TEENAGERS enjoy nothing more than lazing around in bed, if national papers are to be believed.

But this is not the case for Kirk Slankard who hopes his passion for composting, recycling and pond digging will win him the coveted title of Young Environmentalist (11 to 18) at this year’s Green Guardian Awards.

The 16-year-old Coopers Technology College student is responsible for recycling at his home, and likes to see how well different materials decompose in his family’s compost bin.

His Darwinian approach to observing natural processes at work extends to the wider green environment and he has dug out and lined a pond in woods near his home.

Kirk enjoys observing the cycle of life in the pond and is also a member of a Friends of the Park group.

As well as this he is an active member of the Bromley Youth Advisory Panel and also enjoys sharing his knowledge of the natural environment with his two foster siblings.

Kirk said: “I feel quite honoured and proud. It is important for people to be interested because it is only going to become a bigger subject in the future with the way it is going with global warming.”