Green Limerick: Young climate activists make national awards final

YOUNG climate activists from County Limerick are among the finalists selected for this year’s ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA).

The announcement of YEA 2025 finalists, which included students from Scoil Pól, Kilfinane, and Coláiste Ióasef, Kilmallock, coincided with Earth Day, which takes place every year on April 22, as part of Earth Month.

The YEA ceremony will take place on May 8, in the Convention Centre Dublin, where three groups from both Limerick schools are among the 102 national finalists to have succeeded at the semi-final ‘ECO-Dens’ stages of the YEAs in March.

They will all now go on to showcase their shortlisted eco-projects at the awards ceremony.

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Commenting on this year’s YEA finalists, Elaine Nevin, national director of ECO-UNESCO said: “The projects that have made it through to this year’s Young Environmentalist Awards reflect the mission of Earth Day, the theme of which this year is ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ ─ a call to action highlighting the transformative power of renewable energy and its role in creating a more sustainable and equitable future.

“Earth Day 2025 encourages individuals, communities, and governments to take action by adopting renewable energy solutions, advocating for supportive policies, and participating in local and global initiatives.

“Through their projects, young people have taken the lead in raising awareness of critical environmental issues, inspiring change in their communities, and championing more sustainable lifestyles.

“I would like to wish our finalists from Limerick the best of luck for the awards, congratulate those who took part in our regional semi-final ECO-Dens, and thank all our supporters who make this all possible every year.

“Each and every project that enters the awards deserves to be celebrated!”

Limerick projects include: ‘City Greens’, a project from Scoil Pól, Kilfinane, nominated in the ECO-Community Development Category of the awards.

The group of young people focused on transforming urban living by bringing sustainable farming to cities.

This project uses hydroponic and aquaponic systems to help people living in cities grow fresh, healthy food in small spaces.

Projects from Coláiste Ióasef, Kilmallock, include ‘Wild Ireland Card Game + Digital Link’, in the ECO-Entrepreneurship Category of the awards.

This project is an educational card game to teach people about native Irish animals in a fun and interactive way. Each card featured facts about different animals, with QR codes that linked to websites for more information.

A second project from the school is ‘We've got Worms!’, in the Food Category of the awards.

This project focused on reducing the amount food waste going to landfills, cutting greenhouse gases and using castings to reduce soil degradation.

The group raised awareness about the benefits of vermiculture through social media posts and workshops.

They plan to expand by training other schools to build their own worm composters, transforming how waste is managed in schools.