In celebration of Earth Day, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) employees and contractors submitted their best photos depicting the beauty and magnificence of the world for a contest. Photos fall under one of four categories: wildlife, scenery, foliage, and sustainability projects or activities. The submitted photos are displayed onsite and at the Ashford Office Complex for team members to view and vote for their favorite photo. West Valley will award a trophy to the winner in each category following the voting period, which ends April 30. “This Earth Day activity helps create awareness of nature’s beauty and reinforces the importance of environmental stewardship for everyone,” said Julie Sansone, environmental engineer with CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, EM’s cleanup contractor at West Valley.
Additionally, students from local high schools compete in the 2024 Cattaraugus County Envirothon this Wednesday with support from WVDP. The Envirothon is an outdoor, hands-on environmental competition that emphasizes teamwork while testing students’ knowledge in aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and a current environmental issue topic, which this year is renewable energy for a sustainable future. Teams work together to complete exams at different stations, identifying various species of trees, wildlife and fish on display, and answer questions about habitat and other environmental related issues. A presentation on the current issue topic is rated as part of each team’s score. The Envirothon competition encourages student interest in the environment and reinforces the importance of protecting natural resources. Scores for the five exams are totaled, and the team with the highest cumulative total wins the competition.
Official news published at https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/enduring-environmental-stewardship-em-marks-earth-week-across-country
