Indoor Air Quality Management: An Effective Way to Improve Achievement

U.S. Department of Education sent this bulletin at 08/31/2012 02:55 PM EDT

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management — an Effective Way to Improve Academic Achievement

Every school district values educational achievement, low absentee rates, high grades and test scores, and an active and engaged student body. To achieve these aims, schools across the country are focusing on creating healthy indoor environments. Read how Omaha Public Schools, home to two 2012 ED-GRS honorees, has proactively addressed student environmental health issues for the past 13 years>>>.

The Green Strides Webinar Series Continues

The Green Strides Webinar Series continues weekly with dozens of sessions to help all schools reduce environmental impact and costs; improve health and wellness; and provide effective education for the challenges of the 21^st century. Register here >>>

Nickelodeon & The NEA Foundation: Big Help Grants

The Big Help Grants program is dedicated to the development and implementation of ideas, techniques, and approaches to addressing four key concerns — environmental awareness, health and wellness, students' right to a quality public education, and active community involvement.
Multiple grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to select applicants. Public school teachers or public school education support professionals practicing in the U.S. are eligible to apply by the October 15, 2012 deadline. More information >>>

Event: World Congress on Educational Environments

The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) will host the World Congress on Educational Environments in San Antonio, TX from September 22-24. More information >>>

Apply for the Green Thumb Challenge Grant

Green Education Foundation and Gardener’s Supply Company are calling on schools and youth groups to submit chronicles of their garden projects by Sept. 30, to win a $5,000 prize. The award is designed to support the continued sustainability of an exceptional youth garden program that has demonstrated success, and has impacted the lives of kids and their community. More information>>>

New Cornell guide gets to the root of tree and shrub problems

ITHACA, NY: Cornell University plant pathologist George Hudler began Branching Out in 1994 as a newsletter providing plant health-care professionals with “hot off the press” information about insects and diseases on woody plants in New York landscapes. Each issue included a feature article providing in-depth discussions of individual pests and pathogens.

Branching Out was written by Dailey O’Brien with contributions by colleagues Dan Gilrein, George Hudler, and other knowledgeable professionals. Now those 18 years of feature articles have been updated and compiled in Branching Out: Features from the Past for the Future, a nearly 300-page book with over 700 color photos.

For landscape, nursery, and Christmas tree professionals and other Branching Out aficionados, no more need to shuffle through old newsletters tucked into an overfull file cabinet—the vital information for coping with the most important issues readers are likely to face will be at their fingertips. Branching Out explores and explains the integrated pest management (IPM) concepts central to the range of tactics for dealing with a pest—as well as conditions that look like a pest caused it, but didn’t.

From “Hickory Hiccups” to “Thousand Cankers Disease” to “Mulch Maladies”: whether it’s diseases, arthropods, or cultural conditions like drought, herbicide injury, or soil compaction, Branching Out’s feature article compendium has it covered. First-rate color photos and a well-designed index provide both ease of use and the superlative identification guidance essential for good IPM.

Branching Out: Features from the Past for the Future is is available from Branching Out, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Cornell University, 334 Plant Science Building, Ithaca, NY 14853. Cost: $30; checks made out to Cornell University.

EPA Environmental Education Update: New Request for Proposals (RFP) for Grant Funded Projects

The EPA Office of Environmental Education has issued a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for grant funded projects to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and provide the skills that participants in its funded projects need to make informed environmental decisions and take responsible actions toward the environment. The title of the new RFP is Environmental Education Regional Grants -- Solicitation Notice for 2012. The RFP number is EPA-EE-12-01; Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 66.951.

Applications must be postmarked by November 21, 2012, 11:59 pm local time; hand delivered by the end of the business day November 21, 2012, in the regional office to which the application is being submitted; or submitted electronically via www.grants.gov by November 21, 2012, 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) in order to be considered for funding.

The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $2,160,000 nationwide. EPA expects to award one (1) grant per Region for an expected 10 grants nationwide; the award amount is approximately (but no more than) $216,000, subject to the availability of funds, the quality and quantity of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

To access the RFP or further clarifying information on our website or in the online Frequently Asked Questions, please go http://www.epa.gov/education/grants/index.html . There you will also find details about two webinars/conference calls that will be held in September for potential applicants to this RFP.

Updated Bed Bugs website from Rutgers University

New items include:
• Recorded ppt presentations for residents, slide notes
• Recorded ppt presentations for staff and managers, slide notes
• Bed bug related pictures
• Bed bug videos

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/bedbug/

American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) will be hosting a 90-minute webinar on Pesticide Residues in the Indoor Environment

On August 29, 2012 at 1pm EDT, the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) will be hosting a 90-minute webinar on Pesticide Residues in the Indoor Environment: Assessment and Health Effect.

Developed by Daniel Sudakin, MD, MPH, FACMT who is an Associate Professor of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR, this webinar has been developed as part of ACMT’s Cooperative Agreement with ATSDR (#U61TS000117-03).
This webinar is free to all attendees and will be broadcast on ACMT’s WebEx Event Center platform. All participants will have the opportunity to watch Dan give his presentation and listen to a live simultaneous audio stream over thhttps://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife computer. Questions can be submitted in real time via the platform's Q&A function. CE/CME is available to all participants.
Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Below is a link to sign up for the webinar. Please contact ACMT if you have any questions about this exciting event.
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To register for the online event
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1. Go to https://acmtevents.webex.com/acmtevents/onstage/g.php?d=660991070&t=a&EA=info%40acmt.net&ET=57a32704fe6ae7ffa11cc020123f4619&ETR=5b7d3d5b0d19526a9d3d61de0f4d046a&RT=MiM1&p
2. Click "Register".
3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click "Submit".
Once the host approves your registration, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event.

EPA Brochure Available: Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments

Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments is now available on the EPA schools website. The direct link is

http://www.epa.gov/region8/humanhealth/children/SensibleSteps.pdf

This document is a great guide for over 20 different environmental concerns in school environments.

Thanks to many EPA program office and regional reviewers, and especially to Alicia Aalto and the Region 8 team for pulling it all together.

EPA will post it on our Children's Health Month site and it will be featured in the September and October children's health listserve.

So share at will with all your networks and again, thank you to Region 8.

Register Today for Outdoor and Turf Field School Integrated Pest Management Webinar

School lawns often function as athletic fields, picnic sites, outdoor classrooms and general recreational areas for the community. Since pesticides are often applied to these heavily used areas, children are at higher risk of exposure to these dangerous chemicals.

Managing turfgrass pests must not depend entirely on chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. Instead, proper pest management should incorporate a variety of non-chemical and cultural techniques known as integrated pest management (IPM), which uses common sense strategies to reduce sources of food, water and shelter for pests in school buildings and grounds.

Register for this webinar which will discuss how to incorporate IPM practices into your school’s daily outdoor management routine.

Register today: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/966262392.

Date: August 28, 2012, at 10 – 11:30 a.m. EST

This webinar is hosted by U.S. EPA Region 2.

August School IPM 2015 eNewsletter

The August School IPM 2015 eNewsletter features the following articles: Safely Manage Feral Cats, Following Bed Bugs Home from School, and New YouTube Channel Highlights IPM Video Shorts.

http://www.ipminstitute.org/school_ipm_2015/Aug12_eNewsletter.htm

If you have not done so already, please consider signing up for the monthly School IPM 2015 newsletter mailing list to:

· Learn how you can reduce pesticide use and pest complaints by more than 70%!

· Create a successful IPM program with no long-term increase in pest management costs.

· Learn strategies for managing pests all year:

o Fall – stinging insects

o Spring – ants

o New pests – bed bugs

· Improve your ability to educate and gain cooperation from key staff including maintenance, custodial and food service.

Signing up is easy. Email your name and contact information to: newsletter@schoolipm2015.com

Tomorrow: Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities Webinar

Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities Webinar Tomorrow Healthy Schools Campaign is pleased to present our Green Cleaning Webinar Series featuring national leaders and on-the-ground experts on green cleaning in schools! The webinar will take place tomorrow at 1 p.m. Central. This webinar will focus on the what, why and how-to of the Green Cleaning Award for Schools and Universities. Presenters will highlight best practices and practical tips for easily completing the application and will provide background and history on the award. The goal of the webinar is to make it easy for schools and their partners to apply for the award. REGISTER NOW (There's still time!) Speakers include: Joe Agron, Editor in Chief, American School & University magazine Steve Ashkin, Founding Executive Director, Green Cleaning Network Mark Bishop, Vice President of Policy and Communications, Healthy Schools Campaign Please join us to learn about the Green Cleaning Award for Schools and Universities! Sponsored by -- Upcoming Webinars Upcoming webinars include: New Technology and Green Cleaning Wednesday, August 15 (1-2 p.m. Central) Building engineers and content experts will discuss the latest technology in green cleaning and review new products they are using in the schools they serve. In addition, speakers will discuss strategies for creating buy-in among cleaning staff for new green cleaning technology and building support for green cleaning programs throughout the school community. Making the Financial Case for Green Cleaning Wednesday, August 29 (1-2 p.m. Central) Speakers will discuss the financial benefits of green cleaning and share strategies they have identified for saving in product and labor costs. Speakers will share their own stories of implementing cost-effective green cleaning programs. You can learn more about all the webinars here. We hope you'll join us for these engaging and informative sessions!

175 N. Franklin, Suite 300 | Chicago, IL 60606 | T 312.419.1810 | F 312.419.1806 www.healthyschoolscampaign.org

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