GoodHeart| Students’ creativity shines at Reggae Sumfest’s Upcycling Art Competition

Since 2019, Reggae Sumfest has focused on climate-change and sustainability. This year, it launched the Jamaica Green Scholars Upcycling Art Competition with H&L Agro, Recycling Partners of Jamaica, and Esirom, following a beach cleanup to raise sustainability awareness among youths.

In its inaugural year, schools in western Jamaica were invited to create products from waste materials. The top four schools—Barrack’s Road Primary, Flanker’s Primary, St James Preparatory, and Heinz Simonitsch School—showcased their creations at the Esirom’s sustainability corner at Reggae Sumfest’s Family Fun Day. Visitors voted for their favourite project, and a panel from H&L Agro, Recycling Partners of Jamaica, Esirom, and Reggae Sumfest judged the designs based on provided criteria.

The entries included a chandelier that converts into two bedside lamps (St James Preparatory); a chair and lamp (Barrack’s Road Primary); a lamp, dress, mat, and hassock (Flanker’s Primary); and an irrigation system (Heinz Simonitsch School), all made from plastic bottles, cups, and other waste materials.

Khalia Hall, Esirom’s sustainability manager, emphasised the importance of creating durable and impactful products.

“There were a lot of categories including creativity and longevity, which was a big one for us judges because we didn’t want the students to just make something and throw it away after. We wanted it to be long-lasting. There was also a category of environmental impact and the use of various materials,” she said.

Heinz Simonitsch School won first place with their irrigation system. Barrack’s Road Primary took second with a chair made from Chubby bottles. Flanker’s Primary, with a dress and hassock, secured third. St James Preparatory’s chandelier earned fourth place.

Aron Gallimore, a student at Heinz Simonitsch, expressed excitement over their win, noting that sustainability is a key goal on their school’s vision board.

“This was our first time competing and we really tried to do our best. The irrigation system is a huge part of what we want to do, the foundation basically, and a precursor to the hydroponics system that we’re going to be creating at the school in September,” he said. “Our motto at the school is ‘changing average into amazing’, and we have students every day just stepping up and raising the bar.”

Barrack’s Road Primary focused on durability with their runner-up project. “We used Chubby bottles and binding wires to hold them together. When we were thinking about this project and sustainability, we thought whatever we created should be durable and protect the environment,” said Carlene Lumley, a teacher at the school.

The winning school received a personalized DIY green garden kit. All four schools also received prizes from KFC, Urban Development Corporation, Sunshine Snacks, Hospiten, Grace, and Pepsi.

Leeann Dunkley, Reggae Sumfest’s sustainability coordinator, praised the creativity and commitment of the participating schools, noting that the competition is a testament to the importance of engaging our youths in sustainability efforts.