February 5th Community Forum event at Environmental Charter High School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media advisory and invitation


STUDENTS FROM LOCAL GREEN HIGH SCHOOL TO LEAD PUBLIC DEBATE ON PLASTICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

February 5th Community Forum event at Environmental Charter High School

January 20, 2010 – Lawndale, Calif. – Plastics do not mean progress.  That is what students at Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) will argue as they try to inspire their local community to take action on this and other environmental and civic issues on February 5th at the ECHS Community Forum.

At the event, students will present policy positions, debate publicly with adults from the surrounding community, and lead discussions on issues such as “Are plastics truly progress?”,  “How can community resources improve our quality of life?”, and “Are we living the American Dream?”   ECHS Seniors including Jordan Howard, recipient of the U.S. Green Building Council Young Leader Award, will speak on environmental policies and social justice.

The Community Forum is part of a unique Green Curriculum developed at ECHS, and is the culmination of a month-long academic program called Intersession.  In the program, students engage in field research, policy-making, critical thinking, strategic community planning, and environmental justice issues.  “Over the last month they have studied issues from a variety of disciplines – from math to science to history – so the breadth of their analysis is exponentially that much more powerful,” explains Alison Suffet-Diaz, ECHS Founder and Executive Director.

Like other competitive charter schools Environmental Charter High School has a rigorous college-prep curriculum, but what sets the school apart is how it uses environmental issues and action to motivate and inspire its students.   At the forefront of an emerging Green Schools movement, the school’s curriculum is integrated with environmental science and service learning.  Last year, the State of California Board of Education selected Environmental Charter High School to help other public schools by sharing its instructional modules – or Green Curriculum - as a successful model for reducing achievement-gaps in California's K-12 public education system.   Grants from major corporations including Honda, Chevron, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman have helped underwrite the school’s development of ‘Green math” and science lessons that coincide with students Green learning activities in their community. 

“Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) is one of America’s ‘Greenest Schools’ because environmental stewardship is at the heart of everything we do.   At ECHS, the environment is not simply an academic endeavor; we practice what we teach, with the students taking the lead,” said Sara Laimon, Director of the ECHS Green Ambassadors environmental education class and program.   Students led the school’s efforts to reduce landfill waste by implementing waste stations that include receptacles for recycling, composting, and landfill.   They use the resulting compost in the school’s organic gardens, where they plant and harvest using only natural pesticides.  For their lunch program, students identified and selected a vendor that uses 70% organic foods and zero-waste packaging.  The school uses natural gas vans for transportation, reducing emissions and dependence on foreign oil.  The school has also installed water catchment systems to harvest rainwater for irrigation.

Since its founding in 2006, the school’s Green Ambassadors program has:
•    presented over 70 times to diverse audiences of over 15,000 people,
•    taught environmental lessons to hundreds of elementary students,
•    hosted a region-wide Youth Environmental Leadership Summit,
•    planted more than 100 fruit trees on the campus of ECHS and in the surrounding neighborhood, and
•    persuaded Southern California Disposal to run their waste collection fleet on biodiesel.

Press Invited to Attend
Journalists are invited.  The Community Forum is scheduled for Friday, February 5th, 2010 from 8:15 a.m-12:15 p.m at Environmental Charter High School, 16315 Grevillea Avenue, Lawndale, CA.  Main office: (310) 214-3400.   To register, contact Dan Freyer at 310 849-0721 or dan@adwavez.com

Environmental Charter High School (ECHS): (http://www.echsonline.org) is a public charter high school serving Lawndale and surrounding communities in south Los Angles.   ECHS offers a rigorous college prep program that is made relevant by guiding students to critically examine and take action to solve environmental challenges in their local communities.  U.S. News & World Report ranked ECHS in the top 3% of high schools in the nation for its ability to deliver college-ready graduates from its community. The award-winning high school has outperformed 80% of comparable high schools in its state API ranking – a key performance indicator.

ECHS and its Green Ambassadors program have been honored with the EPA Environmental Award, the California Service Learning Leader Award, the California Charter Schools Dissemination Grant, and Green Teacher of the Year Award.  ECHS and its Green Ambassadors have been featured in the media including, The New York Times, the Sundance Film Channel, Discovery Channel, and local television, radio and newspapers.  

Press contact:
Dan Freyer
AdWavez Marketing
Phone: 1-310-849-0721
dan@AdWavez.com