Eight talented children have been named environmental champions, following their success in a national video competition run by Eurostar and the Young People’s Trust for the Environment (YPTE).
As part of their prize, Esme Mirzoeff (11), Nancy Wang (12), Natalie Holton (12), Charlotte Lane (12), Natalia Zernicka-Glover (12), Bushra Amjad (16), Joanna Hodgkinson (16) and Simran Karwal (16), travelled by Eurostar to Brussels to present their views on the environment directly to MEPs in the European Parliament.
The young people produced and starred in a short video to enter and win the “Have your say on sustainability” competition, voicing their views on topics ranging from deforestation to use of fossil fuels. Each winning entry also took home £250 worth of technology vouchers for their school, and Eurostar tickets to Paris for them and three guests.
The competition, which took place for the third year running, was attended by MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) including Lucy Anderson, MEP, who hosted the debate:
"It was a pleasure to hear from such talented and passionate young people, who’s wining ideas on a range of issues showcased their high level of knowledge on climate change. All the MEPs that attended were impressed with their confidence and maturity, and we will definitely take account of their innovative suggestions for action in our work on this critical issue.”
Bushra Amjad, winner, said: “We really want out opinion to be heard, and I think that there should be more of these kind of competitions to help make that possible, and that more people should sign up to these. I think our speech went really well and that we got our message across.”
Luke Ervine, Head of Environment and Energy for Eurostar, said:
“Working with the YPTE allows us to offer young people the chance to share their views with some of Europe’s key decision makers, and we had a great group of confident young people with us today. Their passion to protect our planet has been a real inspiration, and we’re proud to give them a voice in the European Parliament.”
Peter Littlewood, Director, Young People’s Trust for the Environment said:
“It was great to give another group of young and enthusiastic people the chance to share their ideas in Europe. This is the third year we have run the competition and we always aim to identify the most environmentally aware young people in the UK. Once again, the response from the MEPs shows how well the winners delivered their ideas.”
The ‘Have your say on sustainability’ competition is part of an ongoing partnership between Eurostar and the YPTE to support free accessible education on the environment. This forms part of Eurostar’s Tread Lightly programme of initiatives, designed to reduce the business’ impact on the environment and encourage consumers – both young and old - to think differently about the way they travel.
(Source: Eurostar)
