Mike Town, a Redmond High School (RHS) teacher, is one of 18 teachers selected nationwide to receive the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators.

Town and Susan Milan, a South Whidbey Elementary School teacher and honorable mention winner from Langley, will be recognized Wednesday night at E3 Washington’s “Summer Evening Celebration” at McKinstry Innovation Center in Seattle.

Town and Milan were selected for “their demonstrated excellence in preparing classes with an environmental focus that reflected real-life community challenges and created a powerful bond between their students and the natural world.”

The Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators recognizes and supports urban and rural educators who use experiential environmental opportunities to help students develop a sense of civic responsibility and stewardship in ecosystems. The award is given by the White House Council on Environmental Quality in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Mr. Town and Ms. Milan get ‘gold stars’ for preparing future generations of environmental stewards,” said Kate Kelly, director of EPA’s Office of Ecosystems, Tribal and Public Affairs in Seattle. “In addition to being inspiring leaders, these educators have made learning about the environment interesting and fun.”

Nationally, this year’s winning teachers’ programs ranged from field studies in watershed and wetland science in New England to the study of clean energy sources in Colorado and ocean and climate science in Texas, forest ecology and trout studies in the Pacific Northwest and water resource management projects in the desert.