Action For Nature International
Young Eco-Hero Awards

AFN announces its 2006 INTERNATIONAL
YOUNG ECO-HERO AWARDS!

With great pleasure Action For Nature announces its 2006 International Young Eco-Hero Awards, which recognize young people 8 to 16 years of age for their environmental achievements. We hope the accomplishments of these outstanding young people will inspire many others to preserve and protect the Earth upon which all life depends.

First Place

Gabriela McCall Delgado (age 16) - Puerto Rico, USA
An expert bird watcher, Gabriela studies both birds and the environments in which they live. To educate students and the general public, she produced a 60-page booklet that identified local bird species, and developed a slide show and computerized puzzle game for elementary schools. She also speaks to groups, and is helping to protect the diverse eco-systems of Puerto Rico from redevelopment. Read more about Gabriela.

James Quadrino (age 14) - New York, USA
James learned of the continuing destruction of native habitat of birds in his local community. Noticing that many species had few places to build nests and raise their young, he researched and began building bird boxes for the different types of birds. He also observes the new birds, and cleans and repairs the boxes. He works with Cornell University, presents to local groups, and has spoken at the EPA in Washington DC and the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Read more about James.

Savannah Walters (age 13) - Florida, USA
Savannah was inspired by two things: wanting to protect the beauty of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in danger of being opened up to oil drilling, and learning that Americans waste 4 millions gallons of gas a day driving on under-inflated tires. She started an organization called "Pump 'em Up" (www.pumpemup.org) to educate people and encourage them to check their tires frequently. She also makes speeches to schools and the public, locally and in Washington, DC, and passes out donated tire gauges. Read more about Savannah.

Second Place

Evan Green (age 10) - California, USA
From the age of 7, Evan has been dedicated to helping save the delicate and threatened ecosystems of rainforests and coral reefs. He founded a group of students and adults called the Red Dragon Conservation Team which has earned enough money since 2003 to purchase and protect more than 16 acres of threatened habitat in the Guanacaste Conservation Area of Costa Rica. Read more about Evan.

Tayler McGillis (age 11) - Illinois, USA
Tayler has collected and recycled more than 11,000 pounds of aluminum from roadside trash, old homes and other sources, and he hasn't stopped yet. His efforts have allowed him to contribute more than $7,000 to Habitat for Humanity. He gives speeches on recycling, and has placed recycling bins in five local communities. He's also working on setting up a local drop-off center and getting it funded by local industry. Read more about Tayler.

Angela Primbas (age 16) - Ohio, USA
After co-founding a local environmental club, last year Angela learned that the number one pollution problem in Lake Erie is preventable urban human activity, such as pesticides, household chemicals, pet waste, oil, etc. So, with a group of kids, she founded another club called Lake Kleenerz. She designed and published an educational pamphlet, presented workshops to teachers and schools, and educated boaters about preventative actions they can take. She continues to educate homeowners and students. Read more about Angela.

Third Place

Anagha Ann Gopakumar (age 10) - Aluva, India
Anagha lives in an area of India where there is severe drought for much of the year. After researching various solutions, she created a successful system for collecting rainwater that helps the local farmers during the annual dry spell. Read more about Anagha.

Fourth Place

Chanelle Adams (age 13) - Connecticut, USA
Chanelle organized a clean-up program in her community of Hartford, Connecticut. With the help of the mayor, other city officials, the media, and friends and school mates, she worked to clean up her neighborhood. She organized a program that was so successful that it is now expanding to other schools. Read more about Chanelle.

Matt Ward (age 14) - Illinois, USA
Matt started an environmental group for teens called WOLVES, which is affiliated with Lake Forest Open Lands. Thanks to his leadership the group is helping to preserve and restore over 750 acres of beautiful land near his home. Read more about Matt.

Dara Shore (age 16) - New York, USA
Dara is passionate about the manatee, a gentle, aquatic mammal. She has raised money to help injured manatees, and has spoken to hundreds of children and teachers about the importance of respecting and sharing the earth with manatees and all other living species. Check out the Save the Manatee Club for more information about helping manatees. Read more about Dara.

Honorable Mention

Kristiana Henderson (age 16) - Washington, USA
Since founding the Environmental Action Club in her school, Kristiana has become a skilled environmental leader. Among the activities her club has supported have been wetlands protection, tree planting, and energy conservation. Read more about Kristiana.

Pierce Johnson (age 16) - Delaware, USA
Pierce organized a school recycling program to help save reusable materials. Thanks to his efforts, students, teachers and administrators all support this important and valuable program. Read more about Pierce.

Victor Nashon (age 16) - Tanzania, East Africa
Victor is a young environmental leader in Tanzania, East Africa. After first teaching himself about environmental issues, he is now working hard to educate and persuade other young people about the importance of protecting the environment. Read more about Victor.

Smitha Ramakrishna (age 14) - Arizona, USA
Smitha is an environmental activist and humanitarian whose most important work has helped provide clean drinking water to children in India. She raised thousands of dollars that was used to buy water purifying equipment for two schools in India. She is also involved with protecting the sacred San Francisco Peaks near her home in Tempe, Arizona. Read more about Smitha.

Commendations

We had so many great entries this year that we wanted to recognize all of the good work kids are doing, so we added a new commendation award category.

Please read the list of Commendation winners.

Action For Nature: 2269 Chestnut Street, #263, San Francisco, CA 94123. Phone 415-421-2640, Fax 415-922-5717, awards@actionfornature.org