In This Issue

• HSC News: Environmental Health Forum; Green Clean Summit; School Food and Health Care Reform
• Program Updates: Parent Training; Green Cleaning Award
• Recent Blog Entries: Schools and Prevention in Health Care; Painting Potatoes; School Nurse Spotlight; Battling Bus and more

HSC News

National, Local Leaders Gather for HSC Forum on Environmental Health in Schools

Dr. Peter Grevatt, EPA senior advisor for children's health

HSC welcomed Dr. Peter Grevatt, head of children’s health for the EPA, to an environmental health forum on July 31 at Tarkington School, the first LEED-certified green school in Chicago.

The forum brought together national, state and local leaders to discuss the unique role of schools in addressing children’s environmental health and sustainability.

“School buildings are not just buildings, but places of learning,” Grevatt told the audience, emphasizing that green, healthy school environments support children’s ability to succeed at school and to lead healthy lives.

Grevatt was joined by experts in school health and sustainability, including:

• Kate Tomford, Director of Sustainability for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn
• Suzanne Carlson, Director of Environmental Affairs for Chicago Public Schools
• Bill Balek, Government Affairs Director for ISSA

Panelists fielded questions from attendees, discussing green cleaning in schools and the possibility of a national green cleaning standard, diesel bus idling, recycling, green building and EPA efforts to address health disparities and monitor the outdoor air quality surrounding schools.

Tracy Occomy, a parent organizer in Chicago’s Austin community, presented Dr. Grevatt with a plaque on behalf of HSC and the Austin-wide Parent Network commemorating the Austin Environmental Health and Justice project, which was funded by an EPA environmental justice grant. She also read the poem Earth Mothers, which she wrote to document the project.

Student guides from Tarkington school led tours of their school after the forum, emphasizing features such as the green roof garden, natural daylighting and a floor made from recycled glass.

Plus: Check out photos from the event in HSC's photo gallery or download HSC's new report [pdf] on environmental health in schools.

Kate Tomford, Office of Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn; Peter Grevatt, EPA; Rochelle Davis, HSC; Tracy Occomy, COFI; Suzanne Carlson, Chicago Public Schools

Vincent Iturralde, HSC board member and principal of Tarkington school, joins attendees on a tour of the school’s garden

This event was generously underwritten by The Crown Family.

Spotlighting Healthy School Food as a Smart Investment in Health Care Reform

As the debate about health care reform heats up, HSC is working to remind our elected leaders that healthy school food is a key part of a strong national health strategy.

At the heart of the discussion of health care reform is the question of how to best allocate resources so that the most people will have the opportunity to live healthier lives. We believe that investing in healthy food and at schools is a very effective way to do this -- a smart investment.

This year, Congress will have an opportunity to make real change for healthy school food in reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act. Please join us in urging Congress to make a smart investment in children’s health by providing increased funding for better school food.

Serving healthy food at school, teaching wellness, and helping kids develop healthy lifestyles will pay dividends for years to come in the form of significantly healthier lives for those children.

Green Clean Schools National Summit

Concerned about healthy and clean schools for students and staff? Concerned about the environment? What to be part of a national movement to promote green cleaning in schools? Then join industry leaders, national school stakeholder groups and non-profit advocates on September 15, 2009 for the Second Annual Green Clean Schools National Summit in Washington DC.

The agenda will include:

• Reporting on green clean state legislation activity during 2009.
• Providing input into guiding principles for model green clean state legislation.
• Identifying the best opportunities for moving legislation in 2010.
• Networking with others interested in promoting green cleaning.

In anticipation of the summit, HSC is also developing a set of guiding principles for green clean schools legislation. To learn more about how your organization can get involved and sign on to this set of principles, please contact Mark Bishop at 312-419-1810.

To learn more about the summit, please visit www.greencleanschools.org/summit.

Parents United for Healthy Schools Kicks Off 2009 Training

Physical activity break at 2009 parent training

Parent leaders in HSC’s Parents United for Healthy Schools coalition kicked off the 2009 parent training series on Aug. 5 with sessions on physical activity, school food, school wellness and health disparities.

This intensive two-week series provides parent leaders in Chicago’s Latino and African-American communities with the knowledge and skills to establish and effectively maintain school wellness teams, offering knowledge of wellness as well as strategies for organizing groups and facilitating school-level changes.

Community speakers on the first day of training included State Representative Susana Mendoza, and Anastasia McGee of the University of Illinois at Chicago Division of Community Health, who spoke about the impact of health disparities on communities of color and about prevention through healthy lifestyles.

To learn more, please contact HSC's Guillermo Gomez. Stay posted for updates and photos from the training!

Bring National Recognition to Your School's Green Cleaning Program

The Green Cleaning Award for Schools and Universities, presented by American School & University magazine with HSC and the Green Cleaning Network, is in its third year of recognizing outstanding green cleaning programs in schools. The judging criteria for the award are based on the five simple steps to green cleaning outlined in HSC’s Guide.

Learn more and apply today – or encourage school leaders you know to apply!

Recent Blog Entries

HSC's staff experts discuss news stories and new developments every week at the HSC Blog. Stop by and leave a question or comment. And while you're there, enter your email address for automatic delivery on days when a new blog entry has been posted. Here's a look at some of our recent posts:

School Health: An Important Part of A Health Prevention Strategy| by Amanda Chablani
While much of the debate about health care reform centers on a government-funded public health insurance option, I am encouraged to see that the President’s plan includes a strong focus on prevention. I also urge our political leaders to recognize the fundamental role that schools can and should play in health care reform. . . . Read more

Painting Potatoes (Grilling with Henry)| by Mark Bishop
For those who read my blog entries (and there must be millions out there, right?), you probably think that I'm always cooking with my son Henry. And while I do involve him as much as possible, I struggle with new ideas for appropriate three-year-old recipes. In the summertime I love to cook out, and you can't have a 3-year-old flipping burgers in front of a hot grill. But you can have him paint potatoes. . . . Read more

Stopping Sales of Unhealthy Snacks in Schools | by Amanda Chablani
At HSC, we're keeping an eye on the School Lunch Protection Act, now being discussed in both the House and Senate committees, which would address the nutritional value of food sold in vending machines, school stores, and cafeteria a la carte lines. As we all know, kids aren’t just eating school meals at school -- they’re also subject to the heavy marketing of foods sold outside the meal program, a good deal of which has little nutritional value. . . . Read more

Child Nutrition Committee Work to Begin This Fall| by Jean Saunders
With the current Child Nutrition Act set to expire at the end of September, we have been closely following discussions about when committees in Congress will begin work on the Act’s reauthorization. Senator Tom Harkin recently announced that he hopes his committee's work on the legislation will begin in October or November. This means that Congress will need to approve an extension of the current Act so it can continue operating at current funding levels until reauthorization. In addition to this announcement about timing, Harkin shared some insight into his current thinking about how the Act will address the school food environment. . . . Read more

Spotlight on Saria Lofton, a School Nurse Working with HSC to Improve Student Wellness| by Cynthia San Miguel
Saria Lofton, a graduate of HSC's school nurse leadership program and a Chicago Public Schools nurse for three years, shared her unique perspective on the role of today's school nurses at HSC's recent breakfast briefing. In her speech, Lofton noted this disconnect between perceptions and the realities of school nursing. . . . Read more

New Environmental Health Program Will Unite Researchers and Community | by Rochelle Davis
In mid-July I had the opportunity to participate as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health’s Partnership for Environmental Public Health program. This unique program encourages partnerships between researchers and the community and focuses on research that translates into public health programs or policies. . . . Read more

Friday Kids' Recipe: It's about Thyme! | by Jean Saunders
My favorite thing about this recipe is that it's so easy and fun to make with kids. It requires no knives or other sharp objects, and little chefs can do practically every step of the process. I've had great success making this recipe with children as young as three -- they loved snapping the beans, pulling apart the thyme, squeezing the lemon juice. And in the end, they love eating the tasty, crunchy summer salad. . . . Read more

We Can’t Ignore This Problem Any Longer | by Mark Bishop
On July 28, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressed the Weight of the Nation Conference where she repeated some alarming statistics but also laid out some real changes in government policy. What's so interesting to me is that she's talking about programs that, for years, people have relegated to issues of personal responsibility. However, we now have an administration that recognizes that so many of the chronic health issues we face as a society are driven by broad policy directives. . . . Read more

Back to School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies: Helping Parents Make Healthy Choices| by Tara Kennon
Backpacks, binders, notebooks and lunchboxes! Only a few days into August, it seems that the back-to-school shopping season is officially underway. Our friends at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) are here to help, with the new Back to School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies. . . . Read more

Battling Bugs| by Mark Bishop
I just want to share a little kudos for the current Illinois School Nurse of the Year (and a great HSC supporter) Donna Rehm, who recently wrote a blog entry about keeping our kids healthy whether they are at home or at school. These are all items that have gotten great attention as we work our way through the current H1N1 scare, but they are always worth repeating. . . Read more

"This is a way of giving kids a sense of ownership, a place to stay off the street. It saved me, and it saved a whole bunch of us. It can become so much bigger than just a garden."
- Carlos Lopez, graduate of the healthy garden program at LA's Crenshaw High School, as quoted in the Los Angeles Times

Safe Routes to School National Conference | Aug. 19 | More

Getting A School Siting Policy Passed | Aug. 19 | More

National Food Policy Conference | Sept. 8 | More

Green Clean Schools National Summit | Sept. 15 | More

School Wellness Conference | Oct. 6 | More

International Walk to School Day | Oct. 7 | More

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Conference | Jan. 14-16 | More

Tweet, tweet!

Hooked on Hydroponics Grants
Deadline: Sept. 18, 2009
Offers hydroponic equipment to expand indoor gardening opportunities for students| More

Youth Garden Grants
Deadline: Nov. 2 , 2009
To help students reap rewards and vital life lessons from working in gardens and habitats | More

Dairy MAX School Breakfast Grant
Deadline: Dec. 1, 2009
Up to $1,000 per school to improve student access to nutritious breakfasts | More

Mantis Awards for Community and Youth Gardens
Deadline: March 1, 2010
For educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their communities | More