We're very happy to announce that Alexander Chen of Irvington High School in Fremont, CA has won the America's Greenest School Contest!
From IC Bus
Hello Friend of the Environment,
We're very happy to announce that Alexander Chen of Irvington High School in Fremont, CA has won the America's Greenest School Contest! Alex's essay "Irvington Vikings Sail Toward Sustainability" (one of nearly 2,000) won his school district an IC Bus plug-in hybrid electric school bus. He also won a $5,000 scholarship for himself. Way to go, Alex!
We created the contest as part of our effort to promote how school bus ridership can make the world a greener place. The response to the contest shows how much younger generations care about a green planet. Alex's essay demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the many ways energy efficiency can be achieved at school, from installing timers on light fixtures to pursuing an effort to paint the school's rooftop white. Alex and Irvington High School clearly have a profound interest in a greener world. As classes come to an end and we prepare for summer vacation, IC Bus wants to help everyone stay involved with the drive for a greener world.
In this spirit, we'd like to share some tips from author Terra Wellington. Her recent book, The Mom's Guide to Growing Your Family Green: Saving the Earth Begins at Home, is a comprehensive real-person's guide on how to help the planet and protect your family.
GO ORGANIC — Use organic food for your child's meals whenever possible. Easy and widely available ideas include organic fruits, drinks, peanut butter, jelly and carrot sticks.
REDUCE WASTE — When going on outings, pack your lunches in reusable containers. This is more environmentally friendly than using disposable paper bags and plastic baggies.
RECYCLE — Use recycling bins for paper, cans and bottles. If your neighborhood doesn’t have recycling bins, work with your like-minded parents to get some.
BE PROUD TO RIDE THE BUS — Help the environment and clean up your air by using mass transit. This keeps additional cars off the road and helps you save gas, avoid traffic jams and cut down on greenhouse gases. The last tip is obviously one that's close to our heart. Through increasing bus ridership, IC Bus hopes to help families and communities reduce their carbon footprint.
Did you know:
• Every school day, almost half a million school buses carry 26 million children to and from school — that's a little more than half of America's school children.
• According to the American School Bus Council, one full school bus takes 36 cars off the road.
• Every year, 3.1 billion gallons of fuel are saved by students riding school buses, and if school bus ridership were to rise just 10%, another 300 million gallons of fuel could be saved annually.
We hope this gives you some ways to extend your green efforts while school is out. Enjoy your summer. We'll be in touch before school starts with more information on school bus ridership and other insights on how we can all make the world a greener place for our families and future generations. In the meantime, to learn more about IC Bus and our community sustainability efforts, go to ICBus.com/Community.