The first ever Bank of Saint Lucia youth environmental contest entitled RETHINK: BOSL Recycle Challenge has come to a close and hailed a success by the organisers and title sponsors of the School Competition – Bank of Saint Lucia.
RETHINK was held under the 2013 World Environment Day theme ‘Think. Eat. Save’.
Over 170 students from 16 schools across the country participated in the contest. Though all students were winners through their participation in the competition, the St. Joseph’s Convent emerged the winners capturing first and second place, while the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College captured third.
The winning entry from the “SJC Revolutionaries” team was entitled “El Jardin del Fuente” (Fountain Garden) – an SJC branded fountain built entirely out of recycled materials (including plastic bottles, egg cartons, wrappers, spoons, Styrofoam, straws and cardboard) and also served as a two-tiered irrigation system for larger plants in the top tier, with excess water being fed to seedlings in the lower tier.
Members of the SJC Revolutionaries noted that although the project was sometimes overwhelming, the hard work has finally paid off. They also noted that many special memories were made during the work sessions which went late into evenings but in the end they made sure that they had fun and created an impressive piece of work that would be appreciated by all who would see and understand.
“The response from the schools exceeded our expectations. In fact even towards the end of the deadline for entries several schools and teams were signing on,” noted Omari Frederick, assistant manager – corporate communications at ECFH, BOSL’s parent company.”
He added: “This is very encouraging to see the island’s young people coming to the fore as advocates who are responsive and sensitive to the plight of our environment. We believe our youth are central to shaping a greener and more sustainable future and Bank of Saint Lucia remains in the forefront of driving the environmental awareness effort through education and supporting initiatives to engage our young people in doing their part to safeguard our environment.”
The Recycle Challenge, which was launched in October, culminated with a one-day exhibition at the Castries Town Hall. The exhibits on display were colourful, creative, functional and ornamental. They were created from used plastic bottles, plastic bags, tyres, old newspapers and other recycled material. Items included handbags, musical instruments, Christmas decorations, filtration and hydroponic systems, hanging gardens, a replica of The Pitons, ornaments, clothing, jewellery, baskets and furniture.