Creative designs by local school pupils chosen as Housing Executive eco-heroes

From left: Méabh, St Mary’s, Altinure, Gemma Cowles, Housing Executive. Also pictured is Niamh from Coláiste Feirste, Charlene McKeown, from Eco Schools NI, Batman, Housing Executive Chair, Professor Peter Roberts, Oliver from St Anne’s Primary School, Belfast and Akshara, St Dominic’s Grammar School.
From left: Méabh, St Mary’s, Altinure, Gemma Cowles, Housing Executive. Also pictured is Niamh from Coláiste Feirste, Charlene McKeown, from Eco Schools NI, Batman, Housing Executive Chair, Professor Peter Roberts, Oliver from St Anne’s Primary School, Belfast and Akshara, St Dominic’s Grammar School.

Local schoolchildren have designed winning eco-heroes in the Housing Executive’s Schools' Energy Awareness Programme.

Schoolchildren in Primary 7 and Year 8 took part in the programme, partnered with Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Eco-Schools NI.

Promoting awareness of energy efficiency in the home and school, renewable energy and climate change, pupils designed a local eco-hero character and illustrator, Mark Reihill brought the five winning designs to life. 

Five key topics of Energy Efficiency, Water, Renewables vs. Fossil Fuels, Climate Action and Global Perspectives are highlighted through the five winning eco-hero designs. 

This year’s competition received 450 entries and pupils from Derry/Londonderry, Belfast and Crossgar, Co.Down are among the five winning pupils.

Each pupil who designed a winning eco-hero won a personal laptop, £500 for his or her school and a tree for planting. 

Winning pupils were also invited to St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls, Belfast to see their winning entries brought to comic-life.

Akshara, a Year 8 pupil at Belfast-based St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls, Niamh, a Year 8 pupil at Coláiste Feirste, Belfast and Primary Seven pupil, Oliver from St Anne’s Primary School, Belfast were announced as winners with their eco-hero designs. 

Akshara’s eco-hero design took home the ‘Water’ category as its powers focused on conserving water supplies.
                                                          
Her eco-hero, who promotes the use of automatic taps, advised people to take shorter showers and not to use as much water while brushing teeth and washing hands. 

Niamh’s eco-hero, named Leictreach Laoise, won the ‘Energy Efficiency’ category as it hits cars and with a big bang they become electric, from cars to airplanes and trains – it works on everything!

Oliver’s eco-hero, Kaizen Ken, which means ‘change for the better’ in Japanese, clinched the ‘Renewables vs. Fossil Fuels’ category.

Toby, a Primary 7 pupil at Glasswater Primary School, Crossgar won the eco-hero design category for ‘Global Perspectives’ with his eco-hero called, Veggieman the Greenhouse Gas Vanquisher.

His eco-hero, among many other things, can fly through the air at the speed of light and then detoxify it.

Méabh, a Primary 7 pupil at St Mary’s Primary School, Altinure won the eco-hero design for the ‘Climate Action’ category.

Her eco-hero, named ‘Heather O’Hare’ is the guardian of the Sperrin Mountains and spends her time looking after this unique ecological jewel to ensure all precious elements around her are protected and can thrive in a healthy environment.

Housing Executive Chair, Professor Peter Roberts, who was part of the judging panel, said he was encouraged by the large number of entries. 

He added; “Every action helps and, as well as entering our eco-hero competition, don’t forget that saving the environment is about us all working together. 

“This is your planet Earth. It is your future, and we need everybody to do the right thing. Millions of small actions can make a huge difference.”

Robert Clements, the Housing Executive’s Sustainable Development Manager thanked everyone for taking part in the competition and showing concern for the environment.

He said; “Young people should be encouraged to take steps to make their home more energy efficient and to help their parents save money and to save the planet.

“By partnering with the Eco-schools NI, we are able to engage with schoolchildren, harnessing their creative skills to promote the benefits of energy efficiency in the home. 

“The incredible vision and creativity from our school children has been bought to life with great work from our illustrator, Mark Reihill.”

From left: Sharon Creighton, Acting Principal of Glasswater Primary School, Ramune Buteniene, Glasswater’s Eco Co-coordinator, Gemma Cowles, the Housing Executive’s Project Lead for the Schools’ Energy Awareness Programme and Toby.