Ecotricity Search For Young Green Britons

The World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) Festival, which recognises the UK’s greenest young people, will take place this summer. This year will see the return of the Young Green Briton Chat event in which youngsters will talk about emissions in the UK. The One Show reporter Lucy Siegle will chair the event.

Ecotricity, the world’s first green energy company, is running the Young Green Briton Chat event and is searching for youngsters aged 11-16 to talk on the three areas that make up 80 per cent of our emissions in Britain – Energy, Transport and Food – as well as on the topic of ‘making room for Nature’.

Each of the four winning pupils will be supported by a ‘Green Britain mentor’ who have today been revealed as:

– Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity – Energy
– Robert Llewlyn, actor and electric car enthusiast – Transport
– Mark Avery, environmental campaigner and author – Nature
– Nicholas Allan, vegetarian chef – Food

Lucy Siegle, journalist and environmentalist, said: “Eco literacy for young people isn’t just a nice thing to do, it’s their right. It will open so many doors in the future too. The education system has unfortunately fallen a long way behind, so bravo to Ecotricity for leading the way! I can’t wait to debate the hottest green issues with our crop of talent this year.”

Last year’s winners included Findlay Wilde, a 14-year-old conservationist who was mentored by wildlife presenter Simon King. Findlay has since appeared in BBC Wildlife Magazine’s Wildlife Power List, been interviewed on Springwatch and Newsround, and worked with the RSPB on their Hen Harrier campaign.

Findlay Wilde said: “It’s hard to put into words just what a great opportunity and experience the Young Green Briton Chat was. To have the chance to meet such important people from the conservation world was fantastic, but to be able to share my thoughts and feelings with such a massive audience was really something else.  It’s not every day you get to reach out to so many people.

“This is the second year of the Young Briton Chat and will be the fourth year that Ecotricity has been at WOMAD, the internationally established world music festival, which this year runs from 28-31 July at Charlton Park in Malmesbury.”

Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder, said: “Our Young Green Briton competition was a fantastic success last year – we heard some great ideas from some very committed and talented young people.

“It’s a real encouragement to hear these voices of the up and coming generation, so focussed on sustainability and the idea of a Green Britain.  This will be our second year of the competition and we’re looking forward to lots of great new entries, some new mentors and the involvement of some of last year’s winners.”

About the Young Green Briton competition:

– Young people aged 11 – 16 can enter the competition by sending a video, written article or a recording to explain their ideas on how Britain could be greener.

– Their submission should focus on one of the four categories of Energy, Transport, Food and Nature and also consider what is needed to encourage and inspire others to adopt their ideas across schools, the local community and around the world.

– Each of the four winning pupils will meet their ‘Green Britain mentor’ at the festival and receive a mentoring session, before taking the stage to put their points across.

– Entries should be sent to younggreenbriton@ecotricity.co.uk and must make it clear in the subject line which of the four categories is being entered.

– All entries will be acknowledged and must be submitted by 1 June. Ecotricity will select three finalists in each category and each mentor will select the overall winner, per category, by 30 June, when winners will be informed.

– The four winners will receive a weekend pass for themselves and two adults to ‘WOMAD 2016’ (including camping and backstage entry into the Artists’ Village), as well as an Ecotricity goody bag and a personal meeting with their Green Britain mentor.

– Permission must be obtained from a parent or guardian and terms and conditions apply.