December 20, 2024
TRENTON – The New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC), in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), is announcing the middle school and high school winners of an annual video contest to promote awareness about how single-use plastics harm the environment.
The “Reduce Single Use” video contest, for students in grades 7-12, encouraged greater understanding of the state’s single-use plastics law, which went into effect in May 2022. The winning videos appear on the LitterFreeNJ.com website and will be featured at the Garden State Film Festival in March, at theaters in Cranford and Asbury Park.
“The DEP and I are proud that New Jersey students are promoting a very important message about the harm of single-use plastics to our environment,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “Our partnership with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council on this contest further advances and instills in young people a lasting commitment to reduce the use of plastics in the same way that their parents and grandparents learned the value of recycling as a result of New Jersey’s first-in-the-nation recycling law.”
The contest challenged middle and high school students to create an original public service announcement (PSA) video to promote awareness of how single-use plastics contribute to litter and marine debris, harm the environment, or negatively impact marine wildlife. Students were encouraged to focus on plastic bags, polystyrene, or straws.
In their videos, students cleverly addressed how to reduce single use plastics (plastic bottles/cups, plasticware, etc.), showcased innovative ways people are complying with New Jersey’s plastic bag restriction law, or suggested what next steps the state should undertake to reduce plastic litter.
“New Jersey’s nation-leading single-use plastics law has very been effective in preventing billions of bags from the supermarket sector alone from entering the waste stream or environment,” Commissioner LaTourette added. “We also see far fewer foam containers and plastic straws during litter cleanups. All of this means cleaner communities and a healthier environment. The DEP and I thank the New Jersey Clean Communities Council for being a critical partner with us in educating the public and helping residents adapt to this change.”
Winning videos may be offered for broadcast to New Jersey television and cable stations. They may also be used as part of public forums hosted by the NJCCC and DEP and posted to social media.
“What the teens have submitted brings me to tears,” NJCCC Executive Director JoAnn Gemenden said. “They are so clever, so committed and so deserving to be winners. I love their enthusiasm. And I often watch their videos to further reaffirm our commitment to fight litter, every day of every year.”
The contest had two age categories, grades 7-9 and grades 10-12. Winners were awarded in first, second, and third place.
For the first category, all the winners are in eighth grade. They are:
First Place:
William R. Saltz Middle School (Holmdel)
Winner: Keoni Baheti
Second Place:
Keyport Central School
Winners: Leah Castro, Grayson deSimas, Conor Hands, Isabella Hawley, Nathaniel Lehnert, Jalyssa Soto and Asyel Obando
Third Place:
Ocean Township Immediate School
Winners: Aiden Collins, Skylar Irvin, Connor Schafer, Kyle Blake and Oliver Wolfe
For the second category, grades 10-12, the winners are:
First Place:
Biotechnology High School (Freehold)
Winner: Mariana Silverio (Grade 11)
Second Place:
BCIT Westhampton
Winners: Zander Johnson, Christian Johnson and Ezra Ferguson (Grade 10)
Third Place:
Marine Academy of Science and Technology (Highlands)
Winner: Tyler Terhune (Grade 12)
Learn more here about how to Get Past Plastic in New Jersey.
For more about the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, visit https://www.njclean.org/
