The 2010 edition of the Schools Environmentally Friendly school competition was launched last Friday, February 5.

The event is staged each year by the Environmental Management Department in the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) with the intention of fostering a positive attitude towards the environment among the nation’s youth.{{more}}

Joan Ryan, Marketing Manager and Public Relations Officer, said that this is the tenth year that the company she represents has been affiliated with the competition.

She said that schools were becoming cleaner and greener, which according to Ryan was encouraging in that it was a clear indication that the programme’s objectives was having a positive impact.

“This is the sort of positives the organizers are looking for,” Ryan said.

“The competition is not just about keeping your school clean, but is geared towards giving you (the students) an education for life.”

“You are the ones who have to start changing attitudes towards the environment,” she said.

Ryan encouraged the young students to continue to take on the challenge of ensuring they continue to educate their peers and even adults on the importance of keeping the environment clean.

Adriel Francois, the 2009 Public Speaking Champion, gave some advice, saying that no one was too young to begin thinking about preserving the environment and that students needed to start taking steps to ensure that the environment remains healthy.

Francois, also a member of the winning 2009 St Vincent Grammar School Young Leaders, spoke of how his involvement in that programme has helped to raise his awareness on issues related to the environment, and to have a better appreciation for the need to ensure that it is preserved.

Schools have been divided into 8 zones spanning the Windward and Leeward side of the mainland and across the Grenadines.

The competition is expected to run until December 2010.