Tag Archives: environmental education summit

PEYA Summit Blog

studentsWe were thrilled to receive an invitation to the White House Summit on Environmental Education on April 16, 2012 to receive the President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA). This award was created to recognize the outstanding work of young people in their environmental community. We were the winners in Region 8 which consists of CO, ND, SD, WY, MT, and UT.

We came from Colorado and our project was spreading the word in our state about radon and how it can cause lung cancer. It is easy to test for radon in your home with a simple test kit. We spoke to city councils, at community events, and at our State Capitol on the dangers of Radon. We presented at the National Radon Conference and International Radon Symposium in Florida.

The Summit experience was enlightening. It was held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White. We were excited to hear speeches by the Honorable Lisa Jackson, the  Administrator of the EPA, and Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. We had a roundtable discussion where we shared our projects with the winners from other regions.  We came home inspired by their ideas.

We encourage other kids in the US to pursue environmental projects to make us safer, to conserve resources, and to make our world a healthier place to live in. Many environmental issues affect our health and that’s important to us as kids. Getting involved in your community is one of the best things you can contribute.

Eric and Christina Bear from Golden, Colorado were a 2011 President’s Environmental Youth Award winner.

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