Students invited by the EPA to tell the ‘Story of Their Stuff’

The Environmental Protection Agency has invited secondary school students to get thinking about the life cycle of everyday objects.

The Story of Your Stuff competition for secondary schools follows last year’s event, with the winning entry scooping €500 for the student, the same amount for the school and a talk from marine scientist and surfer Easkey Britton.

For the competition, the EPA wants students to choose an everyday object, such as a pen, a mobile phone, a banana, or a water bottle, and use a visual medium to illustrate its lifecycle.

The EPA’s Helen Bruen said: “We want students to unleash their creativity to tell us the story of their stuff.

"Perhaps a pencil started its story as a tree in another continent or maybe a water bottle was created from oil originating as far away as the Middle East.

"Students can tell us about where it came from, how they use it, and more importantly, where it’s going to end up.

“By becoming more aware of the story of stuff, we can all begin to understand why sustainable consumption behaviours, including recycling and using recyclable materials, are so important in protecting our beautiful environment.”

Information about the competition can be found on thestoryofyourstuff.ie, including last year’s winning videos.

Here students can view a sample video, last year’s winning videos and some tips on how to get started.

Ms Britton, a five-time Irish national surf champion, said: “Every plastic bottle, every coffee cup and plastic bag that enters the ocean causes damage to the life that lives and breathes within the ocean.

"Ultimately we all lose out by this harm to our environment and equally we can all do our part to protect our environment in some small way and collectively make a difference. The Story of Your Stuff inspires us to think about how we might do that.”