April 19, 2010

GreenMyParents Global Webinar To Broadcast from ECHS Campus!

GREENMYPARENTS CELEBRATES EARTH DAY AND LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN WITH FREE ONLINE ECO WORKSHOP FOR ONE MILLION+ YOUTH

100 Kids and Teens Chosen as Pioneer Eco Champions to Spread Green Living and Budget-Savings Tips to Parents and Peers Across America

LOS ANGELES (April 19, 2010) – To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, GreenMyParents (GMP), a national campaign that fosters peer-to-peer leadership and collaboration to enact environmental change, has partnered with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and 12-year-old Adora Svitak, the world’s youngest teacher, to host a free online workshop for youth, adults and educators to learn about easy and effective ways to help save the planet on Thursday, April 22 at 10am PST. The workshop will be broadcast live from Environmental Charter High School (ECHS), a green college preparatory from Lawndale, CA recently chosen as one of six nationwide candidates to potentially win a Class of 2010 commencement speech from President Obama.

Led by Svitak, 12-year-old published author and the world's youngest teacher, and co-hosted by Jordan Howard, GMP national spokesperson and student at ECHS, the hour-long presentation and chat session will inspire kids and people of all ages to actively become green leaders in their own homes and communities by doing simple tasks that yield big results. Adora’s introduction on fostering a green lifestyle and saving money through the GreenMyParents platform will focus on three important areas: energy efficiency, water conservation and planting a garden.

“Knowledge is power. In the fight to save the planet, age doesn’t matter – we can all make a significant contribution just by changing some daily behaviors,” said Svitak. “Going green can be fun and truly life-changing. I am excited to lead the GreenMyParents webinar and share tips with others to begin a green revolution in homes across the country.”

The National Wildlife Federation is the U.S. host of the international Eco-Schools program. The webinar will be available and broadcast to the 32,000 Eco-Schools globally as well as to NWF's educator listserv of more than 22,000 educators and registered U.S. Eco-Schools. Live streaming and viewing for the K-12 audience and general public will also be available. To watch and be part of the free webinar, please visit http://www.nwf.org/ecoschools or http://www.schooltube.com/.

“To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, the GreenMyParents workshop will spark environmental change by giving kids and families the basics to going green. Unlike New Year’s resolutions, these eco intentions are meant to become a seamless part of family life during Earth Month and beyond,” said Tom Feegel, founder of GreenMyParents. “We are honored to have the esteemed National Wildlife Federation and SchoolTube.com supporting and furthering this critical mission.”

In addition to the Earth Day 2010 webinar, GreenMyParents has also chosen 100 influential and accomplished youth across the county to serve as the inaugural Eco Champions for the campaign, including:
• Jordan Howard – 18 years old, California, Rise Above Plastics
• Clara Glassman – 13 years old, California, GreenMyParents
• Troy Hagan – 16 years old, Texas, Keep Mesquite Beautiful
• Chloe Maxim – 16 years old, Maine, The Lincoln Academy Climate Action Club
• Sean Russell – 17 years old, Florida, The "Stow It-Don't Throw It" Project
• Rudy Sanchez – 16 years old, California, Environmental Charter High School
• Erin Schrode – 18 years old, New York, Teens Turning Green
• Adora Svitak – 12 years old, Washington, World’s Youngest Teacher

For a complete list of Eco Champions, please visit www.greenmyparents.com. These 100 environmental leaders will be equipped with the tools and resources to train and educate an additional group of 100 peers each about eco-friendly actions they can take in their own homes with their families. By continuing the cycle of recruiting another 100 kids, GMP aims to bring together one million students in an effort to save the planet.

Operating with the family pocketbook in mind, kids will find environmental allies in their parents as they work together to bolster family savings, help the economy, and save the planet by conserving home resources through following and completing “eco assignments.” From reducing water and energy usage to cleaning with non-toxic products, families are estimated to save at least $100, which brings the collective savings of American families to an estimated $100 million over the course of a year.

To spread the word about participation and opportunities for youth, GMP is releasing a book titled “GreenMyParents” on April 22, utilizing social media engines such as Twitter and Facebook, and hosting youth-led public workshops across the country.

About GreenMyParents
GreenMyParents is a revolutionary, nationwide program to help young people teach their peers and parents how to work together to help the economy, earn money at home, and save the planet through simple, everyday actions. Scheduled to launch Earth Day 2010, this movement enables youth to bring their insightful perspective on how to reduce their parents’ use of resources and save money at home to make a huge difference in saving the planet and securing their future.

GreenMyParents is working with dozens of top organizations including: National Wildlife Federation (publisher of Ranger Rick magazine), Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Program, Carbonfund.org, Environmental Media Association, Earth Echo, Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), DonorsChoose.org, Kids vs. Global Warming, Green Youth Movement (GYM), Teens Turning Green, Slow Food USA, Project Sprout, Rise Above Plastics, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Green Charter Schools Network, Environmental Charter High School, Green Ambassadors, The Groop, Diversion Media, Kiva.Org and many others.

About Adora Svitak
A twelve-year-old published author, teacher, and speaker, Adora Svitak has spoken to over four hundred schools and classrooms around the world. A strong voice for youth around the world, she advocates causes ranging from literacy and loving learning to creating a greener world. Adora has spoken at some of the nation's largest education conferences, such as the National Educational Computing Conference and National Middle School Association Conference. Most recently, she was the youngest speaker at the 2010 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference in Long Beach, California.

About National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation is America’s conservation organization, inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. NWF was chosen as the U.S. host for Eco-Schools because, according to the Foundation for Environmental Education, NWF has numerous conservation and education resources to contribute to the program. The Eco-Schools concept fits well with NWF’s work to promote environmental education, connect people with nature, and raise awareness about the threat from global warming. Visit www.nwf.org for more information.

About Environmental Charter High School (ECHS)
Environmental Charter High School (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. 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.

About Schooltube.com
SchoolTube.com is the nation's largest K-12, moderated video sharing website that provides students and educators with a safe and FREE video sharing website that is exclusively endorsed by leading education associations. Every video uploaded to SchoolTube is approved by a teacher or SchoolTube staff member before it is published to ensure that all content is safe for the K-12 audience.
# # #

Media Contact:
Sasha Fedulow
Cohn & Wolfe for GreenMyParents
Sasha.Fedulow@cohnwolfe.com
415.365.8552