VA Media Advisory

GREEN FLAG SCHOOL

Herndon High School

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR SEPTEMBER 16, 2003

LOCAL CONTACT:         Margie Klein
                                            Green Flag Program Coordinator
                                            646-408-6160 (cell)
                                            703-237-2249, ext. 27 (Work)
                                            Margie@chej.org

NATIONAL CONTACT: Beth George, 212/245-0510,
                                            bgeorge@promediacomm.com

Local School Receives National Environmental Award

WHAT:     Herndon High School is receiving a national award for its outstanding environmental work. The school is one of more than a dozen schools that are receiving awards as part of the national launch of the Green Flag Program. The student-driven Green Flag Program will award Herndon’s Students Against Global Abuse recycling club for completing the third level of the program, and will hold an award ceremony featuring students, teachers, local leaders.

WHO:     Lois Gibbs, Executive Director, Center for Health, Environment and Justice
                Janet Howell, Virginia State Senator
                Tom Rust , Virginia State Delegate:
                Stu Mendelsohn, Fairfax County Supervisor
                Janice Leslie, Principal
                Becky Elstad, President, Students Against Global Abuse

WHEN:     1pm, Tuesday, September 16th.

WHERE:     Herndon High School, 700 Bennett Street, northwest Herndon

DIRECTIONS:     From 495: Take Dulles Toll Road west towards Dulles Airport. Exit off toll road at Fairfax County Parkway to the right. Head north on Fairfax County Parkway Rt. 7100 for 5 lights. Turn left on Wiehle Ave (the fifth light) and proceed west two lights. Left on Dranesville Road. Go to first light. Left on Bennett Street. The School is on the left. Continue to the last parking lot on the left, for faculty and visitors. Go past main office to lecture hall.

VISUALS:     Great visuals – excited students will receive colorful Green Flag for their work. Marching Band will play to begin award ceremony

Media

Edition of Sept. 19, 2003

SAGA Earns National Award for Protecting Environment

By Jason Hornick
Observer Staff Writer

After the marching band played the Herndon High School fight song on Tuesday, Lois Gibbs, executive director for The Center for Health Environment and Justice (CHEJ), presented Students Against Global Abuse (SAGA) with the inaugural Green Flag award.

The award recognizes Herndon for its environmental achievement as SAGA members annually recycle more than 100 tons of paper and other waste. Only 14 schools in nine states will receive the Green Flag award this year, and Herndon is the only public high school to be honored.

CHEJ, a national environmental organization based in Falls Church, piloted the Green Flag program this year as part of its Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign. Green Flag focuses on four areas--integrated pest management, recycling, indoor air quality and non-toxic products--to help stop environmental hazards in schools before they become a serious problem. Each school attaining a level three, the highest recognition, will be presented with a patch in each area. Herndon has received the patch for recycling, to add to its green flag.

"I will look forward to coming back when you fill in all the patches," said Gibbs.

Gary Gepford, Herndon High School teacher and coordinator of SAGA, said "it will be soon."

Gibbs, who founded CHEJ in 1981, said Herndon was "way above the curve of any other school in the country." She said the purpose of the program was to "see if we can create a much safer environment in which to learn and to play."

To date, SAGA, founded in 1989, has recycled more than 2.5 million pounds of trash. The 65 students involved with the group presently work with 150 offices, libraries and schools, instituting recycling programs. "We are hoping in the near future to get all of our feeder schools to become involved in the Green Flag movement," said Gepford.

SAGA has also earned $250,000 in college scholarship money, which the group earned almost solely though selling recyclables. The organization also has a green house program that rescues native species of plants from development sites and transplanting the plants in local parks.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Sen. Janet Howell (D-32), Del. Tom Rust (R-86) and Fairfax County Supervisor Stu Mendelsohn (R-Dranesville).

"What you all are doing with SAGA and other things just makes me so proud," said Rust. "These are cutting edge things and you will be right at the forefront of them."

Mendelsohn said when he was first elected to the Board of Supervisors the word "environment" was not located in any of his campaign literature. "You all educated me as an elected official," said Mendelsohn. "The entire community is better off for the work you have done."