Meet the 2021 Champions of the Environment
Congratulations to six 2021 Divert NS Champion of the Environment Scholarship winners. Learn more about these environmental champions, and read their award-winning essays below.
Keeley Shipley
$5,000 PROVINCIAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
REGION: ANTIGONISH | GUYSBOROUGH | PICTOU COUNTY
Northumberland Regional High
Keeley founded Pictou County Fridays for the Future, with a goal to empower youth to learn about environmental issues and create change in their communities. Keeley is also a member of New Glasgow’s Youth Climate Council, creating educational videos about waste management and helping New Glasgow become one of the first Pollinator Friendly towns in Atlantic Canada. Through Keeley’s leadership, her school has become the first Bee School in Atlantic Canada, pledging to provide student education about pollinators and planting pollinator-friendly plants around the school.
To read Keeley’s essay on food waste reduction, click here.
Mary MacInnis
$2,500 REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
REGION: CAPE BRETON
Riverview High
Mary uses a scientific approach when trying to find solutions for environmental issues. With science fair projects ranging from designing a microplastic filter for washing machines, to creating plasti
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c-based biodiesel from captured microplastics, Mary has applied her engineering skills to help solve environmental issues. Mary is also president of Riverview’s Green Team. The team organized several fundraisers for a water bottle filler at the school, and Mary has also organized numerous after-school cleanups and helped improve the school’s waste bin signage. To read Mary’s essay on food waste reduction, click here.
Chloé Douguay
$2,500 REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
REGION: COLCHESTER | EAST HANTS | CUMBERLAND
Cobequid Education Centre
Chloé incorporates environmentally conscious activities into daily life. Whether it is switching from single-use items, maintaining a vegetarian diet, or purchasing clothes second-hand, Chloé thinks a
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bout the impact of each choice. Chloé is a long-time member of the school’s environmental club. Activities with the club have included organizing and attending several climate strikes, holding a bottle cap drive to create a mural, organizing beach cleanups, and writing letters to government officials regarding environmental issues and legislation. Chloé has also attended the Rotary Youth Conference, which addressed environmental advocacy and allyship. To read Chloé’s essay on food waste reduction initiatives, click here.
Jack Rands
$2,500 REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
REGION: HALIFAX
Citadel High
As a long-time member of Citadel High’s Environmental and Global clubs, Jack has worked on reducing single-use plastic in the school’s cafeteria, educated himself on sustainable buildings and construc
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tion, and encouraged other students to walk or bike to school. Jack also helped form the ‘Citadel Cleanup Core,’ which focuses on cleaning up litter around the school and spreading awareness of litter’s impacts. Jack organized his own mini-audits, identifying commonly littered items. This information was then used to develop educational messages about the issues and proper disposal of these items. To read Jack’s essay on reducing food waste, click here.
Ella Stevens
$2,500 REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
REGION: SOUTH SHORE | WEST HANTS
Liverpool High
As a gold-level participant of the Duke of Edinburgh program, Ella has completed over 455 hours of public service, by way of weekly beach cleanups throughout Queens County. In 2019, Ella participated
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in the Students on Ice program, a two-week expedition around the coasts of Greenland and Nunavut. During this trip, Ella learned much about the northern environment and the impacts of climate change, while also learning about her own indigenous roots and lessons from other First Nations. After returning home, Ella was even more inspired to contribute to a better environment for future generations. To read Ella’s essay on food waste reduction, click here.
Aaliyiah Horner
$2,500 REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
REGION: DIGBY | YARMOUTH
Digby Regional High
Aaliyiah has long-known the importance of preserving the environment. As a long-time member of Girls Guides of Canada, Aaliyiah has participated in numerous beach and community cleanups, planted trees
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, and reused waste items in crafts and repurposed them in other projects. While working at a farmers’ market, Aaliyiah noticed a lot of produce being thrown away. She developed a plan to trim and cutup any produce that were perfectly edible but didn’t look “perfect.” Other produce, like cucumbers and fruit that were getting ripe or were bruised, were turned into pickles and jams. This significantly reduced the amount of food waste and created additional products to sell at the market. To read Aaliyiah’s essay on food waste reduction initiatives, click here.