H1N1 Concerns Highlight Importance of Green Cleaning
Cleaning for Health Also Offers Benefits for Environment
As the 2009-2010 school year get underway, concerns about the H1N1 flu are on the top of many administrators' and parents' minds. As school cleaning supply companies are flooded with orders for huge quantities of harsh disinfectants, it is important to remember that basic hygiene and green cleaning practices designed to protect health without harming the environment remain the most effective — and least dangerous — way to prevent the spread of H1N1.
“The concerns of H1N1 show how absolutely important it is for schools to clean consistently with health as a priority. When you couple that with reducing environmental impact, you essentially have the definition of green cleaning,” said Mark Bishop, HSC Deputy Director. “Extreme measures may actually backfire when you’re addressing this type of infection by offering a false sense of security. The good news is that schools can protect children with basic steps such as hand washing and a thorough, consistent cleaning program.”
To prevent the spread of the flu, schools first and foremost need to teach proper hand hygiene. According to the CDC, we should all:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective when soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, thereby reducing the spread of germs.
Green cleaning procedures, such as those outlined in HSC’s Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools and echoed in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Guidelines for School Responses to Influenza suggest thorough cleaning of a school and disinfection of touch points such as doorknobs and light switches. This prevents the spread of infection without exposing children to unnecessary levels of harsh chemicals that can degrade indoor air quality, burden the immune system and aggravate respiratory problems such as asthma.
“H1N1 is a serious threat, but one that schools can address with common sense best practices,” Bishop said. “This moment highlights the importance of setting up a program for consistent, environmentally sound cleaning for health.”
To learn more, check out HSC’s blog. To order a free copy of The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, visit www.greencleanschools.org.
And stay posted for updates about HSC's upcoming webinar series on H1N1 and green cleaning!
Cooking up Change 2009
Student Teams Prepare for Healthy Cooking Contest
Culinary students at Dunbar High School with their mentor, Chef Ryan Hutmacher of The Centered Chef
Preparations are heating up for the Cooking up Change Healthy Cooking Contest!
Teams of student chefs at high schools across Chicago are meeting with their team mentors, developing recipes, and taste-testing their healthy school meal ideas. The students are challenged to create a meal that meets nutrition requirements with about a dollar per meal to spend on ingredients. The winning school meal will be served for lunch in high schools nationwide!
This year, the young chefs have a new opportunity: in addition to ordering ingredients traditionally available for school meals, they will integrate locally-grown produce from the Chartwells-Thompson Hopitality frozen local program. Through the program, Chartwells regularly serves locally grown produce – which is then flash-frozen within 48 hours of harvest – to students in Chicago Public Schools.
HSC is pleased to welcome a growing team of generous sponsors for Cooking up Change, including Platinum sponsor Applegate Farms, Gold sponsor Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality and our new Cookie-preneur sponsor, Little Miss Muffin bakery -- plus many more such as School Health Corp., Edelman Food & Family and Testa Produce.
We’re also thrilled to welcome a remarkable group of contest judges including David Lazarus, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, US Department of Agriculture; Deb Eschmeyer of the National Farm to School Network; Joel Nickson of Wishbone and more.
Learn more and get your tickets online at www.cookinupchange.org.
Plus: Meet the returning champions, the student chefs from Richards Career Academy!
Through Your Lens Exhibit Displayed on Capitol Hill
What do our nation’s school buildings really look like?
HSC, along with our partners at the 21st Century School Fund and Critical Exposure, helped answer this question with Through Your Lens, a photo exhibition showcasing the mostly unseen reality of our nation’s school building conditions.
The photos and stories in the exhibit were submitted by students, teachers and community members from California to Maine in response to a call for images and essays showing what’s great and what’s troubling about our nation’s public school buildings.
The exhibit was on display in the Russell Rotunda on Capitol Hill Oct. 5-9. Now, you can view the exhibit online.
Be sure to check out photos of the exhibit in the rotunda and invite your legislators to view the exhibit online.
Tour de Champagne Guests to Raise a Glass for HSC
Richard Marble of Tour de Champagne with HSC founding executive director Rochelle Davis and Cooking up Change Co-CHairs Nina Winston and Kelly Dettmann
Thanks to the folks at the Tour de Champagne, HSC will benefit from the silent auction at their annual Chicago event. Set in the Drake Hotel’s main ballroom, Tour De Champagne will feature Chicago’s most talented chefs demonstrating their master skills and preparing culinary treats to pair with prestigious champagnes. It's a night of good food, good drinks and good cheer, and we're proud to be one of the beneficiaries this year.
Guests will sip fine champagne while bidding on art, fashion, dining experiences, theater packages, and unique opportunities in the silent auction to benefit HSC. Tour de Champagne will take place on October 23, 2009, and tickets are available on the Tour de Champagne webpage.
Congratulations, HSC Runners!
HSC Team Completes Bank of America Chicago Marathon
After months of training and fundraising, members of HSC's charity athletics team crossed the finish line in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 11! As part of the team, runners make a difference for children’s health and well-being while competing in a world-class athletic event.
Check out photos from the marathon »
Inspired to run for HSC? To learn more, be sure to visit HSC’s marathon website or contact Alicea Miller at 312-419-1810.
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