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Students in Grades K-12 Encouraged to Enter the 2009 President's Environmental Youth Awards Competition

Release Date: 11/17/2009
Contact Information: Denise Morrison, (913) 551-7402, morrison.denise@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Nov. 17, 2009) - Entries are now being sought for the 2009 President's Environmental Youth Awards, which recognize individuals, school classes (kindergarten through high school) and youth organizations for protecting our nation's air, water and land.

The program, which honors a variety of environmental projects developed by students, is open to students in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska through EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan.

The program has two components: The regional certificate program and the regional award winner. Regional certificates are awarded by each of the regional offices of the EPA. Each regional office also selects one first-place project as its regional award winner, and the sponsor and winner of that award travel to Washington, D.C., to receive their award.

Projects must be postmarked by Thursday, December 31, 2009. [Deadline has been extended until January 15, 2010.] Program guidelines, eligibility information and applications are available online at www.epa.gov/enviroed/peva or by contacting Denise Morrison toll-free, 1-800-223-0425. Regional award winners will be notified in January 2010.

Here's a brief look at Region 7's award winning project from last year:

2008 - Recycle Rally, Scottsbluff Neb. High School, Scottsbluff, Neb. - Elizabeth Turnbo, a student from Scottsbluff High School, organized a family event to educate and inform the Scottsbluff community about the importance of recycling and where to take recyclable items. The rally featured six games, five informational booths and four displays, all made from recyclable materials, as well as an informational handout that included maps to local recycling facilities.
More than 250 people, or more than twice the crowd that Turnbo hoped for, participated in the Recycle Rally. The Recycle Rally has become an annual event.