Louth students reach finals of Young Environmentalist Awards

Young climate activists from Dundalk Grammar School, in Dundalk are among the all-island finalists selected to go through to this year’s ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA), taking place on 8th May in the Dublin Convention Centre.

ECO-UNESCO has spotlighted the YEA 2025 finalists today to coincide with Earth Day which takes place every year on 22nd April.

The young people from Dundalk Grammar School are among 102 finalists from across the island of Ireland to have succeeded at the semi-final ‘ECO-Dens’ stages of the YEAs last month (March) and who will now go on to showcase their shortlisted eco-projects at the awards’ finals this May.

Their ‘Green Means Go’ project, which introduced a front-of-package traffic light labeling system that rated food products based on their food miles, from green (low miles) to red (high miles), has made it through to the Climate Change Category of the awards. The young people recognised that consumers lacked clear environmental information about their food. To tackle this the group developed a simple, accessible system to help people make more sustainable dietary choices with minimal lifestyle changes.

The young people from Louth will join over 1,000 young environmentalists from across Ireland for a day of celebration, inspiration, and climate action at the Young Environmentalist Awards.

ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards is an all-island programme that recognises the work of young people who are tackling key issues in relation to climate and biodiversity loss, taking environmental action in their school or community and coming up with creative solutions to solve environmental issues. Now in its 26th year, the YEA programme has reached people in every county of Ireland, with a total of over 65,000 young people participating and 6,000 projects entered down through the years.

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Commenting on this year’s YEA finalists, Elaine Nevin, National Director, 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 young people and their 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 Louth the best of luck for the awards, congratulate those who took part in our regional semi-final ECO-Dens, and thank all our funders who make this all possible every year. Each and every project that enters the awards deserves to be celebrated!”

Further information about the Young Environmentalist Awards is available online here.