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Connecting environment and culture

Release Date: 03/03/2008
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Tressa Tillman at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

International video conference brings students together to explore environmental issues

(Dallas, Texas – March 3, 2008) Students from several countries will come together on March 6 to discuss culture and the environment during a youth video conference sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, the University of North Texas (UNT) and the U.S. State Department.

The second International Indigenous Youth Conference on the Environment and Culture will begin at 6:45 a.m. in the UNT Gateway Center and will include students from Malaysia, Russia, and Uganda, as well as students in Oklahoma from the Kiowa, Wichita, Apache, Comanche, Osage, Lakota, Kialegee and Navajo nations.

“No matter what your age or where you call home, we can all do something positive for the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. “This conference is a great opportunity to get the next generation of students discussing environmental issues and discovering how they can make a difference in their communities.”

More than 80 students are expected to participate in the video conference, which is aimed at encouraging young people to take an active role in finding solutions to environmental problems that incorporate local, regional, and cultural perspectives. This year’s theme is “Environmental Protection and Indigenous Culture in an Age of Global Climate Change.” The event will be Webcast live at http://www.unt.edu/youthcon/ and will be available for archived viewing following the conference.

EPA and its Office of Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs organized the first international indigenous student video conference in March 2007. The office works with 65 federally recognized Native Nations to address environmental issues and strengthen the relationships between tribes and EPA.

Additional information on the environmental justice and tribal affairs program is available at https://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6dra/oejta/index.html.

To learn more about activities in EPA Region 6, visit https://www.epa.gov/region6.

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/audio.htm#audio030308_youthcon.