NADYA FINISHES TERM AS IRISH CLIMATE AMBASSADOR
STUDENT NADYA DOYLE could teach Donald Trump a lesson or two on climate change having completed a term as an Irish climate ambassador.
Nadya, 16, is a New Ross CBS student from Newbawn. She was chosen in spring as the first person in the community to become part of An Taisce’s Climate Ambassador Programme.
Nadya always had an interest in the environment and encouraged her parents to recycle. She got the opportunity to join the Green Schools Committee in her school where she currently is in 5th Year and became chair of the committee.
Following a selection process in November of last year, the teenager was chosen to be a climate ambassador. She received training by An Taisce in Dublin, joining 107 other Climate Ambassadors from around the country, young and old, in presenting new information on climate change to the public and working within their communities on climate actions, to raise awareness and reduce the effects of climate change while making their communities more sustainable.
Nadya received training from An Taisce’s Climate Action Team, along with experts in communications, to develop the necessary skills to bring an understanding of climate change to their community.
Nadya has been highlighting all the things that people can do every day to help the environment such as correct recycling practices, reducing plastic usage and supports the conscious cup campaign encouraging cafes to give discounts to people who bring in their own reusable coffee cups.
She did this by running an active social media presence online and engaging in numerous initiatives in organisations and schools in the region.
Nadya has organised many initiatives as part of her role such as a beach clean-up in at Bannow Strand as part of Clean Coasts Week. She was asked by the OPW to give a talk on the cause and effect of climate change in Ireland at Tintern Abbey during Heritage week.
Nadya organised a competition among the staff of Carlow County Council on the amount of batteries that could be collected for recycling to raise funds for Laura Lynn children’s hospice ( Weeepledge). As part of this campaign to promote the Climate Ambassador Programme among other students, she wrote to 166 schools in Wexford and Carlow.
Nadya has volunteered with New Ross Tidy Towns on a clean up and is the process of helping them making a mural out of bottle tops for the town. The majority of her work has been completed outside of school in her own time.
Nadya said she was delighted to be given the opportunity to meet the other climate ambassadors.
Nadya said: ‘If everyone made one small change now it would make a big difference to the future of our plant and generations to come.’
She developed an interest in the environment from an early age after watching David Attenborough’s ‘Planet Earth’ and the ‘ Truth about Climate Change’ with her grandfather.
This inspired her to be more mindful of waste reduction at home and to become part of the Green Schools Committee in her school.
Nadya recycles at home and regularly uses the recycling centre in New Ross. She wishes to promote recycling as she feels people may not be aware of the many items that can be recycled. Nadya has an interest in the reduction of plastic waste and believes it is a massive threat to our oceans.
Nadya’s favourite environmental docu-film is ‘Before the Flood’. Her favourite saying comes from Dr. Seuss ‘ The Lorax’ – ‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to get better. It’s not.’
Nadya believes that if everyone took responsibility and made at least one change to help the environment, whether it was to use a reusable cup/ bottle or reduce their plastic waste it would make a difference to our planet and future generations.
Having completed her time as a climate ambassador Nadya said: ‘ The past few months have been fantastic. I have learned so much and met so many wonderful people. I will continue to fight for the cause. I would really encourage you to think about becoming a climate ambassador. It’s our future at stake.’