The Young Canberra Citizen of the Year Awards
The Riverview Group is a proud sponsor of the Young Canberra Citizen of the Year Awards which provides an opportunity to recognise significant contributions made by young people in the community.
For the past three years the Riverview Group has sponsored the Young Environmentalist Award. The Riverview Group is committed to building strong and sustainable communities and so welcomed the opportunity to promote and encourage the exceptional dedication and service to the environment by young people in the ACT.
David Maxwell, The Riverview Group’s Executive Director was part of the selection panel for the Young Environmentalist Award. The award was presented to:
2013 – Maris Tebecis
2012 – Joshua Creaser
2011 – The Orana School’s ‘Wastebusters’
Maris’ award represents the culmination of an outstanding record of achievement over the last several years in environmental leadership. In 2010-2011 Maris served as Vice-President of the Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE), Australia’s peak professional body for environmental educators. As National Youth Program Coordinator for the 2010 AAEE conference he successfully brought together 60 young environmental leaders from across Australia to create visions and solutions for the most challenging environmental problems of our time. He also represented ANU at the Intensive Program on Sustainability in Japan examining innovative solutions for sustainable transport; and at the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) Global Summer Program at the University of Tokyo, on Sustainable Urban Management.
In 2011 he was selected through the IARU as a sustainability research intern at the University of Cambridge. The following year he attended IARU’s Global Cross-Disciplinary Tournament in Singapore where as part of the winning team proposed innovative solutions to the challenges facing cities. He also represented the ANU at the UN Conference on Sustainable development, Rio+20, tracking business innovation and education; and was the youngest delegate for the International Chamber of Commerce Creativity 4 Innovation Forum. That year he also represented the voice of children and youth at an international stakeholder meeting on the global sustainable development agenda held under the UN Environment Program. In 2013 selected by the ANU to join the Australian Youth Delegation to the G20 Youth Summit in St Petersburg as Minister for Environment.