Ithafa Secondary School in Ermelo has won R60 000 in an annual Mpumalanga schools’ competition on global warming and climate change, the province’s department of agriculture and land administration said on Tuesday.
Spokesperson Putsoa Makua said the awards ceremony was held near KwaMhlaga at the Mdala Environmental Centre on November 2.
”The … competition is aimed at creating awareness among learners about the effects of global warming and climate change. The programme also creates awareness about the environment and aims to inculcate sound environmental practices in learners,” said Makua.
He said the programme grew phenomenally from 36 schools in 2006 to 78 schools selected from 214 entries this year. Learners were competing in areas such as poster design, drama production and a model design.
”The school’s winning model was an energy-efficient kitchen that uses solar energy to heat water, thus saving electricity and water,” said Makua.
In an address, provincial minister of agriculture and land administration Dina Pule said that it pays to look after the environment as the rewards are immediate.
Pule also encouraged communities to create wealth from waste by recycling. ”Recycling is money out of nothing and saves natural resources while decreasing greenhouse-gas emissions such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide”, she said.
The other winners were Sithuthukile Primary, which received R10 000 in the drama category, and Evulingqondo Primary, which won the poster category and also pocketed R10 000.
Makua said all the prize money would be used to improve the schools’ environment. — Sapa