Simple actions, taken together, can create a climate of change. This is the founding principle of the Cool School Challenge, a climate education program that engages studentsw and teachers in practical strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions schoolwide. The program also encourages student leadership and empowerment, fostering a new generation of air quality advocates.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and partners Puget Sound Energy and Northwest Clean Air Agency built the program around an idea created by environmental science teacher Mike Town and the students of Redmond High School.

In the Cool School Challenge, studen teams conduct energy audits of classrooms assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of electricity use, waste and recycling practices, transportation, and heating. Classrooms then pledge to shrink their carbon footprint through simple but effective behavior changes, such as turning off one panel of lights, using durable coffee tumblers instead of disposable cups, or carpooling instead of driving alone. The Web-based program is designated for grades 7-12 and includes a Web site, www.coolschoolchallenge.org, a Challenge toolkit, classroom carbon calculator, classroom activities, and supplemental resources.

To introduce the program into schools, the partners offer free teacher training workshops throughout western Washington, which to date have drawn nearly 200 teachers and educators. Subsequently, more than 30 schools have pledged to reduce their carbon footprints, reporting nearly 600,000 pounds in potential greenhouse gas reductions.

This from the U.S. EPA:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a new Web-based compliance assistance center that provides comprehensive environmental compliance assistance and pollution prevention information for colleges and universities. The center was developed by the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officials with support and funding from EPA.  

The Web site makes it easier for school officials to learn more about applicable environmental regulations and ensure a safe and sustainable environment for their students, faculty and staff. The online center provides information on topics including waste management, air and water resources, drinking water, and public safety. Viewers can find out what types of campus activities are regulated by EPA, see how best to comply with environmental regulations, query federal enforcement and compliance data, learn how to apply for federal grants, and e-mail comments to EPA on regulations under development.

Go to Campus Environmental Resource Center: www.campuserc.org

Comment for CleanAIR on Campus: lots of cool tools on this site and tons of information. If you’re interested in finding out more about state and federal regulations that affect your school, spend a little time reading through the info on this site.

Casting Call Begins for Eco-conscious Youth Ages 8-17 to Host New ’Whole Earth Generation’ Show

Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, announced on March 6 it is launching Whole Earth Generation, a video podcast series dedicated to raising environmental awareness among today’s youth.

The initiative kicks off with a search for six fresh-faced personalities ages 8 to 17 to be considered as hosts of this green-themed series. Children from all over the United States and Canada have a shot at becoming the face of the original online series, premiering March 11, 2008 and running through April 29, 2008.

"We are excited to celebrate Earth Month this year at our 270 stores and also online with this series aimed at encouraging green-minded youth to spread the word about eco-friendly actions and how they can make a difference," said Heather Kennedy, Senior Coordinator of National Marketing for Whole Foods Market. "So many shoppers tell us they have learned how to be more environmentally conscious by listening to their kids. We hope this program takes that trend to an even broader audience via the Internet."

Episodes of the Whole Earth Generation video podcast series will address topics generated by Generation Y and Z. Highlights of the series include interviews with celebrities and peers, ideas for a sustainable future, cool green products, and how to convince skeptical families and friends that green is the way to go.

The Whole Earth Generation youth host casting call kicks off March 6, 2008 on http://www.youtube.com/WholeFoodsMarket. Additionally, casting calls will be held throughout the month of March in select Whole Foods Market stores to offer hopeful green-minded youth a live audition opportunity.

"Eligible contestants will have the opportunity to express their green selves and tell their stories to a panel of eco-minded judges on topics like ’how they plan to green their family, neighborhood, school, and more," said Kennedy. "Kids who think they have what it takes to make a world of difference should check it out."

Submissions can be uploaded to http://www.youtube.com/WholeFoodsMarket or kids ages 8-17 can show up at one of the designated Whole Foods Market stores for a special one-day event in New York, Chicago and Austin, for auditions.

Ultimately, six winners -- three from the YouTube entries and three from the in-store auditions -- will be selected. In addition to winning the role for becoming the Whole Earth Generation online talent, each of the new hosts will be awarded select prizes from some of the program’s participating green sponsors.

"The Whole Earth Generation online series will be used to engage viewers with fresh environmental ideas and all things green. The six young hosts will be the on-air personalities with the charge of engaging their peers and showing that tweens and teens can really influence how we protect our planet," said Kennedy.

In addition to its weekly series, participating Whole Foods Market stores across the country and in Canada will engage the community in a special "Green Your Home" program during Earth Month where shoppers will learn the benefits of making their home a little greener from the inside out. From the kitchen to the laundry room to the bathroom, Whole Foods Market demonstrates the easy things you can do in each room to make your life and our planet a little more environmentally safe. By bringing their own reusable shopping bag, using green energy or simply recycling more shoppers are encouraged to participate in just one easy thing a day.

To further communicate the message of green in the home and among the Whole Earth Generation, Whole Foods Market will feature eco-conscious insights from some of their greenest vendor partners including: Seventh Generation, Organic Valley, Recycline, The Hain Celestial Group, Nature’s Path, Odwalla, Ecover, Annie Chun’s and White Wave.

Throughout this school year, more than 3,500 middle and high school students nationwide have learned first hand that improving the environment is within their control and real change can take place -- one step at a time. These students participated in the Lexus Environmental Challenge, a program designed by Lexus and Scholastic to educate teens about the environment and empower them to create a better world.

"This program was meant to drive action, and that's exactly what it's done," said Mark Templin, group vice president and general manager of Lexus. "Our goal was to inspire young people to be a part of the solution, and they definitely stepped up to the challenge. In fact, their efforts have been so impressive, we're the ones who are inspired."

Since September 2007, hundreds of teams of 5-10 middle and high school students led by teacher advisors have participated in one or more challenges addressing environmental issues related to land, water, air, and climate. Teams were required to define an issue, make a plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report on the results.

Throughout the four challenges, more than 350 Action Plans were submitted. Sixty-two of these entries each won $3,000 in grants and scholarships to be shared by the students, teacher and school. Some winning Action Plan highlights include:

--  Production of a public service announcement about ways to reduce
    carbon dioxide emissions that reached 70,000 people
--  Distribution of 15,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs to low-income
    families
--  Collection of six 10-gallon buckets of used batteries for recycling
--  Educating 450 families about the impact of mold on indoor air quality
--  Creation of green roof boxes on the school's campus
    

A complete list of winning Action Plans can be viewed at www.scholastic.com/lexus.

Winning in the initial challenges qualified each team to participate in the Final Challenge for a chance to win part of $850,000. Two grand-prize winning teams will each receive $75,000 in grants and scholarships, and 14 first-prize winning teams will receive $50,000 each. In all, $1 million will be awarded.

Challenge Inspires Teachers and Students to Take Action

Comments from teachers and statements written in the Action Plans demonstrate the impact of the Lexus Environmental Challenge. One teacher told Lexus she loved how the competition is so motivating while also fostering a true concern for the community and teaching sound scientific principles. Another teacher wrote, "I watched this project, through the experiential learning and the hands-on approach, completely transform the students' attitude about protecting their local water resources. When we first began to approach this subject, students' attitudes were complacent and ambivalent about the topic, but they have completely transformed their attitudes to reflect concern, determination to take action, and motivation to educate and inspire others to take action."

The Action Plans contained pages and pages of inspiration. The final question in the Action Plan asks students to state what they've learned through implementing their plans. Some excerpts include:

--  We learned that even making small changes in our daily behavior can
    have a huge impact on our environment.
--  We learned the importance of raising awareness. One person cannot move
    the world, but as each person does one thing, the cumulative effort begins
    to add up to something big.
--  We learned how hard it is for actual scientists to have to work on
    this pollution problem day after day and still have to watch people ignore
    all the warning signs and continue to pollute.
    

The Final Challenge Dares Teams to Take Their Efforts Worldwide

For the first four Challenges, teams were asked to take a stand for the environment in their local community. The Final Challenge requires teams to reach beyond the local community and inspire environmental action around the world through innovative ideas that the team must communicate to a wide audience. Teams are currently hard at work on their programs and must submit their entries by March 24. The winners will be announced in April 2008 in conjunction with Earth Day.