Navan student among Sligo IT prizewinners

Navan woman Grace Herbert was part of the winning Environmental Society team from Sligo Institute of Technology which has been awarded top prize at the inaugural Green Planet Awards. The awards are a national third-level initiative which encourage students to consider how human actions impact on the environment. The IT Sligo students from the Environmental Society at the Institute were awarded the top prize for their interactive and well planned 'Eco-Eating Week" which they organised in their college in late March. The team leaders, Patrick McLoughlin, Grace Herbert and Vanya Lambrecht, were on hand to collect the keys of their brand new Reva electric car worth in excess of €13,000, the top prize in this year"s awards. Patrick McLoughlin from Institute of Technology, said: 'It is fantastic to receive this award in recognition of the work undertaken with the Environmental Society at IT Sligo. This is only our second year as a society at the Institute, and the award recognises the interest both among students and staff in environmental issues. The project not only involved environmental students but a complete cross section of undergraduates form business, to science to engineering.' Dr Billy Fitzgerald, head of environmental science at IT Sligo, congratulated the team of students and said: 'The reward reflects an active interest in green issues at IT Sligo, where we have been at the forefront in teaching about the environment for over 30 years.' Former Miss World and animal rights campaigner Rosanna Davison hosted the awards, which were also attended by Green Party senator Deirdre De Burca and John Gibbons from ClimateChange.ie, along with Mark Galvin and Kathleen Hogan, founders of the awards. In keeping with the environmental awareness theme, attendees were treated to sumptuous organic vegan treats, all served on bio-degradable tableware and cutlery.