Schools take part in environmental campaign

The Record (Hackensack N.J.) (MCT) - Educational institutions across the country are participating in a national campaign to save the environment.

The initiatives are part of the national Lexus Eco Challenge, co-sponsored by the automobile manufacturer and children's book publisher Scholastic Inc., to inspire students to make a difference in the environment today, one community at a time.

As part of the campaign, students at Immaculate Heart Academy High School in Washington Township, N.J., have waged a campaign not to use plastic, created a Web site, and planned to lobby their local congressman about their concerns.

"It provides a forum to follow across the whole curriculum," said Christina Morin, an Immaculate Heart math teacher and adviser. "We're fostering relations across all age groups."

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At Valley Middle School in Oakland, N.J., more than 50 students have made pledges to turn off their televisions, computers and cellphone chargers when not in use to save electricity.

And at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, N.J., students ventured by row boat and in boots to dredge a pond on campus for old bottles, tires and debris.

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Some schools have used the program to coincide with district curriculum, allowing students to utilize their research skills and community outreach, reinforcing what they learn about science, math, social studies and language arts.

The 2-year-old philanthropic program has three challenges _ land, water and air/climate _ divided between high school and middle schools. When it has finished, it will have awarded $1 million in grants, prizes and scholarships. Two schools in each category will win $50,000, 14 will win $35,000, and 48 will receive $10,000.

"We believe that children have the potential and desire to make a difference," said Nancy Lubbel, a spokeswoman for Lexus in Torrance, Calif., and the program's organizer. "We wanted to design a program to test their skills."

Nationwide, 500 schools and about 5,000 students are registered, she said.

In the program, teams are organized in schools, where they set goals and present their strategy to the larger student body.

"We put everything together," said Eman Elgouz, 12, one of six student leaders in Oakland, N.J. "We made sheets for the students to sign. ... I've learned so much like, when I leave the computer, I should turn it off."

Besides the pledge, Oakland students also did a cleanup of the Ramapo River.

The Englewood, N.J., program, in which students cleaned a pond that had been hidden by trees and shrubs for years, created a sense of community, teacher Judy Aronson said.

"Students have a sense of ownership on campus," Aronson said. "That concept creates the will to take care of it better."

At Immaculate Heart Academy, where students are urging businesses and residents to use corn starch products instead of plastic, garnering more than 400 signatures on a petition, youngsters have bought into the challenge.

Currently, students are designing a group on the social-networking site Facebook, and they are drafting letters to send to New Jersey Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, about their concerns regarding air pollution.

"We want to let the legislators know about the Clean Air Act," said Krista Kaspar, 16, of Parsippany, N.J., who, along with others, has researched lobbying. "They have a major impact on society. They could tell (Congress) to improve this issue."

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