Somers 4th grader wins 2017 Earth Day poster contest

SOMERS, NY - Ever since the first Earth Day in 1970, students have been expressing their concern for our planet's future through art, songs and poetry. While contemplating what Earth Day meant to her, Julia Schmidberger, a forward-thinking fourth grader at Somers Intermediate School came up with the saying, "You can't change the past, but you can change the future!" She put her ideas on paper, entering her project in Senator Terrence Murphy's 2017 Earth Day Poster Contest for grades K-6. Julia's entry, which also encompassed the contest's theme, "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle," was chosen as this year's winner.

"Congratulations, Julia, for creating a poster that truly captured the message of this year's contest," Senator Murphy said. "All of our student contestants are to be commended for their creativity and originality. Their posters clearly conveyed their concern for the ecological future of our planet. I also want to thank their teachers and families who inspired the students and continue to support their thirst for knowledge."

"I am so proud that Julia took the time to enter the contest and that Earth Day inspired such a wonderful project," said Stacey Elconin, Principal for Somers Intermediate School. "You can see from the end result that Julia is invested in saving the planet and put a great deal of thought into her poster."

Expressing her happiness in winning the contest Julia said, "I feel so positive and proud that I won. I worked really hard on this and my mom helped me so much, so I am dedicating my win to her."

Since entering office in 2014, Senator Murphy has made improving New York's environment one of his primary initiatives. Last year, he approved a record amount of funding for the Environmental Protection Fund and secured a $500,000 line item in the budget for a critically needed meadow restoration project at Croton Point Park. In addition, Senator Murphy has had more than a dozen lakes, rivers and streams in the Hudson Valley added to New York's inland waterway list and led the effort to test drinking water in New York's schools. He has been leading the charge to keep the United States Coast Guard from approving barge anchorages along the Hudson River, and most recently, was instrumental in securing a historic $2.5 billion investment in clean water for this year's state budget.