A 14-year-old student from St. Gregory’s Catholic Science College in Kenton, has won £300 to combat food waste at his school.
Timothy’s winning essay outlined how the funding would be spent to educate his fellow pupils, introduce on-site composting for the canteen’s food waste, and run a new competition for classes to cut their food leftovers.
The Sustainable Schools Competition which was launched back in September alongside our recycling partner, Veolia, aimed to reach out to young environmentalists to submit ideas to tackle an important ecological issue in their school or community.
Students in secondary schools and colleges across Brent submitted essays, posters and videos pitching their ideas to win £300 of kick-starter funding. Among the submissions were projects to cut littering, plant trees and switch from single-use to reusable face masks at schools. The quality of submissions was so high that judges awarded a group of 6th Form college students at Preston Manor School a runner-up prize of wildflowers and expert guidance to grow their own ‘Bee Garden’.
Cllr Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment at Brent Council, said: “Congratulations to Timothy for his brilliant project to cut food waste in St. Gregory’s School, which is a very important issue to help us tackle climate change. Also a big well done to the runners-up at Preston Manor High School for their idea to create their very own ‘bee garden’. It’s very encouraging to see the enthusiasm of young people, and to hear their innovative ways of helping us on our collective journey to reach zero carbon emissions by 2030.”
Cllr Thomas Stephens, Cabinet Member for Eduction, Employment and Skills said: “I’m so proud of Timothy, sixth formers at Preston Manor and all the young people from schools across Brent who took part in the Sustainable Schools Competition. The ideas that came forward were innovative and all visibly demonstrated making a positive change for the planet. The competition was a very successful way to engage young people and empower them to take action for a better future.”
Gisela Endres, Senior Contract Manager, Veolia Brent, said: “This is the first year running our Sustainable Schools programme and we were blown away by the engagement that we received. We want to give young people a chance to think critically about the world around them and do something to help fight climate change. I’m hopeful for the future of Brent, and, through Veolia’s ongoing support for schools, we hope to inspire a long-term passion for sustainability and empower future generations.”
