Students from half a dozen Galway schools were among the competitors when the Connacht semi-finals of the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards took place last week.

They gathered with their compatriots from across the province to take part in the event which was staged at the Galmont Hotel in Galway city.

ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards is an all-island programme that recognises the work of young people, who have taken environmental action in their school or community and come up with creative solutions to solve environmental issues.

Twenty-three teams from across Connacht, including six from Galway, competed in the ‘ECO-Dens’ – as the semi-finals are known – to win a place in the final of the Young Environmentalist Awards in Dublin in May.

Galway was represented by St Jarlath’s College, Tuam; Coláiste Mhuire, Ballygar; Seamount College, Kinvara; Coláiste Naomh Eoin, Inis Meáin; Presentation College, Headford, and Scoil Shéamais Naofa, Barna.

And these young environmental activists travelled from schools across the county with their projects which focus on a range of topical issues, such as climate change, biodiversity and waste management.

The Connacht regional ECO-Den was one of four provincial semi-finals being held across the country in March, with the winners of each advancing to the final.

Elaine Nevin, national director of ECO-UNESCO, described the ECO-Dens and Young Environmentalist Awards as ‘some of the most exciting events in the ECO-UNESCO calendar’.

“This year, we have over 500 young people representing 78 groups across 26 counties, including Galway, with projects addressing key problems like climate change, biodiversity, and waste,” she said.

“With such a high standard of entries, it certainly won’t be an easy decision for our judges,” she added.

Pictured: Students from Scoil Shéamais Naofa, Barna, at the ECO-UNESCO Connaught ECO-Den at the Galmont Hotel, Ava Nic Gabhann, Kate Ní Uallacháin and Ruby Bandharangshi.