Michael S. Regan 16th Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency | Official Website
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 has announced Daniel Thomas of Colleyville, Texas, as the 2024 winner of the President’s Environmental Youth Award. Daniel founded LitterScout in 2019 to address local environmental challenges, particularly pollution in waterways.
“We are happy to see the next generation take such an interest in preserving our environment,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “Daniel has taken great strides in preserving our waterways from pollution and has created initiatives that show a strong skill for leadership and environmental innovation. We congratulate Daniel on his accomplishments and look forward to seeing his future projects.”
Through LitterScout, Daniel organized monthly cleanups in three Texas cities: Euless, Colleyville, and Grapevine. He produced 36 YouTube videos on environmental awareness, created 36 podcasts, wrote 36 blog posts, and published a book titled "Sustainable Living: Environmental Tips for Kids." Additionally, he developed an app to report littering along trails and waterways. Since its inception, LitterScout has prevented 16,703 pounds of trash from entering waterways and diverted 4,903 pounds of recyclables from landfills.
In recognition of his efforts, the City of Euless awarded him the Youth Volunteer Award in 2022. Governor Abbott presented him with the Texas Environmental Excellence Award in 2023.
Daniel is among several students nationwide who have received this prestigious award. The winners demonstrated their ability to safeguard natural resources and engage their communities in environmental awareness and protection. The EPA encourages young people across the nation to apply for this award to showcase their community efforts.
For additional information on PEYA and how to apply, please visit the EPA's webpage.
Since its establishment under the Environmental Education Act of 1970, the President’s Environmental Youth Award Program has recognized outstanding community-level environmental projects by K-12 youth for almost five decades. PEYA continues to promote natural resource awareness and encourages positive community involvement by honoring various local-level projects developed by students across all states and U.S. territories.
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