Verte youth group taking home an award.

The Youth for Environmental Awareness (YEA!) was founded in 2006.

"The Environmental Award was certainly a great experience for our group," said Thomas Howard, chair of YEA! "I saw the call for nominations in the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Network Newsletter and thought that Youth for Environmental Awareness had the potential to be a candidate. I decided to put in a nomination on behalf of the group."

Mr. Howard and Vice-Chair, Justin Hewitt, were present in St. John's to accept the award at a banquet held at the Admiral's Green in Pippy Park.

"I had to give a small, impromptu acceptance speech, in which I thanked all individuals involved," said Mr. Howard. "I also said how receiving an award of this calibre is such an affirming experience, for both myself and the group.

"It shows that a small group, from a small community can create real change and be recognized for their efforts. It was an honour to be lauded alongside such distinguished individuals, and young environmentalists everywhere should feel empowered to be active within their own communities."

YEA! have taken on many initiatives since 2006, including educating the public on greenhouse gases from idling vehicles, the promotion of re-useable bags and teaming up with a local Sears outlet to start a catalogue recycling program. YEA! has many projects currently in the planning stages, like a household battery recycling drive, tire pressure clinics and various shoreline clean-ups.

The Environment Awards banquet also gave the two YEA! members an opportunity to network with other environmentally active young people.

"We were approached by several representatives from the NL Environmental Network, and are looking forward to collaborating with the network on future initiatives," he said. "This goes to show that award programs such as this can be a catalyst for future environmental partnerships, leading to more powerful change."

In addition to receiving an award for their efforts, the group was also given a $1,000 honourarium from the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) to go towards future projects. This year's Environmental Award winners were selected from more than 75 nominations province-wide.