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June 3, 2008
10-year old Canmore student briefs Environment Minister
"Minister for the Day" program brings students to Alberta Legislature
Edmonton... Canmore’s 10-year-old Liam Hawkins brought his love for the environment out of the classroom and into the Alberta Legislature as the winner of Alberta Environment’s ‘Minister for the Day’ program.
Hawkins met with Environment Minister Rob Renner to discuss his top environmental priorities and what he would do to improve the environment. He was joined by 14 other students from around the province, one acting as the Deputy Minister and the remainder representing other ministry officials. The 15 winning entries were selected from more than 700 submissions received by Alberta Environment’s Education and Outreach Branch.
“We need to clean the water that joins our streams so that the fish can live, the bears can drink, and the wolves can eat,” said Hawkins, Minister of Environment for the day. “Instead of releasing dirty water into streams, it would be better to release it into man-made wetlands to purify the water so it can be released back into the environment.”
“All Albertans need to take ownership of the environment and commit to actions to protect what we have for future generations,” said Renner. “These students clearly understand the importance of protecting the environment for the future and will inspire their classmates, their families, and their communities to take personal responsibility for the environment.”
Since 2000, the ‘Minister for the Day’ program has been held annually during Environment Week, which runs this year from June 1-7. Students participating in the program submitted booklets outlining three environmental priorities, what they thought the government should do, and how they would motivate Albertans to take action to protect the environment.
Editor's note: Backgrounder of the students’ quotes is attached.
Media inquiries may be directed to:
| Kim Capstick Communications Alberta Environment 780-427-2848 |
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
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"Minister for the Day" students identify environmental opportunities
This marks the seventh year Alberta Environment has been encouraging environmental excellence through its Minister for the Day program. The following 15 exceptional students were chosen from more than 700 entries from across Alberta.
Liam Hawkins, 10, Canmore, Lawrence Grassi Middle School:
“These are some of my reasons to be Minister for the Day: I would like to save the wetlands so I can continue to live and hike in a cleaner environment.”
Kassandra Moores, 10, Elk Point, Elk Point Elementary School:
“If people like me and you protect our fresh water supplies and not waste water, by not having long showers, by shutting off taps, then we can save at least some of the wetlands.”
Matthew Bouchard, 10, Canmore, Lawrence Grassi Middle School:
“Pollution is a big factor in global warming and if global warming continues to get worse we’re looking at glaciers retreating twice as fast as they’re supposed to be. Global warming could affect so much more if we don’t take action sooner.”
Owen Scheper, 10, Bonnyville, H.E. Bourgoin School:
“I want to encourage society to not be so wasteful with material goods and natural resources.”
Christian Fibke, 10, Edmonton, St. Bernadette School:
“I think it is important for students to get involved with saving and protecting our environment. We are the future leaders of our community, province and country.”
Alyssa Birch, 10, St. Albert, Muriel Martin School:
“Most of Alberta’s pollution is because of our cars. If we walked to more places or take the public transit system, it would reduce the pollution caused by cars.”
Hannah Latta, 10, Strathcona County, Fultonvale School:
“It makes me feel good to do a good thing for the environment.”
Morgan Campbell, 10, Stony Plain, Parkland County, High Park School:
“Pollution is an ugly thing. Let’s go green!”
Riley Hudson, 11, Stony Plain, Parkland County, High Park School:
“Air is my first priority because we all need it to live. When the air is polluted, some of us have health problems.”
Brenna Dishan-Novik, 10, Canmore, Lawrence Grassi Middle School:
“I want to discuss new ideas to motivate kids like me to reduce, reuse and recycle. I also want to talk about why it is critical to protect wetlands.”
Krista Donkersloot, 10, Calgary, Louis Riel School:
“Greenhouse gases increase global warming and global warming can cause extreme weather events like tornadoes, more forest fires, winter storms and damage to water resources.”
Lisa Khuu, 10, Calgary, Penbrooke Meadows School:
“We need to keep the wetlands alive because wetlands help prevent floods and act like sponges to water. They absorb all the pollution in the water to keep the water safe.”
Jordyn Mee, 10, Calgary, Ranchlands Elementary School:
“Every individual can make a big difference in our society. One way they could make a difference is by volunteering in clean-up work.”
Joel Fong, 10, Calgary, Rundle College Elementary School:
“Alberta is suited to the production of solar power because of the large number of sunny days. Also the southwest corner of Alberta is suited to the making of electricity from wind. Wind and solar power are cleaner sources of energy than oil, coal and natural gas.”
Madison McCoy, 10, Calgary, Rundle College Elementary School:
“I think that if we encourage and increase the use of city transportation like trains and buses, that will reduce the amount of traffic and polluted air.”
Media inquiries may be directed to:
| Kim Capstick Communications Alberta Environment 780- 427-6267 |
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
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