Thirteen-year old Michelle Lai of Toronto has been named first place winner and 11-year old Vellia Zhou of New York City has received second prize for their paintings that illustrate this year’s ICPC theme, “Green Communities.” A panel of judges selected the winners from among more than 800 students who submitted artwork in UNEP’s North American region, which includes the United States and Canada.

Lai attends Toronto’s Beware Wet Paint Progressive Art School and took the top prize for an acrylic painting that depicts her strategy for creating a green community. With a polluted city on the outskirts, Lai’s artwork is dominated by an enormous key made of a tree with cuts of an electric car, a solar panel, wind turbine and bicycle that “unlocks” the door to a new pristine community.

World Migratory Bird Day was initiated in 2006 and is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. World Migratory Bird Day is organized by the Secretariats of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) – two international wildlife treaties administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – and a growing number of partners. Join the celebration of a great natural wonder on World Migratory Bird Day! We invite everyone to join us to celebrate, protect and raise awareness of migratory birds on 12-13 May 2012 by organizing bird-watching events, educational programmes, lectures, art exhibitions, competitions and other public events. However you decide to participate, your contribution will help make a difference!

Earth Day on the National Mall in Washington DC will be the centerpiece of Earth Day in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of environmentally-conscious people from all walks of life and all parts of the country will be joined by civic leaders and celebrities for this special event to galvanize the environmental movement.

Participants on the National Mall will be standing in solidarity with the millions of people rallying at Earth Day events around the world from Rome to Rio, Beijing to Beirut. Together, we will Mobilize The Earth and build a sustainable future. Earth Day is also the official launch of UNEP’s Bridging the Gap initiative.

Earth Day on the National Mall 2010 musical headliners included Sting, John Legend, Joss Stone, The Roots, Mavis Staples, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Weir and more. Speakers included James Cameron, Jesse Jackson, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Denis Hayes, Billy Demong, Robert Kennedy Jr. and many others.

Be sure to check out the UNEP RONA booth when visiting Earth Day on the National Mall!

The Ian Somerhalder Foundation aims to join more than 2000 schools in a state wide effort to clean up local communities throughout the state of California while supporting the clean up efforts of partner organisations on Saturday, April 21st, 2012 to Clean Up the state of California. With support from cities, counties, local businesses, youth associations, schools, non-profit organizations and individuals, we do have the power to impact our planet.

The Ian Somerhalder Foundation’s Let’s Get Dirty Initiative aims to create a shift of consciousness in how we perceive ourselves as delineated entities from the environment and highlight how our daily choices as consumers create the environmental issues humanity is facing. It’s about understanding that every choice you make is a vote either for or against the kind of world you wish to live in. It’s about harnessing the power of choice.

For more information, please visit: http://www.isfoundation.com/campaign/lets-get-dirty

WED is approaching soon. Stay Tuned for more info on how Tunzana will promote youth efforts across North America. Please click on the WED logo for more information about WED activities in North America.