EPA New England Announces recipients of the 2023 President's Environmental Youth Awards and Presidential Innovation Awards for Environmental Educators
BOSTON (April 26, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with the White House Council on Environmental Quality announced the 2023 recipients of the President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) and Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE).
"These students and teachers are making a real, immediate, and significant improvement to the environment they live in," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "They have tackled environmental challenges in their communities and in the world at large and we thank them for their hard work."
The PEYA was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1970 and recognizes outstanding community-level environmental projects by K-12 youth that promote awareness of natural resources and encourages positive community involvement. Each year, PEYA honors a variety of local projects developed by students, school classes, summer camp attendees and youth organizations to promote engagement in environmental stewardship and protection.
The PIAEE award was established by the 1990 National Environmental Education Act and seeks to recognize, support, and bring public attention to the outstanding environmental projects performed by teachers who go beyond textbook instruction to incorporate methods and materials that utilize creative experiences and enrich student learning in K-12 education.
This year's New England PEYA winners are:
Aanya Soni, Award Category: Grade Level K-5, Hopkinton, MA
Aryan Mago, Award Category: Grade Level 6-12, Groton, MA
This year's New England PIAEE winners are:
Margaret Brennan, Portsmouth Middle School, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Gwynne Millar, Exeter West Greenwich High School, West Greenwich, Rhode Island
PIAEE Honorable Mentions are:
Chris Donnelly, Boston Green Academy, Brighton, Massachusetts
Matthew Dransfield, South Burlington High School, South Burlington, Vermont
To read about the winning projects in detail, visit: