Annual Community Forum & Special Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

MEDIA ADVISORY

HUNDREDS EXPECTED AT ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

ANNUAL COMMUNITY FORUM AND SPECIAL RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY

State Assemblyman Steve Bradford to Join Local Business and Community Leaders, Neighbors, Parents, Teachers, Administrators and Students in Celebrating

Completion and Activation of ECHS’s Solar Greenhouse 

LAWNDALE, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 – Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) in Lawndale, Calif. will be abuzz with activity Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 as hundreds of state and local leaders, neighbors, parents, teachers, administrators and students converge on the campus for events highlighting the school’s environmentally focused programs and curricula. 

What: Activities will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating completion of ECHS’s new greenhouse with a demonstration of its rooftop solar photovoltaic system – all part of ECHS’s annual Community Forum, a curriculum-based event in which students present, advocate and share their perspectives on environmental issues. Topics for this year’s interactive presentations will include: “How Do My Decisions Affect Our Quality of Life?”, “What is Progress?”, “What is the American Dream & is it Sustainable?”and “How am I Powerful?”

Where: Environmental Charter High School

             16315 Grevillea Ave., Lawndale, and CA 90260-2858

When:   Friday, Feb. 3, 2012

            8:30 – 11:45 a.m. – Community Forum

            10:15 a.m. – Welcome and meet-and-greet

            10:35 – 11:05 a.m. – Greenhouse ribbon cutting, rooftop solar energy system demonstration and presentations

            11:05 – 11:45 a.m. – Student-led campus tours

Who:   Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) Founder and Executive Director Alison Suffet-Diaz  and Paul Polizzotto, founder and president of EcoMedia, Inc., will host the ribbon- cutting ceremony with presentations by:

·         California State Assemblyman Steve Bradford (AD-51)

·         Jed Wallace, president and CEO of California Charter Schools Association

·         James Grande and Dennis Wilson, co-owners of Pacific Coast Termite

·         ECS Board President Ken Deemer

·         ECHS Principal Jenni Taylor

Representatives from Cuningham Group, Google, the Weingart Foundation and S. Mark Taper Foundation also will attend.

Through the EcoAd grant program, Pacific Coast Termite, Inc. support the addition of the greenhouse to the Science Center, including installation of a 3kW rooftop solar energy system on the greenhouse as well as the installation of a solar-powered water pump that will be used to supply irrigation for plants inside the greenhouse.  The Pacific Coast Termite grant also funded an environmentally friendly XT-2000 Orange Oil termite treatment for the greenhouse.

Additional funding for the greenhouse was provided by Chevron, Google, Cuningham Group and the Weingart, S. Mark Taper and Ahmanson Foundations. Moreover, funds from NextEra Energy support continued Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educational programs at the middle school level.

VISUALS

            - Ribbon-cutting ceremony and solar demonstration

            - California State Assemblyman Steve Bradford and other honored guests

            - Student-led, interactive presentations and campus tours

            - Science Center, including  a “living wall,” vegetable gardens and more than 60 fruit trees; closed-loop acquaponics system, arroyo river bed, chickens, rabbits and more

Why:   To celebrate completion of the ECHS solar greenhouse; thank the supporters who are helping ECHS realize its mission to prepare students for four-year colleges through a unique program that focuses on experiential learning and uses the environment as a            way to both engage students in project-based learning and prepare them to become leaders in their communities; and increase public awareness of ECS’s environmentally focused programs and curricula.

About the Science Center

The ECHS Science Center was designed when a team of students and science teachers put their heads together to come up with an inspiring, cutting-edge center that would reflect the school’s environmentally conscious philosophies. In addition to the solar greenhouse, the Science Center also features:

• A 1,700-gallon, underground water cistern that irrigates the school’s gardens and fruit trees.
• A “living wall” – made of recycled plastic planters attached to the exterior wall of a school building, the living wall enables to students to grow food in a limited space.
• A closed-loop acquaponics system that recycles water for repeated use. Aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants in water) are key elements of this recycling system.
• Chickens and rabbits – all maintained by the students – provide food and warmth; their waste serves as fertilizer for the plants; and all give students important insights into how a healthy ecosystem works.
• An arroyo river bed that demonstrates the “acquifer recharge” process whereby groundwater seeps down through the soil into an underlying aquifer (a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials such as gravel, sand or silt) to create a usable water supply. The arroyo, which dries up in sunny weather, is home to native plants with no need for extra water or fertilizer.

Maintaining the school’s onsite water cistern and pumps, aquaponics system, chickens, rabbits and agriculture teaches ECHS students practical ways to save resources, water and energy, as well as grow their own food. The solar greenhouse will not only serve as a learning tool for students, it also is intended to help educate the local community and 3,000 visitors who attend ECHS student-led tours annually, community events, workshops and teacher programs about the power of green technology and the importance of sustainable practices.

In keeping with the school’s overall commitment to sustainability, the Science Center was built in accordance with LEED* specifications established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It was designed to save energy, water and resources, thereby reducing CO2 emissions and making ECHS a healthier learning environment.

*LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system.

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About Environmental Charter Schools:

Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) is a network of free public K-12 schools that prepares students for 4-year colleges through experiential learning and by exploring the environment as a learning tool both inside and outside the classroom.

Contact Barbara Bishop, BBPR, Inc., at (310) 656-4668, go to http://www.echsonline.org/ or come take a student-led tour of one of our living campuses today to find out how ECS can help create your ideal tomorrow.

About EcoMedia, Inc.

EcoMedia is the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, providing a green value-add for advertisers across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor.  Through the groundbreaking EcoAd program, EcoMedia offers advertisers the unique ability to make tangible improvements to communities and the environment while also connecting more effectively with their consumers.  This unique business model provides advertisers with an option for their media purchasing in a manner that is meaningful and tangible.  Each EcoAd devotes a portion of the media buy to fund environmental projects in communities across the United States.  For more information on EcoMedia, please visit www.ecomediacbs.com.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each EcoAd goes to projects we believe will benefit the environment. EcoAd is not a certification program nor is the EcoAd logo a seal of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoAd advertisers, their products or services.  Please visit ecoad.cbs.com for more information.

About Pacific Coast Termite, Inc.

With offices conveniently located throughout California, Pacific Coast Termite, Inc. is the state’s largest certified specialist for eco-friendly XT-2000 Orange Oil termite treatment.  Offering two-year warranties on its termite services, Pacific Coast not only controls current termite infestation, but treats homes, apartment buildings and businesses with preventative pest control treatments to help protect against future termite infestation. Learn more about Pacific Coast Termite at http://www.pacificcoasttermite.com/.

Press Contact:  Dienna D’Olimpio, BBPR, Inc.
                         email: ddolimpio@bbprinc.com
                         phone: 310.656.4668