Presidential Environmental Youth Award Alumni Strikes Again

A former PEYA participant is at it again. She’s paving the way as an environmental leader and all at the ripe age of 17.

Wisconsin’s Jordyn Schara, and her team, had an opportunity to present their  P2D2 (Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal) project, that earned them 3rd place in the Presidential Environmental Youth Award, to a group in Sweden.  This June, a panel of international environmental judges, including United Nation representatives, learned more about P2D2’s goals of educating the public about the environmental harm done when drugs and prescriptions are improperly disposed of.

Water contamination has occurred because folks sometimes flush unused prescription drugs down a toilet, triggering a dangerous hazard. Through education and “drug take-back” collection events, P2D2 keeps unused prescription medications out of the waste stream in Illinois and Wisconsin and helps keep drugs out of the hands of teenagers. More than 440 pounds of drugs were collected at the very first event. 

Jordyn’s team is pioneering the way to proper prescription disposal.  They’ve worked with schools in their area, are making their state legislators aware of the issues, and now they are reaching a global audience. 

As for Jordyn, she is carrying the Olympic torch through Ludgershall, UK as an official Olympic torchbearer in July.  Not bad, not bad at all.

Yvonne Gonzalez is a SCEP intern with the Air and Radiation Division in Region 5.  She recently received a graduate degree from DePaul University

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