EIC launched the fifth season of the video competition ‘Mini Negavatt’.

Environmental Investment Centre (EIC) launched the fifth season of the video competition ‘Mini Negavatt’. This year, pupils from grades 1–6 are invited to come up with imaginative solutions on the theme ‘A World Drowning in Things’. The grand prize of the competition is a class excursion worth EUR 700.

‘In a welfare society, overconsumption is clearly a major problem,’ says Anni Raie, Project Manager of Negavatt. Young people are increasingly influenced by advertising and trends. Fashions are changing at record speed, with new and smarter tech gadgets coming out every year. ‘We want to get children and young people thinking about how their consumer behaviour affects our environment. We are waiting for solutions on how to make both people and the Earth happy,’ she adds.

According to Andrus Treier, Chief Executive Officer of the EIC, projects addressing resource saving and sustainable solutions are also very important for the EIC: ‘For example, we have supported the establishment of repair workshops in both Tartu and Tallinn, the recycling of textile waste, and the creation of collection centres and circular economy centres.’ He adds: ‘By applying the principles of the circular economy and ingenious solutions, we can reduce overconsumption and oversupply. The Mini Negavatt competition is an opportunity for young people to have their say on these issues and come up with their own solutions.’

We want to get children and young people thinking about how their consumer behaviour affects our environment. We are waiting for solutions on how to make both people and the Earth happy.

Anni Raie, Project Manager of Negavatt

With all of the above in mind, the competition gives children the opportunity to find solutions to the following topics:

How can we reduce our consumption right now?

Instead of buying things, could they be borrowed or shared?

What can factories and plants do to reduce overconsumption?

How many things will there be in the future and what will they be?

The competition is open to video clips of up to two minutes. The competition is taking place in two age categories: Grades 1–3 and 4–6. Videos can be submitted by a teacher, class teacher, head of extracurricular activities, hobby teacher or youth worker representing a youth group via the Mini Negavatt website until 20 November.

The grand prize of the competition is a travel experience worth up to EUR 700 to visit a nature education centre or go on a hike for the best class in each age category. Second place will receive EUR 500, and third place EUR 300 worth of travel money. In addition, the special educational prizes will be awarded by the competition’s partners, including ERR Lasteekraan and the ETV2 Youth Programme NOVA, PROTO Invention Factory, Eesti Pandipakend, Telia, Rimi, Sõbralt Sõbrale, magazine Minu Maailm, Tartu Public Library, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Repository Library of Estonia, and the Education Centre of the National Library of Estonia.

The Environmental Investment Centre has been organising the video competition ‘Mini Negavatt’ since 2018. In previous years, pupils have come up with creative solutions to save the world from drowning in cities, cars, and clothes. The winning entries from the last four seasons can be found on the Mini Negavatt website.