Vena Energy, Asia-Pacific’s leading renewable IPP, announced today the winners of the inaugural “Blue Sky Environmental Speech Contest” in South Korea. The contest was held on 19 December at the Sejahtera Forest in the city of Tongyeong, which was designated as South Korea’s first Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development by the United Nations University.

The theme of the contest was “Our Environment and Future”, and its goal was to cultivate the interest and appreciation for the environment among the elementary and middle-school students. Referencing the theme, the students had to deliver a speech that included their ideas on how to “regain the blue sky” by reducing environmental pollution caused by fine dust. The students’ speeches were evaluated based on their content, persuasion, creativity, communication skills and expression, and a total of 10 students were admitted into the finals.

The judges for the “Blue Sky Environmental Speech Contest” included Kwangjin Cheong, Head of Vena Energy Korea; Ilsang Jeong, a Korean language teacher at a high school in Tongyeong for 35 years; Jinseok Gong, Head of Vestas Korea; Youngbong Ham, General Manager of the Haewon Cultural Foundation; and Chansung Park, Managing Director of Dohwa Engineering.

To ensure the safety of all participants, the event was conducted via teleconferencing in Seoul and in Tongyeong, in compliance with the guidelines and regulations of the local government.

After careful evaluation and deliberation, the judges awarded the following prizes to the respective winners.

“These children have demonstrated their ingenuity and desire for a cleaner environment and clear blue skies, and we have to take every step in ensuring that we preserve our planet so that they can continue to enjoy it as we do now,” said Kwangjin Cheong, Head of Vena Energy Korea. “We look forward to supporting the communities through more initiatives in the future, as we work closely towards decarbonizing the economy through renewable energy.”

“This competition is expected to be a great place for students to reconfirm their high interest in the environment and share their creative perspectives with communities.” Said Ilsang Jeong, one of the judges who taught students in high school students in Tongyeong.