A pineapple solar station?

From solar battery powered mobile phones to a robot hamster wheel producing electricity, those were the visions of some young artists in the past year.

It was all part of a sustainable art competition at the Rainbow Club Centre for Autism in Mahon.

Sponsored by Ørsted, the young artists were asked to imagine what the world of the future looks like run entirely on renewable energy.

Among their other visions were a pineapple solar station as well as a bee car to pollinate flowers and fields.

Ten winners were selected by Ørsted at the end of 2023 and the paintings will now become the backdrop for all Region Europe Onshore QHSE Microsoft Teams calls. Meanwhile, all entries were presented with a goody bag containing wildflower seeds, a recycled water bottle, Ørsted’s children’s story book on climate change, and sweets.

Eoin Doyle, Head of Regional Onshore QHSE in Europe at Ørsted, said: “With this art competition, we wanted the children to express themselves and have some fun. Onshore QHSE Europe are the real winners here, now having fabulous backdrops to promote engagement and pride for our local community. The art submitted simply blew us away. The level of awareness of climate change in these children and the quality of their ideas to address sustainability with novel and fun approaches really impressed us.”

Karen O’Mahoney, founder of the Rainbow Club Centre for Autism, said: “Working with over 1,000 children, we offer supports from early childhood until young adulthood to promote inclusivity, opportunity and brighter futures for children living with autism so that they can reach their full potential.”