Think Kids 2010 Asthma Awareness Program in Schools J. Cord Williamson "Think Kids 2010"
Alliance Green for Edu Facilities The goal of the asthma education in schools is to decrease the number of asthmatics to indoor environmental asthma triggers; to educate parents and caretakers on indoor triggers and actions to reduce them; and to educate individuals on the environmental management of asthma so that they can counsel students, and people with asthma on actions to reduce triggers in indoor environments. Emphasis should be placed on educating parents, teachers, staff, faculty and healthcare personal in today's schools on the importance of integrating environmental management into asthma care; to include providing a program or programs in which healthcare educators and peers provide education to families on identifying and managing indoor asthma triggers. "Think Kids 2010" is currently seeking partners and a commitment from the superintendents of boards of education and other organizations indicating their willingness to support staff involvement and participation in indoor air assessment and improvement activities as well as acknowledging the importance of healthier indoor environmental conditions that foster the health and well being of our students. This is an amazing opportunity for us to meet and discuss an interest that each of us should share .A major part of my activity in the last year has focused on changing the broader conversation on environmentalism. Environmental issues in our schools. In part, that means reaching out to historically under representative groups in the environmental movement. These groups consist of students, teachers and faculty. This is a challenge for each of us and a challenge that the public health community shares with the environmental community. Environmental protection is about human protection, it's about family protection and community protection. It's about safeguarding our children in the places they live, play and learn. Each of us is aware of the challenges our school systems face, challenges this year that we had never thought of before. Budget cuts, furloughs for teachers, staff and faculty. Funding for additional school supplies have be taken from each educator forcing them to make purchases with their own funds with no-reimbursement. Today's teachers are expected to do more with less than in previous years, a heavier work burden has been forced on each of them. As far as I'm concerned, Educators in Georgia could be one of the most active environmentalists in our counties and state. Now let me tell you: Why Alliance Green for educational facilities needs you're support. We need you because of heart disease, cancer, and respiratory illnesses. They account for over half the deaths in the nation. And all three have been linked to environmental causes. This brings me to the next reason we need you: Children's health is my top agenda. Across the U.S. 1 in every 10 kids have asthma ---- and another 1.5 in 10 have other respiratory illnesses -----making this a critical children's health care issue. An average of one in five schools across the nation has in-door air quality problems (IAQ), which should create a real concern for each of us because: Children are still developing physically and are more greatly affected by pollutants. The number of children with asthma is up 49% in the past 20 years Children under the age of 10 have 3 times as many colds as adults. The most common cited building factor associated with schools and in-door air quality complaints was insufficient outdoor air supply; moisture problems were rated as second and poor air distribution was rated third. A prerequisite in our classrooms is that 15 cubic ft. per minute per student of outdoor air on a continuous basis was required to maintain C02 concentration levels below 100 parts per minute. Another consideration is that the sole purpose of a school facility is to foster the learning process, which is impacted directly by the quality of indoor environmental conditions.
Visit our website www.alliancegreen.org to join and support "Think Kids 2010" Email us @ alliancegreen@gmail.com J. Cord Williamson jcord@charter.net