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​​​NIH Winners from the 2023 HHS Kids’ Earth Day Poster Contest​​​

The winners for each age group have been selected from the NIH submissions for the 2023 HHS Kids' Earth Day Poster Contest! These winners for the Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 groups will compete with the corresponding winners from the other OPDIVs for the overall HHS award. We greatly appreciate everyone that took the time and effort to enter the contest! Each of the NIH submissions can be viewed here. The winning posters are displayed below. We also interviewed the winning illustrators to learn about their favorite part of the contest and how they plan to celebrate Earth Day. Please join us in congratulating the winners and wish them luck in the final round of the contest!

Winner Responses:

What was your favorite part about creating your Earth Day poster?

• Benjamin McDermott (K-2) – “My first draft of the poster got ruined by spilled water so I had to start over. My favorite part was that my family helped me with ideas to try again."
• Jungwon Kim (3-5) – “I [enjoyed finding an] idea. And I thought of a turtle because it is the animal that can live on land and the sea that we need to keep clean."
• Aditi Ganguli (6-8) – “My favorite part about creating the Earth Day poster was to show what we can do to make the earth look clean and beautiful."
• Emily Mu (9-12) – “My favorite part of the process was coming up with designs and researching different methods to help the earth."

How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day?

• Benjamin McDermott (K-2) – “Last year we planted trees at our cabin. I hope we do that again."
• Jungwon Kim (3-5) – “I will celebrate Earth day with friends who don't realize that the earth needs our help now. I want to let them know we should help our planet to be clean and it is late already but still we can change."
• Aditi Ganguli (6-8) – “On Earth Day I would like to walk round my community and pick up all plastic items that are littered here and there. I would also like to plant a tree in my backyard garden."
• Emily Mu (9-12) – “I will pick litter and appreciate nature. I will present my post and introduce the NIH Earth day to my class/clubs if possible."
  

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PFAS, the Forever Chemicals ​​Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS, are often referred to as “forever chemicals,” but why is this the case? What do they mean specifically for the environment and human health? In this article, we will explore the background and mounting developments around PFAS. LEA​RN MORE​​​​

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​Bike to Work on May 19th!​ ​ ​​Join the NIH in the D.C. area for Bike to Work Day on May 19, 2023! The NIH will host a pit stop at Building 1 from 7:00am to 9:30am to support anyone biking to the Bethesda campus and there are over 100 additional pit stops in the D.C. area.​​ LEARN MORE ​

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Did you know? PFAS have been detected at varying concentrations in both public and private water sources. The EPA has published and continues to produce guidance and regulations to help identify drinking water that is safe from PFAS. To learn more about water conservation​ at the NIH​​​, please visit the NEMS Training webpage to view a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.