Bishop Michael Eldon High School earned two of the top prizes for its "Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: The Aquaponics Cycle" exhibit in the 2015 Earth Day Challenge held in observance of the 45th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22.
The Grand Bahama school received first and third place finishes in the competition jointly sponsored by Ferreira and Co. and the United States Embassy through a grant made possible by the Public Affairs Section.
Team members Philyssse Forbes, Malik Dickenson, Sydney Seymour, Dangle Martin and Nathan Cooper won the overall first place title and an all-expense paid weekend trip to the Island School on Eleuthera to continue learning about environmental protection and sustainability. All winners in the competition received Apple iPods.
Aquinas College promoted healthy lifestyles with "Renewable Energy" and finished second in the high school science competition held last week Wednesday at the Paul H. Farquharson Conference Centre, Royal Bahamas Police Force headquarters. The theme for the competition was "It's Our Turn to Lead."
In addition to completion of the projects, the students were required to defend them and determine if laws exist that encourage the activities included in their projects.
The event attracted 10 exhibits from schools around the country. Other participating schools were St. John's College, Aquinas College, C.R. Walker, Jordan Prince William and Government High School, and N.G.M. Major High School out of Long Island.
Minister of Housing and the Environment Kenred Dorsett called on teachers to place more attention on sensitizing students to the environment and creating ways in their lesson plans to develop skills and confidence in students to explore the outdoors and become good environmental stewards.
Dorsett told the students that they are never too young to lead their peers, their schools, their community and their society. He recommended that they write to the Ministry of the Environment and Housing and state their solutions to climate change, and their reasons why the Government should support the Paris Climate Treaty.
He also encouraged them to organize a network to plant a native species garden at their school and in their community; lead a recycling drive at their school for glass, plastic and aluminum cans and collect money for their school for Cans for Kids; conduct an energy audit and make recommendations to the principal on how the school could save money by saving energy.
He urged them to ask their principal to organize an eco-fair with businesses and environmental organizations in The Bahamas to help students learn more about the environment; lead a beach or park cleanup campaign and invite an environmental officer to talk about climate change, its importance to their school and how students could reduce their carbon footprint.
Dorsett told students that the Ministry of the Environment and Housing is looking for individuals to work with the government in sustainable use of the environment to propel the country forward.
"We have a number of competent officers who execute their jobs well and manage environmental projects effectively, however there are too few of them," said Dorsett. "The Ministry has been challenged to find competent officers to give capable support and assistance to help move project activities forward. Right now, The Bahamas Environment Science and Technology [BEST] Commission, an advisory body to the government, needs competent environmental officers. "
He told students that the Forestry Department required officers to assist in preserving and protecting the forest trees of The Bahamas and that the department needs Bahamians who have studied natural resources, protection and conservation of the environment, coral reefs, blue holes and natural history, oil and natural gas exploration, renewable energy and sustainable development. The minister told students that the government under its national scholarship program provides financial support to students who want to pursue environmental sciences at the university level; and that consideration is given in the areas of conservation management, geographic information systems, and marine studies.
Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Neda Brown said that the U.S. Embassy was pleased to partner with Ferreira & Company on the initiative that aimed to encourage critical thinking in the areas of environment, ecology and sustainable development through environmental law.
Brown congratulated the students in their efforts to take the lead in protecting the beauty and natural resources of The Bahamas. She said that Earth Day presented an opportunity to recommit to fostering a climate-resilient world that is more secure, prosperous and healthy.
Acting Deputy Director of Education Curriculum and Instruction Serethea Clarke told the students that it is their time to lead The Bahamas to adopt a culture that is environmentally friendly and to seek to preserve the islands' natural resources and environmental campaigns to ensure that they are able to positively influence their peers and adults to make smart environmental choices. Clarke said The Bahamas faces a myriad of environmental concerns and individuals must be informed of the risks of poor environmental practices as well as the benefits of prudent decisions regarding the environment.
"The land, sea and sky that we boast of must be protected, not just for our major industry, but more importantly for the health and economic well-being of our citizens. We need to ensure that our air is clean and that our people are not inhaling toxins that are detrimental to their health," she said. "We must ensure that our land is clean to prevent the spread of infestation by animals that also pose a threat to our health. We must ensure that our waters are not contaminated so that our fishing industry which provides food, is not threatened," said Clarke.
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