To help raise environmental awareness and foster science literacy among elementary- and middle-school students, Bayer Corporation and the United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) have kicked off the second year of their partnership in the United States to bring the International Children’s Painting Competition (ICPC) to schoolchildren nationwide.
With this year’s theme, Climate Change – Our Challenge, UNEP and Bayer Corporation are inviting students ages six-to-14 to learn more about climate change and express that knowledge creatively through art.
The students’ paintings are expected to focus on the impact of global warming on our planet, as well as concrete actions people can take, such as using renewable energy and eco-friendly light bulbs, planting trees, sharing vehicles and using public transportation, among others.
Bayer Corporation’s ICPC partnership with UNEP RONA is part of the company’s national award-winning Making Science Make Sense® initiative that advances science literacy across the United States through inquiry-based, hands-on science learning, employee volunteerism and public education.
“Environmental education projects are an important part of Bayer’s commitment to sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and science education/science literacy,” said Greg Babe, President and CEO, Bayer Corporation. “With the International Children’s Painting Competition, we’re able to link these issues together for students who will soon inherit the mantle of the nation’s environmental stewards.”
Amy Fraenkel, Director of UNEP RONA, added, “Climate change is a priority issue for UNEP, and we are delighted that, through the ICPC, Bayer Corporation and UNEP are helping educate young people on how climate change is impacting our neighborhoods, our communities, our countries and the world. By participating in this competition, they are also learning about measures they themselves can take to help reverse the problem.”
The free-style artwork for the ICPC must be submitted on either letter- or legal-size paper and can be done using crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, oils, etc. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2009. For complete entry rules and conditions, please visit www.BayerUS.com/MSMS.
The ICPC regional winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2009. First-place regional winners are selected from each UNEP region: Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; North America; and West Asia.
This year, the ICPC North American first-prize winner will receive two fully-paid trips. The first trip will be to a World Environment Day celebration in North America on June 5; the second trip or the grand-prize trip will be to the 2009 Tunza International Children’s Conference to be held during the summer. Tunza, which is held every two years, is a global youth forum of UNEP that brings together youth from all over the world to share experiences on the environment.
