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Environmental education grant awarded to the American Samoa Resource Conservation and Development Council

Release Date: 10/04/2006
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, [email protected]

(10/04/06) Supports student led environmental outreach project on water pollution

HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the American Samoa Resource Conservation & Development Council of Pago Pago, American Samoa $13,197 to support an environmental education project.

The Nu’uuli Polytech High School Conservation Club will use a combination of classroom presentations, hands-on plant propagation, and public outreach to educate high school students and the public about the issue of run off pollution.

“It is vital that we continue to support efforts to educate students and residents of American Samoa on the critical environmental issues in their community,” said Wayne Nastri, regional administrator of the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region.

Up to 28 high school students will be recruited and trained to educate six villages, totaling over 2,400 people, on such topics as stewardship, water quality, non-point source water pollution, and basic conservation. An additional 20,000 residents of American Samoa will be exposed to the stewardship message through signage and local television coverage.

Students will organize field day events, greenhouse instruction and communication to the public through newspapers and local public access television.

The project is funded by the EPA’s Environmental Education grant program. The grant is part of over $180,000 that the EPA awarded to organizations throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific.

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