Three New England Youth and Environment Programs Awarded $15,000 in 2007

EPA’s New England office recently awarded grants to three organizations in New England that have coordinated on-going summer youth environmental employment programs, continuing the Agency’s 18-year dedication to introducing economically disadvantaged high school students to career opportunities in the environmental field. The funding was made available through EPA New England’s Regional Geographic Initiatives Program.

A grant of $4,000 was awarded to the New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. (NHEP), which oversees an on-site summer youth employment program at its Common Ground High School site in New Haven, Conn.
A grant of $5,000 was awarded to the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE) to oversee a program at the Saco, Maine Department of Public Works.

A grant of $6,000 was awarded to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) to oversee a program at the Lowell, Mass. Regional Wastewater Utility.

EPA’s Youth and Environment Program, established in 1990, promotes environmental education and provides economically disadvantaged high school students with increased awareness to protect the environment and water quality within their own communities.

“By giving students opportunities to learn about environmental careers, we are able to pass on the importance in making a connection between their life goals and protecting the environment,” said U.S. EPA New England Regional Administrator Robert W. Varney.