In April, President Bush and then-Acting EPA Administrator Steve Johnson met with students from across the nation at the White House to honor their achievements in environmental protection. In a ceremony in the East Room, 30 students were presented with the 2004 President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA).

The winners came from Middletown, R.I.; Staten Island, N.Y.; Saint Paul, Va.; Cairo, Ga.; Chesterland, Ohio; Del City, Okla.; Lincoln, Neb.; Hyrum, Utah; Chino Hills, Calif.; and Salem, Ore. They were selected from applicants to each of the 10 EPA regions.

"I am impressed by the environmental commitment these young people have shown," said Johnson. "Their projects demonstrate the enthusiasm for improving our environment that I see in youth across the country."

The awards have been presented annually since 1971 to honor students in kindergarten through 12th grade who develop projects that help protect local environments and promote local environmental awareness in their communities.

Each student receiving an award developed an innovative project that promoted awareness and encouraged people of all ages to protect their environment through community involvement. Examples included: building nesting boxes on Staten Island; monitoring water quality in a local stream and educating the community to protect it; studying groundwater and organizing community events to teach others about its importance; and restoring a habitat for the endangered Fenders Blue Butterfly.

More information on the PEYA Program, as well as a listing of the 2004 award winners and their project descriptions, is available at www.epa.gov/enviroed/peya2004.html#top.