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HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative Announces Winners
National Wildlife Federation and HSBC recognize greater Chicago area schools for energy and carbon emission reductions
METTAWA, Ill. (September 1, 2010)—Seven schools in the greater Chicago area took the challenge this past school year to assess and reduce their environmental impact with a strong focus on climate change.
The National Wildlife Federation and HSBC recognized two local schools for their exemplary efforts to tackle climate change within their school.
Each participating school received on-the-ground training, seed grants and the help of local HSBC volunteers to develop and implement the initiative and were asked to create and submit a visual representation on how their school is committed to tackling this important issue. “Each poster identified what the school was doing and the concrete actions they were taking to make their school more climate-friendly,” said Liz Soper, Associate Director of Eco-Schools USA.
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Chicago was the first place winner in the age 5-12 category and Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville took home the winning prize for the age 13-18 category.
Abraham Lincoln Elementary’s submission “Lincoln School is Going Green Before Your Eyes” had a strong focus on the emerging Green House project and the students’ ongoing commitment to recycling and the desire to raise funds for solar panels.
“Wow, this is so unbelievable,” said Laura Goralka and Mackenzie Bradley, winning students at Abraham Lincoln Elementary. “When making this poster, we were reminded of all the green things that Lincoln has done this year as part of Eco-Schools! We are so grateful to have won this contest, and now we can take even bigger steps toward becoming a Green Flag school.”
Dundee-Crown High School’s program had a strong focus on reducing energy use, working toward zero waste, and helping to educate others about this important issue. “We are really proud of our achievements this year in regard to our work at Dundee-Crown. We have a great group of kids that make up our Action Team, the ‘Climate Coolers’, and can’t wait to continue our work next year as we tackle this important issue,” said Gary Swick, teacher, Dundee-Crown High School.
The winning schools were awarded prizes and will move on to compete with other eco-schools around the world. Schools will also be recognized on the Eco-schools and HSBC websites. The winning posters will be exhibited at the 2010 Eco-Schools International Operators’ Meeting in Scotland.
In 2010, HSBC and Eco-Schools International developed the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative, a comprehensive environmental program for schools world-wide aimed to encourage students to be active participants in the reduction of carbon emissions and energy use in their schools, homes and local communities. The National Wildlife Federation, host of the Eco-Schools program in the United States, has teamed up with HSBC to pilot the Climate Initiative in Chicago and Buffalo, New York, where HSBC has large corporate offices and branches. During the first year of the program, eleven countries around the world participated in this three year pilot.
Other participating Chicago area schools included Warren Township School, Charles Gate Dawes School, Al Raby School for Community and Environment, Academy for Global Citizenship and St. Martin de Porres High School.
“It is so rewarding to work with the Eco-school teams and to help them understand the impacts of climate change. HSBC, as the world’s local bank, understands it is important to give back to the community, and with the Eco-Schools program we can educate students about the importance of preserving our environment, a matter than impacts communities throughout the world,” said Ray Johnson, Program Manager for the HSBC Climate Partnership.
Would your school like to participate this year? The HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative seeks additional schools in the greater Chicago and Buffalo region to participate in this pilot program during the 2010 - 2011 school years. If your school is interested, contact Eco-Schools USA at soper@nwf.org.
For more information visit NWF's Eco-Schools homepage and HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative.
CONTACT:
Elizabeth Soper, National Wildlife Federation, 802-272-0968 or soper@nwf.org
Ray Johnson, HSBC, 224-544-3762 or ray.a.johnson@us.hsbc.com