1:43pm Wednesday 4th June 2008
Jack White is the North-East Climate Change Champion. He is 15 and from Houghton-le-Spring. Here he talks about what he has done since he took on the role at the end of February.
"I FIRST became aware of climate change through science and geography lessons, and from articles in the media. I felt it was a problem we could all do something about.
This led me to enter a climate change competition called Picture a World Without CO2 Emissions, which was organised by Sunderland City Council. The brief was to submit a photograph of myself with a balloon, which signifies CO2 emissions, in one of my favourite places in the North- East, which would be affected by climate change.
I chose High Moorsley, near Hetton-le-Hole, because of its views - from Sunderland to Durham. I wrote an article highlighting the effect climate change would have on the wildlife and the surrounding area. I was delighted when I was awarded second prize.
At the awards ceremony, I was approached by Kathryn Warrington, sustainability officer for Sunderland City Council. She suggested I enter a competition organised by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to find nine regional climate change champions.
For this, I had to highlight the problem of climate change in an innovative, creative way, using power points, websites or posters.
Because I was a member of a band, Troubleshooter, I decided to submit a song.
My fellow band members, Matty Lockey and John Taylor, wrote the lyrics to Don't Steal the Planet and, with my ten-year-old brother Joe, on drums, the four of us recorded the song in the Bunker studio, Sunderland.
I was delighted when the song got me through to the semi-finals in London, where I was interviewed by a panel of judges.
A few days later, I received a phone call to say I had been selected as the North-East Climate Change Champion.
As a champion, I received £1,000 towards organising an eco-event to spread the message of climate change.
I also got the opportunity to visit 10 Downing Street, along with the other climate change champions. We met Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Environment Minister Joan Ruddock and it was an opportunity to pose important questions.
The following day, we travelled by Eurostar to Amsterdam on a fact-finding mission. We learnt about how advanced the Netherlands is in curbing its emissions, and how better educated the people are about recycling.
We took part in a factfinding treasure hunt. We met Frans Timmermans, Dutch Minister for Europe and the British Ambassador, and took a boat trip to a large wind farm to see wind turbines in action in the North Sea, supplying clean, renewable energy to thousands of homes.
Some highlights were learning how to snowboard, a trip to Madurodam, a miniature Holland, and learning more about how the Dutch curb their emissions at a presentation at the British Embassy, in The Hague.
Since becoming a climate change champion, I have had some fantastic opportunities.
I have recently returned from Romania, where I was asked to give a presentation at the Young Romanian Ambassadors against Climate Change award ceremony. It was a new experience because I had to work with a translator.
I visited the Romanian Palace of Parliament, where I was invited to join a debate with members of the Romania and UK parliaments.
I am also in the early stages of organising a Mini-Live Earth event, involving local bands, which I hope will take place this summer.
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