Pictou County winners and runners-up for the Nova Scotia Recycles Contest include:
Back row, from left, Katie Warren of North Nova Education Centre, Lily Whistler of A.G. Baillie Memorial, Alexandra Dooley from Walter Duggan Elementary, Kristen Dewar and Cameron Osgood of East Pictou Middle School; Front row: Samantha Guitard and Oliver Ross representing Scotsburn Elementary, Daniel Coulter and Brooklyn Turner representing Salt Springs Elementary, and Sadie LeBlanc of Pictou Elementary.
The three R’s are key factors to decreasing the amount of waste people produce, and she encourages people to also rethink how they generate waste, saying it’s an essential “step to create necessary change.”
Warren, a student at North Nova Education Centre, was the winner of the Grade 12 Research Essay in Region 2 for the Nova Scotia Recycles Contest, which is held annually by the Resource Recovery Fund Board. She received a $1,000 scholarship for her efforts.
Her essay focused on how people should think more about recycling because “each person makes a difference. Citizens drive the businesses to make the changes that ultimately makes a large impact.”
Giving an overview of her essay during the awards celebration for the counties of Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough held at the Pictou County Wellness Centre on Monday, she summed up with a quote from Edward Everett Hale, an American author, historian and minister who died in 1909. “I am only one, but I am one.”
His writings spoke about how people should lend a hand to make the world a better place. “I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”
Jeff MacCallum, the CEO for RRFB Nova Scotia, told those attending the celebration that “you do make a difference.”
“It’s due to your efforts and the students who came before you that Nova Scotia is a leader in world recycling,” he said.
This year’s theme of the contest was Make Your Mark, encouraging students to reflect on important milestones during Nova Scotia’s recycling success and inspiring them to make their own mark on the province’s waste diversion future.
The Nova Scotia Recycles Contest, now in its 16th year, recognizes youth across the province for their dedication to the environment and the impact they have in reducing, reusing and recycling.
The annual contest is organized by RRFB Nova Scotia in partnership with Nova Scotia’s seven solid waste management regions. Throughout April, celebrations took place in all regions to present youth with prizes and awards for their participation in the 2015-2016 contest. More than $55,000 in cash and prizes has been awarded to schools and students at the seven regional celebrations, including almost $20,000 in scholarships for Grade 12 students.
Across Nova Scotia, students from Grades Primary to 12 submitted more than 5,800 entries. Students from the counties of Pictou, Guysborough and Antigonish had 1,249 entries in the contest.
“We continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm and support of students during the Nova Scotia Recycles Contest,” said MacCallum. “Youth play an imperative role in making our province a world leader in waste diversion. We are excited about the progress Nova Scotians have made: our waste disposal rate is almost 50 per cent lower than the Canadian average.”
RRFB Nova Scotia is a non-profit corporation working in partnership with Nova Scotians to improve the province’s environment, economy and quality of life by reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering resources.
Winners received backpacks full of prizes, along with cash prizes for their schools.
Other local winners in the Nova Scotia Recycles contest include:
Grades P-1 Activity Sheet
Winner: Mrs. Garneau’s Grade 1 Class, Scotsburn Elementary
Runner-Up: Danielle McCarron’s P-1 Class, Salt Springs Elementary
Grades 2-3 Advertisement Design
Runner-Up: Sadie LeBlanc, Grade 2, Pictou Elementary
Grades 4-6 Advertisement Design
Runner-Up: Lily Whistler, Grade 5, A.G. Baillie Memorial School
Runner-Up: Alexandra Dooley, Grade 4, Walter Duggan Consolidated
Grades 7-9 Film Competition
Runner-Up: Kristen Dewar, Cameron Osgood, Kennedy Miller, East Pictou Middle School
