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The Green Flag School Program

The Green Flag School Program. Helping you make Your School Safe Through Investigation, Education, Innovation and Action. A Project of Childproofing Our Communities Campaign The Center for Health, Environment and Justice.

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The Green Flag School Program

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  1. The Green Flag School Program Helping you make Your School Safe Through Investigation, Education, Innovation and Action A Project of Childproofing Our Communities Campaign The Center for Health, Environment and Justice • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  2. What Is the Green Flag School Program? • An environmental leadership program • Advances leadership, exploration, public speaking, and team work skills • Integrates environmental education into class subjects • A great way to raise school pride • Creates healthier schools! • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  3. How Does It Work? • A national awards program • Includes materials, technical resources, guidance and support • Focuses on creating and improving environmental programs and policies • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  4. How Does It Work? • Schools form a group • Investigate their school • Develop creative and proactive solutions to environmental issues • Use materials created by the Green Flag program and on their own • Educate their communities through example • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  5. Children Are More Vulnerable to Chemicals • Children’s systems are still developing • Children eat more food, drink more fluids, and breath more air per pound of body weight • Children behave like children • Chemical exposure regulations are based on the average healthy adult’s age, weight, consumption and activities • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  6. Preventable Health Risks in Schools and Homes • Indoor air quality • Cleaning products • Art supplies • Science materials • Mold • Pesticides, Herbicides and Fungicides • Diesel fumes • Ventilation and air circulation • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  7. What Sort of Issues Do Schools Work on? • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • Integrated Pest Management • Indoor Air Quality • Non-Toxic Products • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  8. Each Issue Area Has Four Levels: Level one: • Form a team, investigate the school environment, select an issue area. Level two: • Look closely at the issue area, make presentations to teach others, and hold group meetings. Level three: • Learn about the issue, develop and pass a program or policy change. Level four: • Support the new program or policy by publicizing it. • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  9. Let’s Take a Closer Look at Each Issue Area • Indoor Air Quality • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  10. Health Effects of Poor Indoor Air Quality • Asthma • Respiratory infections • Learning disabilities • Difficulty concentrating • Stomach illnesses, nausea, dizziness • Kidney or liver damage • Sick Building Syndrome • Full effects still unknown • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  11. Clean Air Inside and Out! • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  12. Asthma • One in every 15 kids has asthma • Asthma is the #1 reason for absenteeism from school • Between 1982 and 1994 asthma increased by 72% among US children • Asthma cases are projected to double by 2010 • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  13. Actual Costs of Asthma • Direct costs to state from 100,000 childhood asthma cases: • Annually: between $10 and $35 million • Direct costs plus estimated future costs: between $14 and $50 million • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  14. Disproportionate Effects • Asthma related hospitalizations are disproportionately higher, and growing faster in inner-city areas • Minority communities suffer higher rates of asthma • Severity of asthma attacks increases with poor indoor and outdoor air quality • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  15. Let’s Take a Closer Look at Each Issue Area • Integrated Pest Management • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  16. Integrated Pest Management • Pesticides are used to control unwanted pests, plants and fungus • Pesticides are poisons • Often used regularly, instead of in response to an actual pest problem • Often applied when kids are in school and without notice • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  17. Integrated Pest Management • Pesticides are breathed in when they are applied • Chemicals remain on surfaces for a long time • Children come into contact with these chemicals through daily activities • 74% of households also use pesticides • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  18. Integrated Pest Management • Chemicals in pesticides can cause cancer and learning disabilities, reproductive, respiratory and endocrine effects • People should reduce exposure to pesticides wherever possible • Integrated Pest Management is more effective to control pests • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  19. Integrated Pest Management Basics • Understand pest varieties and habits • Design appropriate and targeted pest control methods • Use mechanical pest control methods, such as blocking pest entryways or using traps and baits • Use least-toxic chemicals, if any • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  20. IPM Programs Are Kid-friendly • Provide valuable science and math lessons • Students learn cause and effect • Have a positive role in the school program • Learn to educate others • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  21. Example IPM School Program • Los Angeles Unified Integrated Pest Management Policy • Native plant gardens • Student insect identification classes • Incentives to keep school clean • Four schools have won the Green Flag Award for RRR and IPM • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  22. Let’s Take a Closer Look at Each Issue Area • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  23. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • Educational and kid-friendly • Have immediate and visible benefits • Can save and earn money for schools • Models for success across the country • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  24. Example RRR School Program • Herndon High School, Herndon, VA • Earned over $250,000 since 1989 • Awarded over $175,000 in scholarships to over 150 graduates • Recycled over 1,500 tons of waste • Won 17 local, state and national awards • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  25. Let’s Take a Closer Look at Each Issue Area • Non-Toxic Products • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  26. Non-Toxic Products • Traditional cleaning products can cause: • Learning, speech, and motor skill problems • Cancer • Reproductive disorders • Respiratory diseases • Eye, nose, throat and skin irritation  • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  27. Reduce the Exposure,Reduce the Risk • Commonly available, effective and cost competitive alternatives are available • A non-toxic purchasing policy creates a healthier learning and working environment • Non-toxic products improve the health of maintenance workers, and reduce risk to students and staff • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  28. Example NTP School Program • Churchill High School, Eugene, Oregon • Students researched cleaning products, MSDS sheets, and identified non-toxic alternatives • Students educated their peers on the issue • School replaced all cleaning products with non-toxic alternatives • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  29. Using What We Know • Improving Health Through Precautionary Action • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  30. Chronic Diseases are on the Rise • 17% of children under 18 in the U.S. have one or more developmental disabilities • Cancer, autism, learning disabilities, attention disorders, and asthma incidences in children are all on the rise. • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  31. New Chemicals but Limited Information • 85,000 synthetic chemicals in common use in the United States • 2,000 new chemicals per year • NO LAW requiring companies to test a chemical’s effects on human health • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  32. Illnesses linked to environmental toxins • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 3-6% of school children • Some pesticides cause lifelong hyperactivity in rodents exposed to a single small amount on a critical day of brain development. • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  33. What Can We Do? • Precaution and Education • Proactively pass policies to protect children’s growing bodies • Engage young people now, for the future • Be on the cutting edge • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  34. State Initiatives • Vermont Purchasing Policy for Non-Toxic Products • NY, IL, CA, PA, RI Policies for Integrated Pest Management • Minnesota and Vermont Policies establishing No Idling zones • CA, NY, NH, MN, WA, VT – Indoor Air Quality Policies • These are a few among many • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  35. Promoting Precaution and Preventing Harm • Discover the chemicals that are present in our communities • Minimize our exposure in schools and homes to prevent harm • Encourage policies that choose the least toxic method of doing business • Spread the precautionary word! • Join other schools nationwide • Buy non-toxic for our own homes • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  36. The Green Flag Program The Green Flag Program allows students and educators to investigate innovative strategies to make their schools healthier places to work and learn. • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

  37. For More Information • Contact the Green Flag Coordinator at The Center for Health, Environment and Justice- Makia Burns • (703) 237 – 2249 x21 • mburns@chej.org • www.greenflagschools.org • P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA| o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org

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