A competition to help decarbonise the English language!

“At the coal face” is a familiar phrase with a worthy meaning, speaking of where real productive work happens, as against a theoretical approach or activities like holding meetings or planning. 

But in a climate sense it also describes the extraction of a product we must stop using. Coal is an arch-villain of the climate crisis, and burning coal is one of the primary sources of greenhouse gases that are doing so much harm to our atmosphere.

So Climate Matters is challenging readers everywhere to come up with a simple phrase or saying that has a similar meaning, but that describes an activity we want to encourage rather than to stop doing.

Terms and conditions:

Entries are open to people and school classes everywhere, but prizes  will only be delivered to New Zealand addresses. There is no limit to how many entries an individual or class can make.

Entries must be in English and in the form below the line. Copy that information into an email, complete the details, and send to Lindsay@resilienz.co.nz by 4 p.m. on 15th March 2024. Emails can contain multiple entries as long as they are only from one person or school class.

Emails must have the subject line Beyond the coal face entry and must state the category entered

ENTRY IN THE “BEYOND ‘AT THE COAL FACE’”  COMPETITION.

Copy the following into an email, complete the information, and email to Lindsay@resilienz.co.nz by 4 p.m. March 14th

Name of entrant [individual, or class + school]:

Contact phone number [parent’s or teacher’s for categories 1 or 4]:

Address: [for prize delivery by courier]

Category  of entry  [choose one and delete the others]

A.  Primary and intermediate school students; B. Secondary school students; C. Open.  D. School class

Entry 1: [write your entry here]

[add extra entries if you have more than one.] 

By entering:
You agree to waiving copyright, to your entry being made open source, and to it and your name being published and broadcast in Climate Matters and on this website.

You confirm this is your original work and that it has not involved the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

You accept prizes will be awarded on the final decisions of the two judges, Chloe van Dyke of Chia Sisters, and Simon Millar of Pure Advantage, and that no correspondence will be entered into.

About our judges