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‘Green’ teen wins presidential award

Release Date: 04/17/2008
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Tressa Tillman at 214-665-2200 or [email protected]

(Dallas, Texas – April 17, 2008) Teaching others about the environment has earned a Texas teen presidential recognition.

Bianca Locke of Pasadena will be honored by President Bush today during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Locke is part of an elite group of students from across the nation to be presented with the President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA), which recognizes youth who help protect local environments and promote environmental awareness.

“Bianca and this year’s other PEYA winners show that environmental champions come in all ages,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. “It is inspiring to see such talented young people taking an active interest in the world around them and doing good things to protect its natural resources.”

PEYAs are presented each year to commend young people who become an environmental force, individually or collectively, within their community.

Locke became a recognized environmental leader in her community in May 2006 when her water conservation campaign at the city’s environmental fair won first prize for the “most educational booth.” She went on to develop an entire environmental education program that includes books on stormwater and recycling, presentations, activities and posters. Her presentations were designed to reach audiences of all ages and backgrounds and incorporated skits, pictures, scale models and even mascots with costumes to get her messages across. She also recruited other students and city staff to help with her work.

Locke has taken her education program to more than 30 schools, community events and environmental workshops, just to name a few. The high school senior has spoken to groups ranging in size from 5 to 150. She plans on continuing her work in the environmental field after college.

The PEYA program is sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency. Awards have been presented annually since 1971 to honor students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Nomination applications for the regional award program can be submitted through October 31 of each year. Additional information on the President’s Environmental Youth Award and the 2008 winners is available at https://www.epa.gov/peya/.

To learn more about activities in EPA Region 6, please visit https://www.epa.gov/region6.

An EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/audio.htm#audio_041708_peya.