brainwaves4theplanet

We’d asked you for your brainwaves for fighting global warming, and you’d responded in your hundreds. Mr Blair welcomed some of the entrants inside Number 10 to meet him and his fellow judge, Take a Break’s Deputy Editor Sophie Hearsey.

There were three contenders present — Rachael Russell, of Leicester; Tracey Jones and her baby son Logan, of Worcester; and teacher Katarina Darcy and her class of Eco Warriors from Sunnyside Special School, Bedford.

Mr Blair stood up, tore open an envelope and began to read.
‘And the winner is…’ he said with a dramatic pause, ‘…Rachael Russell.’
An excited Rachael stepped forward and received a £1000 cheque from Take a Break.

We’d deliberately chosen winners from the young, knowing they are the ones who will bear the brunt of climate change.
Rachael’s e-mail had declared: ‘We will not be able to stop global warming but the more that we do, the easier it is for scientists to keep it under control.’

She listed all the things she did at home — using a washing line instead of a tumble dryer; ensuring the washer and dishwasher were on a full load; setting lower temperatures; fitting water meters; showers instead of baths; planting trees.
She said: ‘We started learning about it at school and everyone can make a difference. Now I spend most of my time running around after Mum and Dad. I unplug the hairdryer after Mum’s used it. When they leave lights on, I switch them off and I turn off all appliances that they leave on stand by. And when Dad’s being lazy and puts the washing in the tumble dryer, I take it out and hang it on the washing line. My brother says I go over the top but I don’t agree.’
Mr Blair congratulated her on her dedication.

The day had meant a very early start for teacher Katarina Darcy and her pupils and they filed into Downing Street under the lenses of cameras.
In her entry she wrote: ‘I have nine children in my class who all have learning difficulties. I am helping them learn about the world we live in and we call them Eco Warriors.
‘Their parents send in unwanted boxes, bottles and other packaging so we can use them in our art lessons. They also give us old clothes and fabric so they can practise doing up buttons, belts, ties, shoelaces and zips. We recycle cans, used printer cartridges and stamps.
‘Our classroom has a paper recycling bin but we only use it once we’ve written and drawn on both sides of the paper.
‘The computers and all other appliances are turned off at the socket when they’re not being used and we never leave them on stand by.
‘We have a school minibus but if it’s a short journey, we prefer to walk. Not only is it good exercise, but we are also able to look at and talk about the things we see and hear.’
The children met Mr Blair who again said they were setting an example for the future.

The other person to be introduced to Mr Blair was eight-month-old Logan Jones.
In his entry Logan — expressive despite his youth — had declared: ‘My mummy said I should tell you about how I am helping to save the world.
‘My favourite food is the food Mummy makes for me — no tins or jars. We buy our fruit and vegetables from the man at the car boot sale. He grows them himself.
‘I like to go for long rides in my pushchair, so Mummy has to walk everywhere. It’s good for her.
I take all my old clothes to my baby group and share them with my friends. We’re recycled babies!
‘I use real nappies and I’m really happy in them. I never get a sore bum, but best of all I have saved my mummy lots and lots of money. She says that if I used disposable nappies they would be sent to a landfill site to rot away and it would take over 50 years.
‘My mummy tells me you are never too young to do your bit to help save the world.’

Mr Blair said: ‘When Take a Break asked me to help judge brainwaves4theplanet I said yes immediately. It's been fantastic to discover just how many Take a Break readers - young and not so young - are thinking seriously about our environment. It's certainly not made it easy for the judges to pick a few potential winners from so many good ideas. But we have, and I was delighted to welcome Rachael Rusell and the other winners to number 10. Rachael's brainwaves demonstrated again the depth of concern among the younger generation about our environment and their determination to build a better future for everyone, and she's a very worthy winner. Even if you are not among the lucky few winners, don't think your ideas have been forgotten. We will be looking at them all to see what we can do. Even small changes - such as using low-energy light bulbs in our homes - can make a big difference. And they save money as well.

• Thanks to all of you for your brilliant ideas. With this sort of dedication, we can fight back against global warming before it is too late.