&#8220Our Green Queens” essay contest winners

Sometimes being green ain't so bad.
Councilmember James F. Gennaro and Cherry Castellvi, the owner of ReMax Family Realty in Fresh Meadows, honored six high school students on Monday, June 25 chosen from 60 who wrote essays about the environment for the second annual &#8220Our Green Queens Essay Contest.”
Gennaro, who is chair of the City Council's Environmental Protection Committee, read each of the essays submitted by students from Townsend and Hillcrest High Schools, who answered the question &#8220What do you think is the one best action that people in our community can take to protect our environment?”
Gennaro and Castellvi presented awards in-person to the students, who were accompanied by family members and faculty from their schools.
&#8220Nothing is more important to the future of Queens than helping to instill in our younger generations the importance of being conscious and concerned stewards of the environment,” Gennaro said.
The first-prize winners Gulam Raju from Townsend and Tricia Kutwaru from Hillcrest were awarded $100 each for their efforts. Raju wrote an essay urging community members to go to parks and develop personal relationships with nature, and Kutwaru stated the need for individuals in a community to unite in helping preserve the environment.
&#8220Over eight million individuals reside in New York City, whose actions are required for the well being and improvement of our environment. Living in the urban city, we often forget to set apart time all that nature has to offer us. If the eight million individuals took the time to enjoy nature and had a connection with nature, our environment would benefit dramatically,” Raju wrote in his essay.
Narinda Khalikaprasad and Iana Neil from Hillcrest and Cheri Cheng and Sara Lynch from Townsend were named runners-up. They each won $50. All six students received City Council Citations for their participation. The prize money was donated by Castellvi and ReMax Family Realtors located at 185-06 Union Turnpike.
The contest is part of Gennaro's ongoing &#8220Our Green Queens” initiative that encompasses planting trees, educating elementary and middle school students about the environment, recognizing Queens' environmental leaders and sponsoring the construction of a green roof atop the science building at Queens College.