In This Issue

• HSC News: Victory for Green Clean Schools & Energy-Efficient School Construction Acts
• Program Updates: Parents United for Healthy Schools Advocate for Recess
• Recent Blog Entries: It's O.K. to Spray? Is This a Joke?

HSC News

Illinois Schools Going Green with Energy-Efficient School Construction Act

Healthy, energy-efficient school in Cuba, Illinois

At new schools throughout Illinois, children will study in buildings designed to share an extra lesson: that environmental stewardship can lead to lower energy bills and more comfortable spaces for learning.

The Energy Efficient School Construction Act, SB505, sailed through the Senate May 30 with a vote of 50-9, making Illinois one of the first states in the nation to require that new schools be designed and constructed to meet green building standards. (View press release)

Energy-efficient school construction has been one of HSC's main legislative priorities this year, and we're incredibly excited to see Illinois taking a leadership role on sustainable and healthy design.

"Building in a way that’s healthy and energy-efficient is simply the right thing to do, especially for schools," said Mark Bishop, HSC's deputy director. "Green building choices save schools money on their energy bills, create more productive learning environments, and provide a strong example of environmental stewardship for children and the community."

Plus: Check out our recent blog on energy-efficient schools:
Schools Going Green Across the Country | by Mark Bishop

Green Clean Victory in Illinois

Children, teachers, and school staff in Illinois will soon breathe a little easier during the school day.

With a 52-5 vote in the Senate May 16, Illinois became the second state in the nation, after New York, to enact legislation requiring green cleaning in schools. (View press release)

HSC has been working for years to promote green cleaning by implementing pilot programs, developing recommendations, and creating networks of supporters from health, education and industry. This legislation is a significant victory for health and our environment, and we're thrilled with the success of such sensible, health-promoting standards for schools.

Plus: Discuss green cleaning at HSC's blog »

Peggy Shepard

Environmental Justice Pioneer Peggy Shepard to Speak at HSC Lunch & Learn

Peggy Shepard, nationally recognized for her ground-breaking environmental justice work in West Harlem, continues to pioneer powerful ways of engaging communities and creating change on issues that affect environmental quality of life—issues such as air, water and indoor pollution, land use, sanitation, transportation and citizen participation in policy making.

Shepard will speak June 19 at a Lunch & Learn event in Chicago presented by HSC and the Illinois African-American Coalition for Prevention (ILAACP) about the tremendous successes and continued battles for social and environmental justice in urban minority communities. We'll also discuss community organizing around health disparities in Chicago’s African-American and Latino communities.

Learn more or register »

HSC Team Trains for The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
One marathon bib still available

Healthy Schools Campaign now has 30 runners training for The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in October 2007, each raising $500 or more for our organization through personal fundraising efforts.  As of May 30, our team raised over $3,500.  Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s weekly news quiz show, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, is serving as our honorary team captain. 

HSC's marathon team is still looking for runners!  If you are already registered for The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and would like to join our team, or if you are not registered and would like to apply for our one remaining bib, contact cheryl@healthyschoolscampaign.org.  If you would like to support honorary team captain Peter Sagal, the team effort, or any individual runner, check out our marathon team page.

HSC thanks School Health Corporation for generous support of our marathon team.

HSC Friends Win James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

Gale Gand at Cooking up Change 2006, Rick Bayless at Cooking up Change 2005

Chefs Gale Gand and Rick Bayless won prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards for 2007: Gand received the Outstanding Service award for the restaurant Tru, with Rick Tramonto and Richard Melman; and Bayless received the Outstanding Restaurant award for Frontera Grill, with Deann Bayless.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are the nation's preeminent honors for culinary professionals. Nominees and award winners are selected by their industry peers, with more than 600 culinary professionals involved in the voting process.

Gand and Bayless have been generous supporters of HSC and presented cooking demonstrations at past Cooking up Change benefits.

Program Updates

Parents United for Healthy Schools Advocate for Recess

Speakers at a Parents United press conference held at Mitchell school, one of several Chicago elementary schools to reinstate recess: Graciela Suarez, Mitchell School parent; Guillermo Gomez, Healthy Schools Campaign's Chicago director; Xavier Torres, Von Humbolt School student; and Lynn Morton, POWER-PAC parent

Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos Para Escuelas Saludables, a coalition of more than 30 independent parent organizations brought together by the Healthy Schools Campaign, advocated strongly this legislative session for a bill requiring a 10-minute recess for all elementary schools in Chicago.

Although recess holds promise in combating epidemic rates of childhood obesity and research documents its connection to learning, 85 percent of elementary school students in the city of Chicago do not have access to recess.

After a Parents United advocacy day in Springfield this month, nine additional representatives signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, which sailed through the House soon after.

At a May 8 press conference to announce the bill's progress, 11-year-old Xavier Torres of Humboldt Park said that "bringing back recess would help give all kids an opportunity to do better in school and grow up to be successful adults that know how to get along with other people and lead healthy lives."

Lynn Morton, a parent in Chicago's Austin community, added that "in the African-American and Latino communities in Chicago, two out of three children are overweight or obese, compared to 17 percent nationally. We have to act now if we want to change the quality and length of our children's lives."

School Nurse Leadership Program

HSC, in partnership with National-Louis University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, is launching the second School Nurse Leadership Program. This three-part training series, Improving Your School’s Environmental Health, will be held in Elgin, Peoria and Mt. Vernon.

Join our team of school nurses who will work together to improve indoor air quality in school districts across the state. Apply now to the location nearest to you. The application deadline has been extended to Friday, June 15.

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:

It’s O.K. to Spray? Is This a Joke?| by Claris Olson
The Consumer Aerosol Products Council is running a contest for children and teachers entitled "It’s O.K. to Spray" on the pretext that since CFCs have been banned for most aerosol products, there is no problem with using aerosols. Are they joking? ... Read more

A Comfortable Truth: School Buildings and Healthy Learning| by Rochelle Davis
Who among us has ever reflected on our elementary or high school classrooms and thought: Now that was a comfortable chair ... Read more

Souvenirs from France: Newspapers, New Ideas, and Reflections on School Food| by Jean Saunders
It’s great to go away, but it’s even better to come home! Our visit to France for the International Exchange Forum was well noted by the French media. Upon my return, I discovered two French newspaper articles and a segment on a regional French television news program that ran stories about our visit ... Read more

French Paradox in the School Cafeteria?| by Shanny Peer
Physicians, researchers, and calorie-conscious American tourists have noticed for years that French people enjoy delicious, rich food over leisurely four-course meals without ever seeming to gain weight ... Read more

Cleaning Up the Air on the Bus| by Mark Bishop
It’s no secret that school buses pose real health threats to students. According to the American Lung Association, soot from diesel exhaust triggers over 19,000 asthma attacks every year in Illinois and is one of the most toxic of all the air pollutants that the EPA tracks ... Read more

Call for Action: Healthy Schools & NCLB| by Mark Bishop
How does NCLB affect healthy schools? How can a conference call be interesting and concise? Communities for Quality Education, in partnership with Healthy Schools Campaign and the Illinois Education Association, connected over a hundred education advocates with Rep. Phil Hare on Monday to discuss education and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law ... Read more

"People are finally paying attention to how they get their food. It's coming together from a health point of view, an environmental point of view. Mostly it's economic. If you grow local, you support a local economy."
- Debbie Hillman, co-founder of the Evanston Food Policy Council, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, May 10, 2007, regarding legislation to promote local food sourcing

HSC Calendar

June 19| HSC Lunch & Learn - Environmental Justice in Action: Organizing to Combat Health Disparities in Urban Minority Communities | More

View all events »

Chicago Reader
What's Wrong with School Lunch? | More

GreenBiz
Illinois Becomes Second State to Pass Green Cleaning Law | More

The Southern
Green Clean Schools Act Would Impact Schools Statewide | More

View all coverage »

Events & Resources

School Gardening Conference 2007: Green Futures
June 23, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
One-day conference at the Chicago Botanic Garden will showcase environmental science curricula, the food system, the latest nutrition and wellness programs in Chicago area schools, and a variety of school-based green initiatives | More

IAQ Tools for Schools Walkthrough Video
Produced by Rutgers University with a Region 2 EPA grant, to assist school districts, especially urban school districts, in performing the walkthrough portion of the IAQ Tools for Schools program | More

Make the Choice: Tobacco or Health
June 27, Chicago
Workshop will provide training to school nurses and health educators on effective presentation techniques, the latest information on asthma for families and communities, Illinois-specific data on asthma and smoking related issues, and teen specific anti-tobacco information | More

Distinguished Speaker Webcast Series: Children's Environmental Health Disparities
June 6
The webcast will feature leading researchers and practitioners on a wide range of current children’s environmental health topics | More

Healthful Homes - Healthful Schools Grants
Deadline: June 15
Seeking proposals from established asthma programs to reduce the exposure of children with asthma to environmental asthma triggers in their homes and/or schools | More

Captain Planet Foundation Grants
Deadline: June 30
For hands-on environmental projects to promote understanding of
environmental issues. Grant amounts will range between $250 and $2,500 | More

NIH School-Based Interventions to Prevent Obesity Grants
Deadline: June 16
To encourage partnerships between academic institutions and school systems to develop and
implement school-based intervention strategies designed to reduce the prevalence of obesity in childhood. Grants of up to $100,000 will be awarded | More

SeaWorld - Busch Gardens - Fujifilm Environmental Excellence Awards
Deadline: November 30
To recognize the outstanding efforts of students and teachers across the country who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. Maximum Award: $10,000 | More

Healthy Sprouts Awards to Support School and Youth Garden Programs
Deadline: October 15
As a way to encourage the growth of health-focused youth gardens, the National Gardening Association recognizes outstanding programs via the Healthy Sprouts Awards, with gift certificates toward the purchase of gardening materials | More

Golden Carrot Awards
Deadline: June 11
To recognize school food professionals and their programs that offer a diversity of healthy food options to schoolchildren. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged | More

Walk to School Day Mini-Grants
Deadline: July 1
Each October, millions of children, parents, teachers and community leaders across the globe celebrate Walk to School Day. It is an energizing event, reminding parents and children alike of the simple joy of walking to school. Grant packages include $500 in cash and a variety of promotional materials and refreshment items | More