Friday, March 28, 2008

Check out our new Website

Green Grannies & Friends for Clean Air & Healthy Kids:

NEW website: http://www.greengrannies.x10hosting.com/

Thanks Amy!!

Friday, March 7, 2008

National Healthy Schools Day

CELEBRATE
National Healthy Schools Day April 28, 2008

Ways to participate:


  1. Have a "Clean Up Our School" Event

  2. Write letters to your school administrators and thank them for keeping your school clean.

  3. What your school can DO RIGHT NOW!

  • Switch to clean, biodegradable, eco-friendly cleaning products. Biodegradable cleaning products will not give off toxic gases and fumes that can affect the health of children and adults. Cleaning products with the "Green Seal" are safer, more eco-friendly industrial strength cleaners. [See side bar for eco-friendly cleaning products you can use at home.]

  • Clean out the duct work in your schools at least one time each year, in addition to replacing ventilation filters.

  • Turn off school bus engines. School buses that are idling during drop off and pick up give off harmful diesel exhaust fumes. These toxic fumes can enter the school building and directly affect the indoor air your children are breathing. By stopping school buses from idling, this is one small step that can make indoor air safer and cleaner for the children.

Some Long Term Goals for Cleaning Up and Greening Up Schools:

  • Remove all carpeting in classrooms. Carpeting fibers and carpet glue can off gas toxic chemicals for years. Carpeting also holds dust, dustmites, mold, mildew, chalkdust, chemicals, like Chemlawn, and animal feces, brought into classrooms on children's feet from home.

  • Replace carpeting with a flooring like Marmoleum that is easy to clean, will not off gas, and will resist mold and mildew.

For more ideas on National Healthy Schools Day events visit: http://www.nationalhealthyschoolsday.org/

KEEP OUR KIDS AND TEACHERS SAFE AND HEALTHY

CELEBRATE

BY CLEANING UP AND GREENING UP OUR SCHOOLS!!

The Green Grannies and Friends for Clean Air and Healthy Kids are grateful to the following for their work on this important issue:

  • Healthy Schools Network: http://www.healthyschools.org/
  • The National Coalition for Healthier Schools
  • The Environmental Protection Agency
  • The National Education Association

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Unabridged Letter to the Editor of the Sharon Herald


March 6, 2008
Editor, Sharon Herald

South Dock Street
Sharon, PA 16146

Dear Editor,

During the past several weeks there have been many articles in the Sharon Herald about schools in Mercer County that will be undergoing renovations. This is an exciting time for students, teachers, and parents alike, but renovating old buildings or new building construction has the potential for exposing the entire school population to long term health issues, major medical traumas, and a reduced quality of life. How do I know this? I “lived” through a school renovation and am paying the health related consequences.

Parents, teachers, and staff must know that construction workers are protected under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Children and teachers, who will be exposed to the same toxic debris, polluted air, and mold, are not.

The occupants of the renovated buildings will be spending 30 to 50 hours a week in an environment that will be filled with construction dust containing major carcinogens, mold spores, and asthma inducing pollutants. The workers will be masked to protect their lungs during the process, our teachers and students will not.

“National Healthy Schools Day” is April 28, 2008. It comes during “School Building Week,” April 28 - May 2, 2008. We must insist that our “School Buildings,” which house our most precious commodity, our children, grandchildren, and our teachers, are healthy and clean, and not “sick.”

The “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007” was passed and signed into law on December 19, 2007. This law “establishes a new federal office of green buildings . . . and directs the US EPA to promote healthy school environments by working with state agencies, by creating federal guidelines for the siting of schools, and by developing model guidelines for children’s environmental health in schools.”

According to the Coalition for Healthier Schools which is coordinated by the Healthy Schools Network, “school design standards are coming under No Child Left Behind (Sec. 5581, Healthy High Performance Schools), mandating the Department of Education to conduct a “Study of National Significance” (Sec. 5414) on the impacts of decayed schools on children and report the finding to the US Congress.”

All of us need to assure that our children are learning in an environment that provides clean indoor air quality and a healthy living standard. I have formed a group called the “Green Grannies and Friends for Clean Air and Healthy Kids.” One of our goals to provide information about indoor air quality and the effects it has on building occupants. We are working to promote a safe, healthy environment for our children and their teachers.

Parents need to ask their administrators and contractors some tough questions prior to renovations. For information on questions to ask, how to clean up and green up our schools, or to learn more about “National Healthy Schools Day” and what YOU can do to protect your child, check out:
http://greengrannies.blogspot.com

Sincerely, Rhonda Paglia
Retired teacher, 26 years
Coordinator, Green Grannies and Friends for Clean Air & Healthy Kids
greengrannies@gmail.com

NEW ENERGY LAW FOR HEALTHY HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS

December 19, 2007, the president signed into law the President Signs Energy Bill Enacting Healthy High Performance Schools .

Write to your legislators, get them involved in putting this new law into action NOW.

Encourage your school district to work toward one of the EPA's award for good indoor air qualtiy in schools. How exciting it would be for our children to attend a "Healthy" High Performance School! Awards: US EPA National Special Achievement Award for School Indoor Air Quality, Collaborative for High Performance Schools Award for IAQ in School Design

For more information and suggestions on how to celebrate "National Healthy Schools Day", please visit the National Healthy Schools Day website.

KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE - TAKE ACTION NOW!

TAKE ACTION NOW - to help keep our Children and Grandchildren safe and healthy!

#1. Order a FREE "Indoor Air Quality [IAQ] Tools for Schools" kit. This program, designed by the EPA, helps insure good, safe indoor air quality for school occupants. You can order the free kit here:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html .

#2. Go through the "IAQ Tools for Schools" kit. Watch the videos. Read the material, review the IAQ check lists. Learn about the importance of good indoor air quality and the affects poor IAQ can have on building occupants.

#3. Share what you have learned with other parents and members of the PTO. Share it with your school administrators, school nurses, and teachers. As parents, you have the most influence to help make reforms within your school district to protect your children.

#3. Encourage schools to EDUCATE their schools maintenance workers. How school maintenance workers clean - or do not clean - has a direct and dynamic affect on your child's heath and safety.

#4. "Get Clean by Going Green!" If schools would change their chemical, toxic cleaning products to biodegradable, environmentally, safe cleaning products, the safety and health of our children would be improved. Using "green" cleaners will reduce toxins and off gasses in school buildings, improving the air our children breathe each day.

See side bar to links of Eco-friendly cleaning products. If industial strength cleaners are needed, make sure your school purchases products with the "GREEN SEAL."

A few "Tools for Schools" FACTS:

Schools that are already using the "EPA's Tools for Schools" are reporting:

  • a reduction in use of inhalers in schools
  • less trips to the school nurse.
  • better attendance
  • Increase in student performance . . . this is significant!

One piece of the IAQ Tools for Schools is a "Walk Through." Two short video segments can be seen below.

SCHOOL RENOVATIONS QUESTIONS - KEEP OUR KIDS & STAFF SAFE

When school buildings are being renovated, parents and grandparents MUST be concerned about the welfare of the building occupants, our children, teachers, and staff.

The construction workers are protected under Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] standards, but there are no OSHA standards for children. We need to fix this!

Here are some very important questions to ask adminstrators, school board members, and the construction company prior to school renovations:
These questions are adapted from the Healthy Schools Network and the EPA.

#1. Is there a plan for the safety and health of the occupants [the children, teachers, and staff] during the renovations? If so, what are those plans?

#2. How quickly will the administration or the builders be to complaints relating to occupant safety and health issues as they arise?

#3. When construction is going on in an occupied building, are its occupants, our children and staff, informed of the protocol involved in reporting a problem regarding their health and safety?
#4. Are the building occupants empowered to advocate for their own health and safetly without fear of retribution, reprimand, loss of job, etc.?

#5. How will the chemical fumes, gases, dust, and other contaminants that are in the air during construction be controlled?

#6. How will dust, debris, asbestos fibers, and dust contaminated poisonous toxins such as lead from paint, be prevented from entering the occupied parts of the building where your children and your teachers are working?

#7. How does the ventilation system work? Will it be sealed off to prevent toxic fumes and particulant matter from entering the air while your children are in class?

#8. Will the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning [HVAC] system be thoroughly cleaned after construction? If not – WHY? The particulate matter that has collected in the ventilation system will blow contaminated dust and debris into the newly renovated classrooms if not thoroughly cleaned. Regular cleaning should be demanded of our schools. The routine changing of filters is NOT enough.

#9. Will the school be constructed with materials that will give off gasses, fumes, and volatile organic compounds [VOC’s]. Examples of VOC's are: formaldehyde glue, paint thinners, and cleaning chemicals, chemicals used in plastics, carpeting? These materials can off-gas for years after construction.

#10. How will the noise pollution be controlled so your children are guaranteed the right of an environment conducive to learning? Parents and building occupants have the Right To Know what the building occupants are being exposed to and what their children are breathing.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Green Grannies and Friends in Action!!

Green Grannies & Friends for Clean Air & Healthy Kids:
NEW website:
http://www.greengrannies.10xhosting.com/

Thanks Amy!!

National Healthy Schools Day Postcard reminders were sent to all public schools in Mercer, Lawrence, Crawford, Venango, Butler and Erie Counties, many private schools in Mercer, Lawrence, and Crawford counties and all the colleges in the Tri-county area.

Letters to the Editor of the Sharon Herald:
Letter #1 - [3-6-08] Health concerns for children and staff during school renovations
Letter #2 - [3-26-08, published 4-3-08] Questions parents should ask of administrators and builders prior to school renovations


4-3-08: Presentation & discussion with the Sharon, PA La Leche League on the affects of Indoor Air Quality on children’s health.

Thank You Green Grannies and Friends from all over: for sending e-mails and letters to our State Representatives asking them to support National Healthy Schools Day. If you haven't sent an e-mail to your representative, click below to find your state representative and say thank you for supporting National Healthy Schools Day, on April 28. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/representativesalpha.cfm

Thank you State Representatives:

PA Rep. Mark Longietti, Mercer County and PA Rep. Mark Keller, Perry & Franklin Counties, for sponsoring a resolution for National Healthy Schools Day.




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Thanks Michael from Georgia - His students wrote letters to the principal explaining why they felt their school should participate on National Healthy Schools Day!




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Thanks Janet from PA - Breathing Dirty Air May Lower Kids' IQs Check this out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23188393/wid/11915773/




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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

IAQ Lingo - 101

CDC = Center for Disease Control
EPA = Environmental Protection Agency
HHPS = Healthy High Performance Schools
HVAC System = Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning System
IAQ = Indoor Air Quality
NAS = National Academy of Science
NHSD = National Healthy Schools Day
OSHA = Occupational Safety and Healthy Administration [standards for industrial workers]
VOC's = Volatile Organic Chemicals - materials that give off gasses, like glues, paint, chemical cleaning products, etc.

Monday, March 3, 2008

National Healthy Schools Day: Why it is so important

April 28, 2008 is “National Healthy Schools Day.”

When we hear “Healthy Schools Day,” the natural assumption is that “Healthy” refers to student wellness, eliminating junk food in the school cafeteria, and encouraging kids to exercise more. However, there is another purpose for celebrating National Healthy Schools Day.

“National Healthy Schools Day” comes during “School Building Week,” which is April 28 - May 2, 2008. The purpose is to celebrate the "health" of our school buildings. The health or "sickness" of the “School Facilities / Buildings,” can directly affect the health of our most precious commodities, our children and grandchildren. The goal is to make sure our school buildings are clean and healthy, not “sick.”

QUICK FACTS:

  • According to the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] “nearly one in 13 children now have asthma and the numbers of students using inhalers in schools is rising at an epidemic proportion.”
  • According to the Center for Disease Control [CDC], “Asthma is the third ranking cause of hospitalization of children ages 15 and under.”
  • According to the EPA, CDC, and the National Academy of Science [NAS], “Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors [this includes children in school] exposed to indoor allergens and irritants which play a significant role in triggering asthma episodes. Asthma “triggers” include: dust, mold, mildew, strong fumes from cleaning products, paints, construction dust and fumes, diesel exhaust, and toxic pesticides.”
  • Children and staff with asthma, allergies, or chemical sensitivities are going to experience health problems unless strict precautions are taken.


One piece of the IAQ Tools for Schools is a "Walk Through." Two short video segments can be seen below.

#2. December 19, 2007, the president signed into law the President Signs Energy Bill Enacting Healthy High Performance Schools . Write to your legislators, get them involved in putting this new law into action NOW.

#3. Encourage your school district to work toward one of the EPA's awards for good indoor air quality in schools. How exciting it would be for our children to attend a "Healthy" High Performance School! Awards: US EPA National Special Achievement Award for School Indoor Air Quality, Collaborative for High Performance Schools Award for IAQ in School Design

#4. Finally, encourage your school to "Get Clean by Going Green!" Changing to biodegradable, environmentally safe cleaning products will reduce the toxin and off gasses in school buildings. Green Cleaning will improve air qualtiy and keep our children and staff healthier and safer. See side bar to links of Eco-friendly cleaning products.

For more information and suggestions on how to celebrate "National Healthy Schools Day", please visit the National Healthy Schools Day website.