Gerald Mak, one of three finalists in the Youth category of the 2008 Green Toronto Awards, is a Ward 23 Willowdale resident and a student at Earl Haig Secondary School. When Gerald first began attending Earl Haig in 2004, the school’s environmental program had a low profile. He took the initiative to create a student Eco Team highly motivated to promote environmental awareness and related activities at the school. According to the teacher who nominated him for the Green Toronto Award, Gerald has shown remarkable drive and talent in launching school initiatives in conserving energy, planting trees, minimizing waste and promoting student awareness of environmental issues. For example, he was a key organizer of the school’s 2007 anti-litter campaign called Operation Litterbug. And his personal initiative led to Earl Haig being considered for, and receiving, a provincial environmental award. As a student trustee at Earl Haig, Gerald has also shared his ideas beyond his school, communicating with other student eco teams across the city. He is clearly a young man with a green mission.