Earth Day celebrations will start early at 186 elementary schools
throughout Los Angeles as they celebrate the Go H2O! Earth Day
Festivals today. For the fourth year in a row, more than 28,000 students
are participating in the Go H2O! Challenge, a program developed
by LAs BEST After School Enrichment Program and the American Chemistry
Council (ACC) to educate kids about the importance of healthy habits.
This program promotes healthy bodies by teaching children to drink water
instead of sugary drinks, and promotes a healthy planet by encouraging
the recycling of plastics and other materials.
Earth Day festivals include games like Water Bottle Bowling where
recyclable bottles will serve as bowling pins, a Recycling Relay Race
that uses recyclable materials, as well as a trivia game that reinforces
the importance of reducing waste, increasing recycling and developing
healthy habits at a young age.
The festivals will be celebrated at all 186 of the LAs BEST sites
throughout Los Angeles. Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes as well as
representatives for Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, Assemblymember
Isadore Hall, and Senator Curren Price will be in attendance at
festivals in their districts, participating in the given sites welcome
assembly and encouraging students to continue recycling and to maintain
healthy habits.
The Go H2O! Challenge has been a welcome addition to our program
and our students are excited to celebrate Earth Day at these festivals,
said Carla Sanger, LAs BEST president and CEO. Providing our students
with a creative way to learn about recycling and adopt healthy habits is
an important goal for us and were pleased the challenge continues to be
a success.
As part of the 2012 Go H2O! Challenge, which launches this Fall,
more than 28,000 students will receive reusable plastic water bottles
made of recycled plastic. Coaches will receive educational packets to
help them teach students about recycling more plastics, choosing water
as a healthy choice, and using a reusable, recyclable container to help
reduce the consumption of materials.
Were honored to be helping LAs BEST students and their families learn
about recycling plastic and reducing waste this Earth Day, said Steve
Russell, vice president, plastics, American Chemistry Council. The more
we can do to spread the word about recycling, the more committed we all
will be to keeping plastic out of our oceans and placing it in the
recycling bin where it belongs.
Originally launched in 2009, the Go H2O! Challenge aims to
educate the LAs BEST community about the importance of recycling
plastics and reducing waste while emphasizing how drinking more water
can promote a healthy lifestyle. Since its inception, ACC has provided
the LAs BEST program with educational materials about recycling and
reusable plastic water bottles made from recyclable material. The
messages of the Go H2O! Challenge have sparked additional healthy
initiatives throughout the LAs BEST network including the installation
of gardens and an increased availability of recycling bins at some of
the 186 sites.
LAs BEST After School Enrichment Program is a partner in the statewide
recycling awareness campaign, Plastics. Too Valuable to Waste. RecycleSM.
The campaign launched in 2008 when representatives from the California
Department of Parks and Recreation, ACC and Keep California Beautiful
initiated a beach recycling program at State Parks sites in the Los
Angeles and Central Coast areas. The program soon spread to State Parks
beaches in San Diego, Monterey, Santa Cruz, the City of Brentwood and
the City of Woodland. For more information, see www.2valuable2waste.com.
LAs BEST Better Educated Students for Tomorrow is a
nationally recognized after school education, enrichment and recreation
program serving more than 28,000 children with the greatest needs and
fewest resources throughout the City of Los Angeles. LA’s BEST After
School Enrichment Program provides a safe haven for children ages 5 to
12 at 186 elementary school sites each day during the critical hours
after school at no cost to parents. Established in 1988, LA’s BEST is
a partnership including the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified
School District and the private sector. LAs BEST is part of Beyond the
Bell, whose mission is to ensure that all children and youth in LAUSD
have access to high quality, safe and supervised academic, enrichment,
and recreation programs that inspire learning and achievement beyond the
regular school day. For more information, please visit www.lasbest.org.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading
companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the
science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make
people’s lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved
environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®,
common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues,
and health and environmental research and product testing. The business
of chemistry is a $674 billion enterprise and a key element of the
nation’s economy. It is one of the nations largest exporters,
accounting for ten cents out of every dollar in U.S. exports. Chemistry
companies are among the largest investors in research and development.
Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members,
and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government
agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the
nations critical infrastructure. http://www.americanchemistry.com
