A Eurobodalla Shire student has it in the bag after being named a winner in Coles’ national bag design competition.
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Moruya High School student Ella Burke was one of 14 winners selected as part of the supermarket chain’s reusable shopping bag design competition.
Ella’s design was one of more than 1000 received from primary and secondary students across the country and will feature on hundreds of thousands of reusable shopping bags as Coles prepares to phase out single-use bags from July 1, 2018.
Ella will receive a $5,000 grant for their school to spend on an environmental or sustainability project.
The 16-year-old’s design will help raise funds for Guide Dogs Australia, with 25 cents from each bag donated to the charity.
Funds raised through the sale of the tote bags will help to breed, raise and train Guide Dogs for Australians living with blindness or low vision.
Ella’s passion for the environment was an influence on her winning design. Her love of art was inspired by her mum, who happens to be a great sketcher.
“(The environment is) really important because it’s where we get all of our natural resources from and our oxygen. We should appreciate it,” Ella said.
“The inspiration for my design comes from my local environment and the stuff I get to see every day.”
Her mum is incredibly proud of the colourful fish design which pays tribute to the natural beauty of Australia’s waterways.
Coles Managing Director John Durkan said the sale of the bags was a win win-win for the environment and the four community organisations.
“We are very pleased to announce that this new range of reusable bags will not only help the environment, but will also be supporting four organisations that are important to local communities,” Mr Durkan said.
“These reusable bags will be a celebration of young Australian talent and the passion that children share for helping the environment.
“The wonderful efforts of these budding artists will be seen and appreciated by millions of customers who shop at Coles each week.”