K-6 ------- Today’s Youth Protecting Tomorrow’s Environmen+ Overview If you know one or more students who have done their part to protect the environment or are interested in doing more, tell them about the Environmental Protection Agency’s President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) program. The PEYA program, in existence for nearly 30 years, is the granddaddy of all the children’s environmental programs. Kids of any age - from kindergarten through high school - can enter as individuals, or as a group. All students who complete an environmental project and submit an application will receive a signed certificate from the President of the United States in recognition of their accomplishments. One outstanding project from each of the ten EPA Regions will be presented with a Presidential plaque at an EPA sponsored award ceremony. Now is the time for students and sponsors to start thinking about what project they might be able to enter in the next PEYA program. Information on the program is available on the EPA web site at www.epa.gov/enviroed, or by contacting your Regional PEYA Coordinator at the phone number listed. The rules are simple: the individual or the group must have completed an environmental project while in grades K-12; the project must be sponsored by at least one adult representative; and the application must be mailed to the regional office in your area by the annual application deadline in July. At a recent awards ceremony, the EPA Administrator said, “These young people are leading the way in the protection of public health and the environment. Through these projects and commitment, these students are setting an example for all of us in making our communities cleaner and healthier.” Past projects have ranged from creating and maintaining an urban nature trail in New York City, to reversing the decline of the Chiricahua Leopard in the Arizona desert. In Irvine, Kentucky, a group of students from Estill County High School decided they wanted to put a stop to people littering the roads and highways of their bluegrass state. After considerable grass-roots organizing and much publicity, they got an amended version of their “bottle bill” passed by the Kentucky Senate, calling for a two-year task force to study various refuse control methods. In Ocean Shores, Washington, six high school girls at the University of Washington Summer Science Camp decided to build an education, research and tourism trail and conduct experiments with students across the world via a web site they developed. Encourage one or more students you know to get involved in the PEYA program and see what a difference thay can make with an award winning environmental project! ------- How The Program Works The program has two components: The regional certificate program and the regional award winner. Regional certificates are awarded by the Regional Offices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One first place project is selected as the regional winner by the Regional Office and is presented with a Presidential plaque at an EPA sponsored award ceremony. Regional Certificate Program The sponsor must complete the attached application and mail it to the appropriate EPA Regional Office (see listing of Regional PEYA Coordinators). The regional certificate program is conducted year-round; therefore, the applications for the regional program can be submitted at any time. If a project is completed and submitted as part of the regional component of the program, all participants will receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States honoring them for their efforts in public health and environmental protection. Application Procedures Although creativity is encouraged, applications must conform to the following guidelines: • The sponsor(s) MUST sign and date the application. • The application must summarize the project in no less than three, and no more than five 81/2 by 11 inch pages, not including supporting materials. These supporting materials may include mounted photographs, news clippings, and other supplemental items such as full texts of scientific papers. Typed (double spaced) applications are encouraged. Applicants should type or write only on one side of each sheet. • Applicants are strongly urged to follow the specific criteria that the Regional Awards Panel will use to evaluate applications (see Judging Criteria). Because judges can not visit projects, students are encouraged to include photographs, newspaper articles, and other supporting materials with their applications. This will help the judging panel to gain a more comprehensive view of the project. • On a separate sheet of paper, attached to the three to five-page application, list the group name (if applicable), names of individuals and addresses of all project participants and sponsors. Also list the project name if it has one. The sponsor’s home and work telephone numbers and signature must appear on this sheet. How To Apply Eligibility To be eligible, a young person, or group of young people, must have completed an environmental project while in grades kindergarten through 12, and the project must be sponsored by at least one adult representative of their school, camp, youth group, or public interest group. Application Deadline _______________________ To participate in the annual awards competition, projects must be completed by July 31st of the award year; applications must be mailed to the appropriate Regional Office; and applications must be postmarked by July 31st or earlier of the same year. Do not mail the applications to EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Judging Criteria ___________________________ Each Regional Awards Panel will judge projects on: • The environmental need for the project. • The environmental appropriateness of the project. • Accomplishment of goals. • The long-term environmental benefits derived from the project. • Positive environmental impact on the local community and society. • The extent to which the project was designed, coordinated, and implemented due to the young person’s or persons’ initiative. • The positive ways in which other groups or individuals were involved to provide funds, resources, or publicity. • Innovation. • Soundness of approach, rationale, and scientific design (if applicable). • Clarity and effectiveness. Role of Sponsor The adult sponsor plays an important role in helping a young person or group of young people carry out their projects and apply for awards. Sponsors should offer suggestions and advice on: • Developing a sound approach to the project. • Project implementation. • Working with other groups and individuals in the corn mu n ity. • Completing the application form(s) and preparing accompanying materials. The sponsor must be an adult and can be a teacher, youth group advisor, summer camp counselor, or community leader. Young people must work closely with the sponsor(s) throughout the project and application procedures. Questions can be directed to your state’s Regional PEYA Coordinator. ------- PAGE NOT AVAILABLE DIGITALLY ------- EPA Regional PEYA Coordinators EPA Region I - Wanda Rivera, (617) 918-1113 Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont EPA Region 2 - Cecelia Echols, (212) 637-3678 New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands EPA Region 3 - Betty Ringkamp, (215) 884-5663 Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C. EPA Region 4-Alice Chastain, (404) 562-8314 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee EPA Region 5 - Megan Gavin, (312) 353-5282 Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin EPA Region 6 - Sergio Rodriguez, (214) 665-7185 Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas EPA Region 7 - Bill Landis, (913) 551-7314 Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska EPA Region 8 - Fran Wiscamb, (303) 312-6613 Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming EPA Region 9 - Vacant, (415) 744-1166 Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands EPA Region 10 - Sally Hanft, (206) 553-1207 Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington ------- United States Environmental Protection Agency (Please print or type.) President's Environmental Youth Awards Application This is a voluntary program. Applications should be filled out only by (hose who wish to participate. Name: Street: City: State: Zip: Project: Describe project and results achieved. Date project was started and ended Did project receive press coverage? If "yes", attach press clippings. Number of certificates required On a separate sheet of paper, please list the name(s), addresses, ages, and grades of individuals qualifying for awards. Print or type the name(s). Signature(s) of sponsor(s) - Must be signed by adult sponsor(s). Name Name Street Street City, State, Zip City, State, Zip Home telephone Home telephone Business telephone Business telephone. Signature Signature ------- ------- |