National competition to help save the planet

The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine has joined with the Australian Conservation Foundation and Visy Recycling to find — and encourage — young people to become environmental heroes by developing ideas and practical solutions for recycling waste; fighting climate change, reducing carbon emissions and saving our endangered wildlife.

“Each month for the next 10 months, we will be awarding a cash prize of $10,000 to young Australians who are using their creativity and drive to make the world a better place,” said the magazine’s editorial director, Deborah Thomas.

“That is a total commitment of $100,000 which we will be awarding to schools, community groups, and individuals to further encourage Australia’s young people to be ‘environmental heroes’.”

This competition is being launched in the February issue of The Australian Women's Weekly.

A key supporter of the Be An Environmental Hero project is Anthony Pratt, founder and leader of the Visy Recycling Movement.

“Recycling is an important but underestimated weapon against climate change. We’re hoping governments and companies will match our enthusiasm and provide financial support to establish environmental initiatives across the country. At the end of the one-year competition, we expect the environmental heroes campaign to have made a huge educational and practical difference,” Pratt said.

Entries to the competition will be judged on the following criteria:

• The amount of CO₂ reduction the project will achieve;
• The ease with which the idea or project can be expanded and replicated by others to further decrease CO₂ emissions;
• The degree of leadership (including educating and training others) that the project founder or leader displays;
• The creativity and innovation displayed in the idea.

For full terms and conditions and details of how to enter, please see the February issue of The Australian Women's Weekly.