A contest created by the non-governmental organization Mi Familia Vota achieved outstanding submissions from high school students
By Carlos Roa
The non-governmental organization Mi Familia Vota recently presented the winners of its First Contest “Creating a Sustainable Planet” in Central Florida.
According to the organizers, the goal of the project is to educate teenagers about climate change and its derivatives, while supporting the development of young leaders.
Six high schools, 20 groups and 80 students from Orange, Hillsborough and Osceola counties participated. Indirectly, more than 1500 people were involved, through social media that engaged family, friends and the community as a whole.
“The ‘Creating a Sustainable Planet’ contest is a powerful way to awaken our communities about climate change; highlighting the urgent need to transition school buses and vehicles from gasoline to electric by 2030, as well as the need to incorporate energy efficient appliances in our homes,” according to Soraya Marquez, Florida Director for Mi Familia Vota.
She emphasizes that this proposal integrated imagination, creativity, curiosity, leadership, family, government and community organizations.
All those involved subscribed to the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2025 and 45% by 2030.
Among the goals learned by these young people is to help vulnerable communities reduce their carbon footprint. They add that this translates into lower energy bills by incorporating energy-saving appliances.
Thanks to the contest, the social networks of Mi Familia Vota in Florida increased by 300 followers, with more than 5277 “likes”, 57196 views, 2250 comments and almost 3 thousand shared posts; which shows that these types of initiatives are reaching the so-called “Z” Generation.
The winners
First place: Happy as an earthworm
Topic: Composting
School: Boone High School
Students: Elina Del Rosario, Valeria Oviedo, Veronica Garcia Aguilar,
Victoria Garcia Aguilar
Second Place: Plastic Bag Ban
Topic: Recycling
School: Poinciana High School
Students: Diego Varela, Camila Campos, Laura Urdaneta, José Suárez
Third Place: Leave your footprint and raise awareness
Topic: Art Project
School: Timber Creek High School Timber Creek High School
Students: Noah Torres, Fabiana Abreu, Alessandra Calligari, Sebastian Taborga, Nicole Andrade, Camila Fagundez Mendoza
Soraya Marquez highlights that these young leaders will lead the way in advocating for a better planet and its sustainability through their achievable projects. “The result has been to witness how men and women who love the planet are growing up,” she concludes.
