Tullamore College eco-heroes honoured at Young Environmentalist Awards

An eco-project by young people from Tullamore College claimed the top prize in the Senior ECO-Entrepreneurship Award category at the finals of the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA), which took place in Dublin's Convention Centre last week.

Their ‘Grass Sheets’ project, which was among 25 crowned winners across 11 categories, aimed to investigate whether grass can be used as a viable alternative to regular wood-based paper. The group’s main objective was to create paper using a sustainable alternative while reducing carbon emissions and conserving materials used in regular printer paper making.

The young people from Tullamore College were among more than 1,000 people who attended the major event, at which over 100 competing projects were showcased, representing 65 schools and youth organisations in 28 counties across the island of Ireland.

Now in their 26th year, the Young Environmentalist Awards recognise the work of young people who are tackling key issues in relation to climate and biodiversity loss, taking environmental action in their school or community and coming up with creative solutions to solve environmental issues.

Congratulating the award finalists and winners, national director of ECO-UNESCO, Elaine Nevin said every project submitted this year "deserves recognition" and she spoke of how inspirational it was to see the "passion and creativity in young people as we continue supporting youth-led environmental action across the island of Ireland.”

Commending the winners and runners-up, the event’s special guest, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain said the Young Environmentalist Awards showcase "the passion and dedication of Ireland's young people in tackling some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time."

She described the projects showcased at the YEA finals as being projects thoughtful, impactful and a reminder that meaningful change often starts at a local level."