On May 1, the Carmel Green Initiative will recognize the winners of the Earth Day Art Contest at the Carmel Clay Public Library.

According to Leslie Webb, president and co-founder of the Carmel Green Initiative, the contest’s main goal is to teach youth about energy conservation and environmental service through art.

“Every year we try to broaden the scope of the contest in the hopes that as many children as possible can learn about caring for the earth,” Webb said.

The contest usually receives around 1,000 submissions every year.

“Although most of our submissions come from elementary schoolers and middle schoolers, we’re trying to expand the age group because (the contest) is such an easy thing to do,” Webb said.

According to Webb, the winner of the contest is determined by a panel of judges, which includes two artists from the Arts and Design District and one environmental judge from the Green Team at the Monon Center.

“The panel of judges combines both the environmental aspect of the competition, as well as the artistic part,” Webb said.
Webb said she believes the contest is an easy way for kids to get involved in helping the environment.

“The contest is a way to give young people a voice. This generation is going to have to deal with climate change very seriously, and so this program spreads the word about these issues and celebrates Earth Day at the same time,” Webb said.

According to Webb, the contest tries to connect the community with the environment.

“At its core, the contest is an education project that tries to inspire families to live more sustainably and treat the earth better,” Webb said. “It does not take much to do your part for the environment. Planting a vegetable garden, carpooling, or conserving water are just some of the easy things that we can do.”

Elizabeth Baach, Carmel Green Initiative high school chair and senior, said she agrees with Webb in that the contest is a great way to get involved in the community and help the environment at the same time.

“The kids are our future and if we do not educate them what’s wrong with the environment at an early age, then they won’t have any idea what to do when they grow up,” Baach said.

According to Baach, the lack of knowledge about these issues is causing more issues in the environment.

“I know when I was younger, I wasn’t really aware with any of these problems, but now that I am I’ve been able to become passionate about the environment,” Baach said. “If we teach just one kid the importance of caring for the environment, they can tell their parents, their friends and their relatives and that one student will be able to make a huge difference in the environment.”