Winners of the 10th National High School Students Environmental Speech Contest have been decided!

The final round of the 10th Nationwide High School Students Environmental Speech Contest was held on November 3rd, and the winners were decided.
This contest was held as an opportunity for high school students, who will be the leaders of Japanese society in the future, to present their own ideas on important social issues such as measures to combat global warming and energy problems, and how we can build a sustainable society. We invited high school students with an interest in the environment to submit essays on two themes: "Natural Energy and Our Future" and "What we can do now to achieve the SDGs."

Chiba University of Commerce Award (Grand Prize)

Overview

After witnessing the fact that 55 tons of cherry trees, the town's treasure, are discarded annually due to falling trees caused by the weight of snow, etc., they took on the challenge of planning and developing smoke chips made from recycled cherry trees. After multiple prototypes with the cooperation of the government and businesses, they created cherry blossom smoke chips that were just as good as commercially available products. They announced that a "consortium" like this project, where communities, businesses, and schools work together toward a common goal, is exactly what will realize a "regenerative society" that utilizes local resources at a reasonable price, leading to the creation of sustainable communities.
* Meaning that something that has fulfilled its original role can be useful again in a different place

Comment from the winner

I am very happy to receive the top prize in such a wonderful contest. We faced many difficulties in this activity, but we were able to get this far thanks to the cooperation of the local community, including the town hall, many companies, members, and Professor Abe. In the future, we will continue to work to maintain and pass on the cherry blossom trees of Shinhidaka Town not only within Hokkaido but also to the world through the spread of smoke chips.

Comments from the Chair of the Judging Committee

Shocked by the fact that cherry blossoms, the pride of their hometown, were being treated as waste, they felt that something had to be done, and in their speeches they communicated their determination to change society by working closely with government and businesses to find ways to make effective use of the cherry blossoms, taking action, and so on. I was deeply impressed by their strong feelings for their hometown, and their desire to cherish their local cherry blossoms.

Excellence Award

• "Precious Plastics - I want to pass on our precious resources and thoughts to the next generation" - Kitakata Miharu (Saga Prefectural Karatsu Minami High School/Saga Prefecture)
• "Contributing to SDGs through Cherry Blossoms" by Yuka Yamamoto (Miyagi Agricultural High School/Miyagi Prefecture)

Special Award

• "Creating a better environment through worm composting" by Karen Uchida (Aichi Prefectural Anjo Agricultural and Forestry High School/Aichi Prefecture)

Encouragement Award

• "Achieving a sustainable society through composting awareness-raising and popularization" Yoshino Kondo (Meijo University Senior High School/Aichi Prefecture)
• "Microplastic Accessories - The Great Reduction Strategy" by Kazuka Shigetomi (Chiba Prefectural Kogane High School/Chiba Prefecture)
• "Sustainable sports using geothermal energy" by Miyukiko (Denenchofu Futaba High School/Tokyo)