2nd Year - 1998-1999

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies

Green Cross International, the international environmental organization founded by President Mikhail Gorbachev, is proud to announce their second annual Earth Charter Youth Contest featuring an International Environmental Drawing Competition. The theme of the contest is "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies."

This year, the Youth Contest is designed to raise public awareness and educate students and their parents about global climate change and the solutions made possible through the widespread practice of energy efficiency and the adoption of renewable energy technologies. The contest is expected to reach an estimated 500,000 students from 10,000 schools around the world. Schools in fifteen countries have already agreed to participate, including Italy, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, United States, Argentina, Venezuela, Japan, Korea Republic, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Swaziland.

This year's contest builds upon the success of the inaugural annual drawing competition held during the 1997-1998 school year. In that competition, 5,000 schools from 11 countries participated, directly involving 300,000 students and indirectly close to one million students. The theme of that contest was "Water for All, Water is Life."

By choosing "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies" as this year's theme, Green Cross International hopes students will discover how it is possible to protect the Earth and solve the problems associated with global climate change by saving energy and using alternative energy sources.

The students will share their discoveries through their artwork. Competitions will be held in each of the participating countries to select a national winner. National winners will then enter an international competition to be held in Los Angeles in October 1999. The Los Angeles event is expected to be televised internationally.

Green Cross International's founder, President Mikhail Gorbachev, will chair The International Honorary Committee of the Earth Charter Youth Contest. The Committee is expected to be comprised of a host of international dignitaries, including Federico Mayor, Secretary General of UNESCO; Vladimir Petrovsky, Secretary General of United Nations in Geneva; George Weber, Secretary General of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, Peter Ustinov. Members of Green Cross International's Board such as Ted Turner, Robert Redford, Nikita Moiseev, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and Rudolph Lubbers are also expected to lend their support to the Youth Contest.

Important government agencies, prestigious art and science institutions, and environmentally responsible corporations in each of the participating countries will also sponsor the Earth Charter Youth Contest.

Green Cross International works in partnership in each country with television, radio, and newspapers to assure that the Youth Contest receives considerable media. There are opportunities for supporting corporations to promote the Contest and their sponsorship through public service announcements and advertising.

More informations ->

1998 - 1999 NATIONAL RESULTS SUMMARY ->