Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced New England's 2024 recipients of the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) and the President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA).
"Environmental stewardship often begins in the classroom with young people and educators who tackle our planet's most pressing climate change and environmental justice challenges head-on," said EPA New England Administrator David W. Cash. "This year's awardees from New Hampshire and Rhode Island showcase a passionate leader and dedicated students whose great work creates a promising future for us all."
The PIAEE award was established by the 1990 National Environmental Education Act to recognize, support, and bring public attention to outstanding environmental projects performed by teachers who go beyond textbook instruction to incorporate creative experiences that enrich student learning in K-12 education.
2024 PIAEE Award Winner: Tara Happy, Hollis Primary School
Hollis, New Hampshire
Mrs. Happy, one of nine national award winners, is an environmental science teacher at Hollis Primary School in New Hampshire. She tailors each lesson based on her students' interests, fostering curiosity and promoting active engagement. For instance, after her students expressed interest in slugs, Mrs. Happy organized a "Slug Week" featuring slug art, stories, and contests. This initiative not only engaged students but also developed their respect for species and ecosystems.
Additionally, because Mrs. Happy's school is in a rural community where many students have farming connections, she teaches about plant life cycles through gardening activities. Her outdoor activities are inclusive for students with intensive needs such as nonverbal communication or mobility challenges.
In 2018, Mrs. Happy started a classroom composting program that has composted over 4,600 pounds of food scraps. A food waste diversion plan she organized allowed the school to divert over 10,600 pounds of cafeteria food waste. Her leadership extends beyond the classroom through collaboration with other teachers to integrate environmental education into the curriculum.
The PEYA was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1970 to recognize outstanding community-level environmental projects by K-12 youth that promote awareness of natural resources and encourage positive community involvement.
2024 PEYA Award Winner: The Barrington Environmental Establishment
By: Abigail Goblick, Siddharth Gupta, Mia He, and Emma Pautz
Award Category: Grade Level 6–12
Barrington, Rhode Island
The Barrington Environmental Establishment (BEE) is a student-led climate action organization founded by Emma Pautz , Abigail Goblick , Mia He ,and Siddharth Gupta . These high school students noticed that their coastal hometown of Barrington was impacted by climate change effects like increased flooding and extreme weather. They created BEE to help their community become more environmentally conscious while fostering positive change.
The BEE publishes a biweekly newsletter promoting environmental awareness and has organized several successful community projects. For example,BEE set up a public composting drop-off site where nearly 1 ,581 pounds of compost were collected within 21 weeks.Additionally,in collaboration with Tree-Plenish,the BEE sold 1 ,033 tree saplings offsetting206 tons of carbon last year.The organization invites community members to participate in monthly events as well as regular volunteer cleanup activities .
From across the country,nine educators receivedthe2024PresidentialInnovationAwardforEnvironmentalEducators.WinningeducatorsdemonstratedleadershipbyintegratingenvironmentaleducationintomultiplesubjectsandusingtopicssuchasclimatechangeenvironmentaljusticewaterinfrastructurewastemanagementwaterqualityenvironmentallyfriendlyagriculturalpracticesSTEMeducationandschoolgardenstoteachaboutenvironmentalsustainability.Thewinnersalsoeffectivelydemonstratedhowtheyinspiremembersoftheircommunitiestoparticipateinenvironmentaleducationactivities.Additionally29studentswhoworkedasateamorindividuallyon13projectsreceivedthePresident’sEnvironmentalYouthAward.Theirstewardshipprojectsconductedin2023demonstratethestudents’commitmentandsuccessinadvancingcommunitygardeneffortsaddressingenvironmentaljusticeconcernsreducingpollutionconservingwaterandenergyreducingfoodwasteandcombatingclimatechangewhilealsoeffectivelyencouragingtheinvolvementofpeopleintheircommunities.Toreadaboutthewinningprojectsinvisit:
PEYAWinners:https://www.epa.gov/education/presidents-environmental-youth-award-peya-winners.
PIAEEWinners:https://www.epa.gov/education/presidential-innovation-award-environmental-educators-piaee-winners.
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