In This Issue

• HSC News: Environmental Health Forum; Green Clean Schools National Summit
• Program Updates: Bringing Back Recess; Green Cleaning Award
• Recent Blog Entries: Healthy Pinata; Food Marketing; Health Care Reform; Saving the Energy Grid; Why I Care About School Lunch and more

HSC News

HSC to Host Breakfast Forum Featuring Head of EPA
Administrator Lisa Jackson to Discuss Environmental Health in Schools

The connection between children’s health and the health of our environment is, perhaps, nowhere more clear than in our nation’s schools. The air children breathe and the lessons they learn about wellness and sustainability directly affect their health - today and years in the future.

HSC is pleased to announce a breakfast forum featuring Administrator Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, on Friday, July 31 at Tarkington School of Excellence, Chicago's first LEED-certified green school.

Administrator Jackson will discuss efforts to protect children’s environmental health in schools and beyond with other national, state and local leaders. The forum will address:

• Working together with government, industry and the community to ensure that schools are safe and healthy
• Addressing climate change in schools
• Preparing the next generation of environmental stewards

Forum participants include:

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

The forum will be followed by a 30-minute tour of Tarkington School of Excellence, Chicago's first LEED-certified green school.

Register Today: 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 principals for model green clean state legislation.
• Identifying the best opportunities for moving legislation in 2010.
• Networking with others interested in promoting green cleaning.

Learn more at www.greencleanschools.org/summit.

Bringing Back Recess: Parents United Collaborates with Chicago Public Schools

Parent leaders in HSC’s Parents United for Healthy Schools coalition are helping bring Chicago’s schoolchildren one step closer to recess.

The parents collected more than 4,000 petitions this year in support of recess and presented them at a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) board meeting in May 2009, where parents also provided testimony about the value of recess to children’s education and health. As a result of the meeting, CPS board President Michael Scott appointed a recess taskforce that includes representatives of the CPS Office of Elementary Areas and Schools and Parents United for Healthy Schools.

"The goal of the task force is simple: to bring recess back to Chicago schools," said Guillermo Gomez, HSC’s Chicago director. "We’re facing an obesity epidemic, and recess is a critical way to get kids active on a regular basis at school."

The parents, who represent wellness teams, local school councils and other school-level leadership groups, point out that recess is a natural way to promote physical activity among schoolchildren while providing a brief break so that students can return to the classroom ready to learn.

To learn more about recess, check out HSC's blog »

Awards to Spotlight Green Cleaning Programs

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:

Why I Care About School Food | by Mark Bishop
Claire Stanford at Civil Eats wrote about why 20-somethings should care about school lunch reform, but in the process wrote a piece that should compel us all. . . I care about school lunch because I want my son to succeed. I care about school lunch because I want my son to outlive me. I care about school lunch because all children deserve a fighting chance for a quality education. I care about school lunch because we can do something about it. What about you? . . . . Read more

Saving the Energy Grid – One School at a Time| by Mark Bishop
What if I told you how to promote efficient energy use, become a responsible environmental steward and reduce your risk of school facility damage - while earning extra money? It seems too good to be true. But this year we decided to pilot a program that does exactly this for schools in northern Illinois. The first test of the program was last week: one of the schools was asked to cut back on energy use. So I decided to head out to Nippersink School District to speak to Dr. Paul Hain, the district's business manager, to get a feel for what it’s like to shut down a school's power on a day when it’s 100 degrees outside. . . . Read more

In Health Care Reform, School Food and Fitness Are Smart Investments | by Mark Bishop
As the health care debate continues to heat up, we're glad to see that for the first time prevention is taking center stage. Ezra Klien brings up an important distinction in this debate: the difference between health care and health. . . . Read more

Thanks to Award Maker, HSC's Contest Winners Shine | by Cynthia San Miguel
The R.S. Owens Company has been making awards for 60 years, producing the Oscar, the Emmy, the MTV Video Music Award, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Award . . . and the trophies and medals that HSC presented to the talented student chefs at the 2008 Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest! We spoke with Scott Siegel, who has been president of R.S. Owens since 2000. . . . Read more

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... DfE! | by Lindsay Muscato
The whole premise of countless superhero movies and comic books rests on the idea that somewhere, unbeknownst to us, someone is making the world a safer place. Maybe this is overstating things (I get excited about green cleaning!), but that's exactly what the Design for the Environment (DfE) program, run by the EPA, is doing for green cleaning products. I spoke on the phone with Clive Davies, chief of the DfE program, to learn more about the science behind DfE's label. . . . Read more

Happy Healthy Third Birthday! | by Mark Bishop
Last week, Henry turned three! My wife and I struggled with how to have a birthday party that wouldn't be filled with junk food -- but a party that also didn't feel forced. First of all, last December we went to Mexico and Henry fell in love with piñatas. It was all he wanted for his birthday. Well, you can't say no to a piñata. But you can say no to all the candy. . . . Read more

New Bill Asks: How Does Food Marketing in Schools Affect Kids? | by Amanda Chablani
As we gear up for Child Nutrition Act reauthorization later this year, we’re keeping a particularly close eye on any legislation that concerns nutrition, school and kids. Recently, we spotted the Food Marketing in Schools Assessment Act, which calls for studying the effect of marketing foods and beverages in elementary and secondary schools. . . . Read more

Friday Recipe for Hot Summer Days: Watermelon Gazpacho | by Tara Kennon
With the official first day of summer last weekend, the weather has started to really heat up – and we’re all looking for a quick, refreshing recipe that doesn’t heat up the kitchen any more! This watermelon gazpacho fits the bill – it’s a cool, easy dish packed with fruits and veggies. . . . Read more

"The obesity epidemic clearly goes beyond being an individual problem,"
- Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health, on obesity rates documented in the Trust's recent report with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as quoted in the Chicago Tribune

Weight of the Nation Conference| July 27 | More

Solving the Green Cleaning Puzzle Workshop| July 29 | More

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

Green Clean Schools National Summit | Sept. 15 | More

School Wellness Conference | Oct. 6 | More

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

Tweet, tweet!

Green Your School Contest
Deadline: Aug. 1, 2009
National competition for conservation service projects designed by high school students | More

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