Tuesday 15 August 2006

“Water is everybody’s business.”

That’s the theme for this year’s environmental art awards run by Environment Bay of Plenty.

Awards coordinator Esther Mae says entries are pouring in for the awards, which close on Friday 25 August.

This year’s theme is a take on the Conservation Week topic, conservation is everybody’s business. “We decided to focus on water because it is so vitally important to life in general, and in particular to the lifestyle we have in the Bay of Plenty. Everyone in the Bay of Plenty lives near a body of water, be it a lake, stream, river, coast, harbour or estuary. We have asked students to explore their local waterway and translate this into an art work.”

Now in their ninth year, the awards are for primary, intermediate and secondary school students, with prizes for both the winning entrants and their schools. They are always very popular, Ms Mae says. Last year, the event attracted 450 entries from close to 30 schools – and she does not expect it to be any different this time.

The awards encourage students to think about their relationship with the environment and how they affect it. Many teachers also view it as an opportunity for integrating environmental education into the classroom.

ENDS

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