The Jack Petchey Environmental Award
The Jack Petchey Environmental Award Programme recognises outstanding young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex for the work they do to support awareness of climate issues and sustainability in their local community. Award winners will receive a certificate, attend a prestigious award ceremony and have the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £300 to be used for an environmental project with their supporting organisation.
Nominate a young person for an Environmental Award!
Background
At the Jack Petchey Foundation, we exist to inspire and motivate young people to achieve and to recognise those achievements. Climate change is an issue that young people feel passionate about, and young people across London and Essex do amazing things every day to help protect their local environment and campaign to help build a greener tomorrow.
In 2022, we conducted the Jack Petchey Environmental Youth Survey to give young people from London and Essex the chance to share their thoughts on climate issues, environmental education in schools, and how young people can be better empowered to build a more sustainable future. Over 4,000 young people provided their feedback. This demonstrated how eager they were for their voices to be heard and be part of the climate solution.
The Environmental Award programme is our response to what young people told us about the importance of climate and environmental issues. A pilot programme was launched in 2022, and over 140 young people were recognised for the incredible hard work that they were doing in their communities to create a sustainable change in their local area. Young people doing great things for the environment were nominated for one of our Jack Petchey Environmental Awards. Winners received a special certificate, badge and a letter from Sir Jack Petchey himself. They also had the opportunity to apply for a Jack Petchey Environmental Grant of £300 towards an environmental project they are involved in through their secondary school/college or youth organisation if they were part of the Jack Petchey Achievement Award Scheme.
The new Environmental Award programme
Due to the incredible response to the pilot, we are delighted to officially launch the Environmental Award as part of the Jack Petchey Foundation’s Achievement Award Scheme.
The programme invites organisations on the Achievement Award Scheme to inspire the environmental leaders of tomorrow by nominating a young person for a prestigious award. This can be for any young person who has been working to support awareness of environmental issues and sustainability in their local community.
Award winners will then have an opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £300 towards an environmental project with their supporting school or youth organisation.
Find out more information about the awards and the eligibility criteria by reading the Frequently Asked Questions here.
Environmental Award Case Studies
Roxy from Young & Talented Bethnal Green
Roxy won the Environmental Award for her outstanding creative writing piece that was both hilarious yet thought provoking. She wrote a letter from the perspective of a snail advocating for Bug Housing Rights. Her piece combined humour with environmental awareness, highlighting the impact of deforestation and climate change on all living creatures.
Roxy went on to apply for her £300 Environmental Award Grant to create a music video with her peers to raise awareness about climate change. The video is set in a dystopian future world where people have to fight for air and only the rich have the means to afford technology to breathe clean air. Click here to watch the music video.
Still from “This Is The End” Music Video by Y&T Voices for Change
Evie from Store Room Youth Theatre
Evie won the Environmental Award for her dedication to running an animal sanctuary with her family, rescuing animals from slaughter and tirelessly fundraising to provide food and shelter. Her sanctuary has also supported the group’s mental health programme, offering a safe haven for students during regular visits.
Evie successfully applied for a £300 Environmental Award Grant to purchase a beehive, aiming to produce honey, support local biodiversity, and educate the community about the vital role bees play in sustaining ecosystems.
A secured beehive
Beekeepers moving to inspect hives and maintain the environment
Inspecting a hive frame to monitor bee health and honey production
Shayden from St Joseph’s College
Shayden won the Environmental Award for his strong commitment to creating an environmentally friendly space that benefits both plants and wildlife. Their initiative goes beyond simple gardening, it includes promoting biodiversity by introducing butterfly-friendly plants and fostering a sustainable ecosystem.
He used his Environmental Award Grant to expand their butterfly garden by adding butterfly hotels and educational signage in both text and braille, making the space inclusive and informative. They also used the funds toward a vinyl cutter, which is essential for creating the signage and butterfly houses. This is part of a larger vision to develop a sensory garden where students can relax and engage with nature, supporting mental health and well-being.
Nneoma from St Mary’s and St John’s CofE School
Nneoma stood out for her exceptional leadership in sustainability and environmental activism. She launched impactful recycling programs that significantly reduced waste, engaged with local authorities to drive community-wide change, and introduced innovative solutions like a reusable water bottle campaign to combat single-use plastics. Her proactive, collaborative approach and commitment to creating a greener future make her an outstanding recipient of the environmental award.
Nneoma, a Jack Petchey Environmental Award Winner
Megan from Parliment Hill School
Megan won the Jack Petchey Environmental Award for leading impactful sustainability projects in her school, including improving recycling systems, organizing a Sustainable Clothing Swap, and establishing a partnership with a local organisation on Hampstead Heath. Her next initiative, funded by the grant, will introduce water fountains to reduce single-use plastic and promote reusable bottles. Megan’s creativity, leadership, and commitment to environmental action make her a truly worthy winner of this award.
Want to start your own eco-project? Hear from one of our award winners.
Hear from Mary Bealt, Grants Officer & Lead for the Environmental Award Programme about why the programme matters.
Coordinators’ information
Looking for specific information about running the Achievement Award Scheme or nominating someone for an Environmental Award?
If you know of a school or organisation that is not running the scheme and could benefit, please forward this flyer to them.