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Lewisville, N.C., Student Receives Presidential Environmental Youth Award

Release Date: 05/14/2009
Contact Information: Davina Marraccini, (404) 562-8293, marraccini.davina@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – May 14, 2009) EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson recognized Cory Adkins, a student at Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, N.C., at the Presidential Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) ceremony in Washington, D.C. Adkins is one of 10 national winners who were recognized. He received the award for his outstanding work in creating the Green Books Project, an environmental education program for his local community.

Adkins started the project after he noticed costly text books were being thrown away year after year following his school’s book sale. Adkins faced a tough question: what to do about it? Adkins created the Green Books Project to sell used text books over the internet. The project has funded an environmental club that collects and recycles old books. The proceeds from the book sales have been reinvested back into the community and are used to purchase recycling bins. Additionally, the project has helped the school to start its own recycling program.

Adkins designed and distributed a “how-to” manual for others who might be interested in starting similar programs. Most excess books have been donated to prisons, elementary schools and a mobile library in Kenya. Adkins also spearheaded an initiative that placed energy-saving devices in his school and community with money from the project.

Adkins is among winners selected from EPA’s 10 regional offices. Regional EPA panels judged the projects on environmental need, accomplishments, long-term environmental benefits and impact on local communities. The panels also considered project design, coordination, implementation, innovation and soundness of approach. PEYA has been presented annually since 1971 to honor students in kindergarten through 12^th grade who design and implement innovative environmental projects.

More information about the winners and their project descriptions can be found online at: https://www.epa.gov/peya/peya2008.html