News from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

For more information contact: Maureen Wren, 518-402-8000

Earth Day 2008 Kicks Off With The Green Schools Challenge

Students Across New York Compete To Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

ALBANY, NY (04/22/2008; 1255)(readMedia)-- To mark Earth Day 2008, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of Education today announced a new Green Schools Challenge contest to bolster recycling in every school across the state.

The yearlong competition will determine what schools can do to:

• Recycle paper, metal, glass and other materials.

• Buy and promote recycled products, and reuse packaging.

• Reduce waste and toxics.

• Conserve water and energy.

• Jumpstart composting programs.

All public and private elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools that comply with their local recycling laws or are in compliance by Feb. 1, 2009 are eligible to apply. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, including some based on school size. The tentative goal is to announce winners on Earth Day 2009.

“Young people have often led the way for environmental change in America,” said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. “It’s crucial to connect them to the natural world and issues surrounding it because they are the environmental stewards of the future. This contest is one way to do that. We look forward to hearing about innovative ideas from New York schools.”

“The Board of Regents and the State Education Department view this ‘Green Schools’ challenge as a wonderful opportunity to teach children about environmental stewardship while putting their lessons into action,” said Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills. “We are committed to help promote sustainability and conservation at schools across New York State.”

Mills noted that the recycling challenge piggybacks on planning measures introduced recently to encourage more schools to be environmentally friendly.

“The Regents NY-CHPS High Performance Schools Guidelines released last fall in collaboration with DEC and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority put green building principles in our own planning manuals for schools,” Mills said.

The Green Schools Challenge is just the latest in DEC’s “No Child Left Inside” campaign, including the recent launch of Conservationist for Kids - a magazine specially designed for fourth-grade level students to connect to the outdoors.

Recycling in New York State has come a long way in the 20 years since the passage of the state's Solid Waste Management Act. The municipal recycling rate has increased from just a few percentage points in 1987 to nearly 30 percent in 2005.

Education on the benefits of recycling and its importance in sustainability is the key to getting the rates higher. Many schools around the state have embraced recycling as a key environmental program. The site of today’s event kicking off the Green Schools Challenge - Goff Middle School in East Greenbush, Rensselaer County - is a model program integrating recycling and other sustainability initiatives into the curriculum and daily life of the students.

For more information on the competition and for an application, go to the “Green Schools” page on the DEC website: www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8803.html .

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