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TEN SCHOOLS TO BE AWARDED FOR HEALTHY INDOOR AIR
Release Date: 07/28/2000
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2000
TEN SCHOOLS TO BE AWARDED FOR HEALTHY INDOOR AIR
On August 3-5, at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, EPA will sponsor the first national symposium to launch a national drive to increase awareness about the need for clean indoor air in our nation’s schools. At this symposium, EPA will honor 10 schools for their outstanding efforts to create healthier indoor environments for students and staff. They are: William Blackstone Elementary School, Boston, Mass.; Baldwin Union Free School District, Baldwin, N.Y.; Bensalem Township School District, Bensalem, Pa.; School District of Okaloosa County, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; New Ulm Public Schools, New Ulm, Minn.; El Paso Independent School District, El Paso, Texas; Indianola Community School District, Indianola, Iowa; King-Murphy Elementary, Clear Creek School District, Evergreen, Colo.; Saugus Union School District, Saugus, Calif.; Sedro-Woolley School District, Sedro Woolley, Wash. These schools have fully utilized the low-cost techniques and suggestions of EPA’s Tools for Schools Kit which is designed to help educators and administrators improve air quality. EPA’s goal is to encourage school officials nationwide to take action this school year to protect the health of students and staff and to create more productive learning environments. According to a 1995 GAO report over 50 percent of our nation’s schools have poor ventilation and significant sources of pollution in buildings where nearly 55 million students, teachers, and school staff spend the majority of their time. This especially effects children with asthma who are particularly susceptible to indoor pollutants. Asthma, a chronic childhood disease, is responsible for 10 million missed school days per year. In the last 15 years, there has been a 160 percent rise in the incidence of asthma among young children. About one in 13 school-age children has asthma, and the number of affected children is increasing. Asthma is the leading cause of long-term illness in children. EPA’s Tools for Schools Kit is helping to reduce those risks. The media is invited to the award ceremony to be held on August 3 from 5 to 7 p.m.
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