A north-east schoolboy who came up with an idea to repackage unused food and give to those in need has visited Downing Street.
Lewis Howe, 12, of Laurencekirk was chosen as one of 26 One Step Greener ambassadors for the COP26 climate conference.
Other ambassadors include CBBC presenter Cam Whitnall and the award-winning animator Simone Giampaolo.
As part of his ambassadorial role, Lewis went to Downing Street where he discussed his idea with MP Bim Afolami.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson came in to say hello and make a speech about COP26.
The Mearns Academy pupil will present his idea to delegates at the COP26 summit in Glasgow this week.
Lewis credits 1st Laurencekirk Scouts, where he is a member, for inspiring the idea.
He came upon the idea while working towards his World Challenge Award.
Struggling with the confinement of lockdown, Lewis threw himself into the project, which he said helped him through the pandemic by giving him something to focus on.
He has now taken his idea to Aberdeenshire Council, and has emailed every school in Scotland.
‘If you have an idea, put it out there’
The One Step Greener star’s hope is that his own school will consider piloting the scheme.
“Scouts gave me the opportunity to come up with a simple idea that could have a big impact and act on it,” said Lewis.
“I had the support of my leaders. And it gave me the confidence to not give up and keep going once I started getting positive responses from schools.
“My idea is to reduce waste and see schools using leftover food by packaging it up and handing it out to food banks, or people collecting it from schools.
“I emailed all schools in Scotland and I’m working to get a pilot up and running. Then I will go back to all the schools with more than just an idea.
“I am going to start fundraising to buy a fridge and environmental friendly packaging for the pilot.
“If you have an idea, put it out there – all the little changes add up and together we can have a positive impact on climate change.”
He added: “I was surprised to be invited to 10 Downing Street, but I was very excited.
“It is a day I will never forget. I met lots of people including MP Bim Afolami who was really interested in hearing about my project, what I do at Scouts and how I earned all my badges. He talked to me about Number 10 and the gardens.”
Proud mum Julie said: “Lewis was working towards his World Challenge Award and had to do an environmental project.
“He realised a lot of food was thrown out by schools because it was close to its sell-by date, or had been cooked but not served.
“He had the idea of recycling it in environmentally friendly packaging and giving it to food banks or the homeless.”
‘A great future ahead of him’
North-east Scotland Scouts said they were “exceptionally proud” of their One Step Greener ambassador, praising him for using not only his skills from Scouts, but his own “initiative and resilience.”
Regional commissioner for North-east Scotland Scouts, Dougie Simmers, said: “At Scouts we prepare young people with the skills for life, and that includes learning about and taking action on social issues in the world.
“Our movement is about helping others. That’s how we started and it’s still the exact same today.
“Lewis is a great example of a young person taking initiative. Through his time with Scouts, he has really highlighted the issue of food wastage in certain settings.
“Lewis has a great future in front of him and is a massive credit to our whole movement.”
Gillian Owen, chairwoman of Aberdeenshire Council’s education committee, joined in the praise for the enterprising youngster.
“I am so pleased to hear about Lewis’ success as a One Step Greener ambassador for COP26,” she said.
“It’s fantastic to see young people’s ideas given national recognition.
“I’m aware that Lewis has discussed his proposal with his head teacher. Our catering team is now exploring the logistics and food safety challenges involved. I look forward to hearing more about the possibilities and practicalities in the coming months.”
COP26 opened on Sunday and runs until November 12.
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