News Releases from Region 04

Orlando, Fl. girl wins EPA’s President’s Environmental Youth Award

ATLANTA -- The White House Council on Environmental Equality, in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded Kady M. from Orlando, Fl. with the President’s Environmental Youth Award.

A ceremony held on August 16, 2016 at the White House included remarks from Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator; Dr. John Holdren, President Obama’s Chief Senior Advisor; and John King, Secretary of Education recognizing 18 teachers and 63 students from across the country for their outstanding contributions to environmental education and stewardship. 

After discovering electronic waste is the fastest-growing segment of items in landfills, Kady came up with the idea of eTreasure. eTreasure, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation designed to take disposable electronics and refurbish them as tablets to students within the local county. The goal of eTreasure is to keep the environment free of electronic waste by using resources wisely, and protecting the Earth. In order to accomplish this, Kady began electronic collection drives to ensure the proper disposal of electronics. Cell phones, tablets, and computers are first cleared and then donated to students, schools, soldiers, or other community members who otherwise would not have access to these technologies.

The PEYA awards recognize outstanding environmental stewardship projects by K-12 youth. Student projects featured activities such as creating a new eco-friendly fertilizer, restoring and conserving local habitats, promoting recycling and other waste reduction methods, analyzing the impact of solar panel installation, exploring a new water pollution mitigation method, and analyzing storm water flow and flood risk.                                                                        
For more information on PEYA, visit: http://www2.epa.gov/education/presidents-environmental-youth-award  

For a complete list of PEYA winners, visit: http://www2.epa.gov/education/presidents-environmental-youth-award-peya-winners.

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