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BUSH, WHITMAN HONOR YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALISTS AT WHITE HOUSE
Release Date: 04/24/2001
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: APRIL 24, 2001
BUSH, WHITMAN HONOR YOUNG
ENVIRONMENTALISTS AT WHITE HOUSE
Contact: Chris Paulitz, 202-564-9556
President George W. Bush and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman today welcomed students from across the nation to the White House to honor their achievements in environmental protection. The 2001 President’s Environmental Youth Awards were presented to 19 students at an afternoon ceremony in the State Dining Room.
"Environmental awareness is a virtue more and more young people are now learning at an early age," stated Administrator Whitman. "These students have shown that you don’t have to live in Washington, D.C. to know how to make our local communities cleaner and safer. They are living proof that fundamental change begins in our own back yards."
The President’s Environmental Youth Awards have been presented annually since 1971 to honor students age K - 12 who develop projects that help protect their communities and address local environmental concerns. This was the first time in eight years that the awards were presented personally by the President at the White House. Winners were selected from among applicants in the EPA’s 10 regions.
This year’s recipients submitted summaries of their projects to EPA’s regional offices. The projects were then judged on the basis of their accomplishment of goals, long term environmental benefits and community impact. The judges also considered design, coordination, implementation aspects, and the student’s effectiveness in presenting their projects.
This year’s award recipients are from: Wellesley, Mass.; Cherry Hill, N.J.; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Lincolnshire, Ill.; Victoria, Texas; Story City, Iowa; Hyrum, Utah; Chico, Calif.; and Soldotna, Ariz. The list of award winners and their projects are as follows:
EPA Region 1: 617-918-1008
Bates Elementary School - Class 1-2M
Wellesley, Mass.
Bates School Trash Club - First and second grade students successfully founded a school-wide Trash Club to keep their school environment clean. They learned to value and appreciate their environment and how to work together for a common goal.
EPA Region 2: 212-637-3675
Lewis E. Gorman, IV
Cherry Hill, N.J.
Battery Recycling Program - Lewis Gorman researched, planned, and carried out a recycling program to protect his community from the toxic effects of the improper disposal of batteries. Lewis’ project, which continues today, includes a community outreach and education component and highlights the far-reaching and positive results one young person can achieve in an effort to protect the environment.
EPA Region 3: Did not submit a national winner
EPA Region 4: 404-562-8325
Bryce Galen
Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Big Turtle Greenway Nature Trail - Bryce Galen planned and constructed a nature trail in his community which includes an educational guide on the ecological features of several different habitats through which the trail passes. His diligence and dedication embodies the spirit of volunteerism and resulted in the official adoption of the nature trail as part of the GreenWays system.
EPA Region 5: 312-353-6218
Andrew Klaber and Lauren Goldberg
Lincolnshire, IL
Recycled Paper Procurement Initiative - When Andrew Klaber and Lauren Goldberg discovered that their school, Stevenson High School, had stopped recycling paper in 1997 because markets for recycled paper were not strong enough to keep a local hauler in business, they launched this initiative to encourage their school to recycle and purchase recycled paper and act as a model for other schools. This has resulted in over 30 schools placing orders for recycled paper.
EPA Region 6: 214-665-2208
Barbara Brown, Kate Klinkerman and Lacy Jones
Victoria, TX
Don’t Be Crude - As part of a six year plan, these students have developed a program to eliminate the improper disposal of crude oil products such as motor oil and hydraulic fluid in their county. They received funding from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to support their efforts and are working with a local environmental science teacher to create curriculum plans on crude oil products that correlate with state science standards.
EPA Region 7: 913-551-7316
Lynden Dally, Madyson Dally
Roland-Story Elementary School, Ms. Linda Scheuermann’s Fourth
Grade Class
Story City, Iowa
Endangered Species Project (E.S.P.) - After studying about endangered species in science class, Ms. Scheuermann’s students developed a habitat protection program which included adopting a wetlands area in their community, building wood duck houses, and strengthening protection for Iowa’s swan population.
EPA Region 8: 303-312-6780
Derek Jacobson, Melanie Maughn
South Cache 8-9 Center
Hyrum, Utah
Habitat Gain - Wildlife Raise and Release - Students from this community center worked with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to improve fresh-water fishery conditions in their local community by establishing a series of ponds on public lands to maintain a healthy population of gamefish. The ponds were used to educate the community on proper fishing methods, avoiding transporting aquatic diseases, and the importance of maintaining high water quality.
EPA Region 9: 415-744-1587
Mary Bayhan
KMAC Kids
Chico, Calif.
What Could it Be, Beverly? - Youth in this community began investigating the connection between environmental exposures and adverse health effects when a family became ill for unexplained reasons. They used the Indoor Air Pollution, An Introduction for Health Professionals book to "sleuth" for clues and concluded, with the help of a public utility technician, that a faulty furnace led to carbon monoxide poisoning. They produced a book and video in storybook format for distribution to document this event and educate their community.
EPA Region 10: 206-553-7302
Michael Penland, Eric Soderquist, Paul Kim
Soldotna, Alaska
Soldotna Creek Park Project - As a community service project for their government class, these students designed and installed a fish habitat restoration and protection project at Soldonta Creek Park. The project focused on decreasing the impact of public use on the surrounding habitat while improving the accessibility and functionality of the facility. This was accomplished by building walkways and fishing platforms and restoring the surrounding habitat in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Division of Parks, local businesses, and the Kenai River Sportfishing Association.
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