Denver, May 6, 2008H20 Jo and Flo, animated mascots for the Keep It Clean Campaign, smiled at wide-eyed students from the banner proudly hanging in the Ellis Elementary School gymnasium. The friendly waterdrop and fish captured the attention of many students during the school's Earth Day Fair held on April 21, 2008. With eyes moving from the wall to the table the students read crystal blue brochures about how they could play a key role in reducing storm water pollution in urban waterways. The display was part of Earth Force's support for the Keep It Clean Campaign sponsored by Denver's Public Works, along with Denver's Department of Environmental Health and GreenPrint Denver.
More than 20 classes toured the Ellis Earth Day Fair, learning about water quality, solar energy, green roofs, and the projects some of their fellow students created as a part of the Earth Force program in their school. In addition, parents and teachers checked out the displays, played games, and walked away with a better understanding about environmental issues impacting the Ellis community.
"Ellis is strong in teaching its students that care for the environment is in their hands as much as any adults'," said Robb Neumann, Development and Communications Director for FrontRange Earth Force. The fair was part of an exciting Earth Day celebration at Ellis. The school was one of three nationally chosen by Earth Day Network, in partnership with Green Apple Festival and JP Morgan Chase, to receive a "Green Makeover," receiving funds and technical assistance to make their site more energy efficient and ecologically friendly. Students cleared an overgrown area of the play yard and planted more than 200 new plants, solar panels were installed, and an area on the school grounds was cleared for make way for a greenhouse.
"The 'greening' of Ellis Elementary School will help to set a precedent for how schools can become more environmentally friendly," says Ellis principal Khoa Nguyen. Keep It Clean is part of that precedent.
These efforts weren't the first time Ellis Elementary students focused on the environment and their school's role in keeping their community clean. Working with FrontRange Earth Force for three years, Ellis students, with help from their teachers, have become leaders in their community by completing over 16 projects to identify and improve issues the students have found in their local environment.
For more than a decade, FrontRange Earth Force has championed opportunities for educators and young people to have in-depth, hands-on learning experiences that serve to increase students' problem solving skills, knowledge of science and the environment, and community involvement. FrontRange Earth Force, with the help of Denver teachers and administrators, has reached more than 16,000 students in 85 schools and community-based groups throughout the Denver Metro area.