WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently celebrated the 2024 President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) and the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) awards ceremony. This ceremony marks an annual recognition of outstanding youth who are dedicated to environmental stewardship and impressive teachers who have contributed significantly to environmental education, according to the EPA.

“Educators and students across our country make remarkable contributions every day to protect the environment, and it’s an honor to celebrate them today,” said EPA administrator Michael S. Regan. “These awardees set the gold standard for environmental education as they implement innovative approaches to protect human health and tackle climate change.”

“Environmental stewardship often begins in the classroom with young people and educators who are taking our planet’s most pressing climate change and environmental justice challenges head on,” said Brenda Mallory, White House council on environmental quality chair. “This year’s awardees represent passionate and dedicated leaders who are tackling the climate crisis, improving public health and delivering a more equitable future for all.”

According to the EPA, since 1971 the president of the United States has joined with the EPA to recognize young people for protecting our nation's air, water, land and ecology. The PEYA program recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects developed by K-12 youth. This program honors and brings to light a wide variety of projects developed by these young students, school classes and clubs, youth camps, and youth organizations to promote environmental awareness and action in their schools and communities. The PEYA program promotes awareness of our nation's natural resources and encourages positive community involvement.

Established by the 1990 National Environmental Education Act, the PIAEE program supports, encourages and honors outstanding educators who integrate environmental and place-based, experiential learning into school curricula and school facility management across the country. The PIAEE program supports the environmental projects performed by these innovative teachers who go beyond textbook instruction to incorporate methods and materials that utilize creative experiences and enrich student learning, the EPA said. 

The program recognizes elementary and secondary (K-12) education teachers, school administrators and their local education agencies, and provides funding to help support those educators in their environmental education work.

To read about the winning projects in detail, visit President’s Environmental Youth Award winners and Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators winners.