a program that radiates good ideas
-m;
February 2010
2010 POSTER CONTEST RULES
DON'T FRY DAY 2010
U.S. EPA OZONE LAYER
PROTECTION AWARDS
HELEN REBULL, RN
STARTLING STATISTICS
SOUNDING BOARD:
WE NEED YOUR HELP
CALL FOR PRESIDENTIAL
ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH
AWARD NOMINATIONS
FUN IN THE SUN 101
NEW RESOURCES
NEW MEDIA TOOLS FOR
SUN SAFETY
TERRI ROE, RN
EVALUATION SNEAK PEEK
RUSHMORE OPTIMIST CLUB
COFFEE, BURGER, OR
SKIN CANCER
WHY DON'T FRY DAY ISN'T
JUST ANOTHER FRIDAY
SUNWISE COMMUNITIES
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
ARE YOU SUNWISE-CERTIFIED?
FUN FACTS
- 1
., St. Mary Parish Elementary School, Bronx, NY
Help
All
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&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
he 2010 SunWise with SHADE Poster
Contest has begun! The winner of
the national contest will receive a family trip
to Disney World and a WeatherBug Weather
Tracking Station for his/her school. And
that's in addition to great prizes you can win
in state contests!
Students in kindergarten through 8th grade
are eligible for the prizes by helping to raise
awareness about sun safety. The annual
competition is a joint effort of the SHADE
Foundation of America, WeatherBug Schools,
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to teach children ways to protect their
skin and eyes from excessive sun exposure.
More than 85,000 students have helped spread
Poster; continued on page 2
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ZOO
2010 National Prizes:
Co*4-es-f-
Kindergarten through 3rd grade:
• Crayola Digital Camera Scrapbooking Kit for top
five entries
4th through 8th grade:
• Family trip to Disney World for the national
contest winner
• WeatherBug Tracking Station for the
winner's school, with lifetime access to
WeatherBug Achieve
State prizes will also be awarded. For more
information, please visit the SHADE Foundation
Web site: www.shadefoundation.org/programs/
poster-contest.
Rules/Entry Information
1. Each poster must be hand drawn on one sheet
of 81/2x 11-inch paper.
2. Each student's teacher or parent/guardian must
complete the entry form and attach it to the
back of the poster (Forms available at
www.shadefoundation.org).
3. Posters should include at least five of the
following SunWise action steps:
Wear a Hat
Wear Sunglasses
Check the UV Index
Do Not Sun Tan or Use Tanning Beds
Use Sunscreen of SPF 15+
Cover Up
Seek Shade Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
4. Posters must be received no later than
April?, 2010.
5. Mail your posters to:
SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest
c/o Linda Rutsch
13502 Round Tree Court
Silver Spring, MD 20906
Additional information:
• Entry is open to kindergarten through 8th grade
students in all U.S. states and territories.
• There are two categories for judging:
K-3rd grades and 4th-8th grades.
• The basis for judging will be how well posters
express sun safety messages in original,
creative, and thoughtful ways.
• Prizes are subject to change.
• Please visit the SHADE Foundation Web site
for an official entry form and to sign up for
a monthly newsletter with useful tips on sun
safety: www.shadefoundation.org/programs/
poster-contest.
All
Poster; continued from page 1
the message of sun safety by participating
in the annual contest since its creation
in 2003. The 2009 winner, Christoffer
Crowley of Bernville, PA, depicted a girl
talking to her friend about her unhealthy
relationship with the sun. Christoffer
said of his design, "I was thinking about
a creative way to represent the sun... [The
sun] isn't a bad thing; it's a good thing, just
in small amounts."
In 2009, state winners received digital
cameras, and their schools received
Sun UV Stations to monitor real-time
ultraviolet (UV) intensity levels. Other
school prizes included UV-sensitive
beads and a 1-gallon pump dispenser of
sunscreen from Blue Lizard. You can
find more information on the contest in
the column on the left. To get the entry
form for your students and to sign up
for the monthly newsletter highlighting
SunWise activities, please visit
www.shadefoundation.org and click
on "Poster Contest."
Once all the posters are in, we'll need
your help to determine the national winner
in the spring! After the state winners are
chosen, their entries will be posted online.
YOU will have the chance to vote for your
favorite poster showing us how we can all
be SunWise. So stay tuned!
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) does not endorse any of the products or
sponsors discussed in this article.
Last year's winner, Christoffer Crowley of
Pennsylvania, shows off his winning poster at
the Pitchin' Posters ceremony in Washington,
DC, in May of 2009. Christoffer met Arizona
Senator John McCain, a skin cancer
survivor, at the event, and said, "I had an
amazing time at the awards ceremony. I met
so many interesting people there!"
SunWise Monitor
www.epa.gov/sunwise
-------
ZOIC
Pon'-f
What Is
In 2009 the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and National
Council on Skin Cancer Prevention
launched the first-ever national sun safety
day just before the Memorial Day weekend.
We chose the Friday before Memorial Day
because millions of Americans unofficially
kick-start their summers that weekend and
accidentally get burned in the process. Our
slogan was and continues to be: "The Friday
before Memorial Day is Don't Fry Day:
Protect Your Skin Today and Every Day."
The Friday before Memorial Day is
Don't Fry Day
www.skincancerprevention.org
The goal of the campaign is to generate
media attention about skin cancer
prevention. The campaign reached more
than 1 million Americans in 2009. Salt Lake
County, in Utah, even became a Sun Wise
Community and helped create a press
conference to publicize the Don't Fry Day
message. We're hopeful you can help us
make 2010 an even greater success.
About the Don't Fry Day Pledge
EPA created several new materials
for you to use to promote Don't
Fry Day. In 2009 we asked you to
take the Don't Fry Day pledge, and
more than 1,400 of you responded.
Thank you for your enthusiasm!
We didn't give you much time in
our first year, so we're hoping
you can help us make 2010 even
more successful. Visit www.epa.
gov/sunwise/dfd.html for more
information. For example, you
could pledge to teach a Sun Wise
activity on Don't Fry Day,
hold a school-wide hat day,
announce the UV Index and
Don't Fry Day over your loud
speaker, participate in the
Sun Wise with SHADE poster
contest (deadline April 7,
2010), or engage students in any
other sun safety activity that promotes
Don't Fry Day awareness. Because we know
you enjoy a good challenge, here are the
states to beat this year (in descending order
of the highest number of participating
schools/organizations): Texas, Florida,
Pennsylvania, New York, California, and
North Carolina.
Tno black rings around a
Don't Fry Day Resources
Go to www.skincancerprevention.org/
and click on the Don't Fry Day logo to find
free resources. We created a beautiful new
poster, stickers, video, print public service
announcements, statistics, and other fun
new products for you to use to help us
spread the sun safety message. If you can
think of other ways to promote Don't Fry
Day, e-mail us at SunWise@epa.gov.
Random Drawing
Participating classrooms will each
receive a Don't Fry Day poster and set
of sun safety stickers. In addition, your
classroom will be entered into a drawing
for a SunWise Classroom Prize Pack—
about 240 UV-sensitive beads, a real-time
UV monitor, extra stickers, and other sun
safety resources.
www.epa.gov/sunwise
February 2010
-------
EPA
Aw^r-J -f-o
he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
created the Ozone Layer Protection Award in
1990 to recognize outstanding contributions to protection
of the Earths stratospheric ozone layer. Since then, 554
individuals, organizations, and teams from 54 countries
have earned the honor. The award is particularly prestigious
because nominees compete globally against the notable
accomplishments of other qualified candidates, and winners
are selected by previous winners. In 2008, EPA expanded its
awards ceremony to include notable achievements to improve
public awareness of the health impacts of overexposure
to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In 2009, the Ozone Layer
Protection Award went to Shonda Schilling for her work to
prevent skin cancer.
Mrs. Schilling founded the SHADE Foundation of America
in 2002 after her successful fight against melanoma. She is the
president and founder of this nonprofit organization, which
has become a pioneer in skin cancer
prevention education for the U.S.
public. The foundations mission
is to eradicate melanoma through
education and to promote sun
safety. Because skin cancer is more
common in the United States than
breast, lung, prostate, and colon
cancers combined, and considering
one person dies every hour from
the disease, Mrs. Schillings work is
vitally important to the health and
well-being of people across
the nation.
Mrs. Schillings personal
commitment to the cause is
inspirational in many ways. She has
run the Boston Marathon three times
to raise money for the foundation.
Some of the money went to build
shade structures to protect children
from sun overexposure. She worked to
get legislation passed in Arizona that
requires teaching sun safety lessons at all public elementary
and middle schools. She makes numerous personal
appearances each year, including teaching Sun Wise lessons
to children, to spread messages about the importance of
skin cancer prevention. She also hosts a skin cancer self-
exani DVD that is available at no charge at the SHADE
Foundations Web site, and the list goes on.
Due to Mrs. Schillings fundraising efforts, SHADE has
provided over 20 million hours of shade cover to more
than 80,000 students. The foundation sponsors the annual
Sun Wise with SHADE Poster Contest that has received over
85,000 entries since its creation. Through these efforts and
more, Mrs. Schilling is literally saving lives. Thank you and
congratulations to Shonda Schilling for her important work!
SunWise Monitor
www.epa.gov/sunwise
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Helen fceb J/, fc/V/
An enthusiastic SunWise educator from
the outset continues to promote sun safety
in her community.
ttelen Rebull has been actively
f teaching her students at
Congressional Schools of Virginia to be
SunWise since the SunWise Program
started in 2000. The school, in Great
Falls, VA, also promotes sun safety
by hanging up educational posters in
hallways and classrooms. The SunWise
Program has become part of the
school's health curriculum as well.
Helen also educates camp counselors
about sun safety, always including
sunscreen information in the
orientation for counselors. This past
season she wrote a note to every camp
parent cautioning about the shelf life
and effectiveness of sunscreen products.
Now the camp program has also
changed, and an "activity" time has been
put into the schedule for application
of sunscreen. Last summer, one camp
office installed a small TV to run a
video to keep the crowd amused while
sunscreen was slathered on. If a child
forgets his or her sunscreen at home,
Helen makes sure they slop on some of
the sunscreen she keeps in her office.
Helen also makes time to work
on her favorite project. The summer
sun beats down on the bricks of the
school building and two parallel
cement walks, near a small grassy plot
where the children had to stand while
waiting to come into the building. At
times, heavy rain flooded the ground.
Fortunately, Helen volunteered to work
with students to correct the situation.
They planted several trees from historic
places, spacing them throughout the
grassy plot. The first year was pretty
tough on the spindly sticks as they
struggled to grow. Winter came and
spring followed, and over the years the
sticks have grown into a beautiful shady
park. Children love to walk—make that
run and scamper—on the shady paths.
The school has also installed benches
for people to sit and chat.
Helen Rebull, school nurse at the Congressional
Schools of Virginia in Falls Church, VA,
seeking shade in her school's park.
Thanks to Helen and all the
other dedicated SunWise educators
continuing to spread the word on
sun safety!
Skin cancer is the most common
form of cancer in the United States.
More than 1 million skin cancer
cases are diagnosed annually.
Up to 90 percent of the visible
changes commonly attributed to
aging are caused by the sun.
On an average day, more than 1 million
Americans use tanning salons.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, from
the sun and from tanning beds,
is a proven human carcinogen,
according to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services and the
World Health Organization.
The incidence of many common
cancers is falling, but the incidence
of melanoma continues to rise faster
than any of the other seven most
common cancers.
People who use tanning beds before
age 30 increase their chances of
developing melanoma by 75 percent.
UVB radiation can cause skin cancer,
cataracts, and increased infections
through the skin. It has an adverse
effect on plants. It is also a threat to
phytoplankton, the single-cell plants
that all marine life depends on.
www.epa.gov/sunwise
February 2010
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*iio
We A/eeJ
At Sun Wise, we're always working to
bring you high-quality, effective, and
free resources that make it easy for you
to teach your students about the ozone
layer, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and sun
safety. We've been cooking up some new
ideas and want your input. If you have
any thoughts (positive or negative) about
the ideas listed below, please e-mail us at
SunWise@epa.gov.
Do
you have a
student who is actively
promoting sun safety or
environmental protection in his/
her school or community? If so,
consider having him/her enter
the Presidential Environmental
Youth Awards. Learn more
atwww.epa.gov/peya
New Resources for Parents. Sun Wise
is in the process of developing new
resources specifically for parents of kids
4-12 years old. Before we do this, we
need to know the best ways to reach
parents: School? Pediatrician's office?
Facebook? Magazines such as Parent?
Or are there better ways?
In addition, we'd like to know what
type of materials would work best:
A summer activity book for parents
and their children? A pamphlet or
small handout? Magnets or other
items that can remind parents to pack
hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen?
Tips on proper sunscreen
application? Other ideas?
Finally, what do you think
parents need to know about
sun safety?
(2) Ozone Comic
Book. Do you have
any thoughts on a
storyline for an
ozone comicbook?
If so, please let us
know what grade level
you'd recommend,
and if you'd use it with
your students.
(3)
Help
YouTube Contests. We want to tap
into your and your students' creativity.
We're considering holding up to three
video contests through YouTube:
• For Anyone: Create a 30- or
60-second sun safety public service
announcement encouraging children
and families to be Sun Wise.
• For Students: Create a 30-second
to 2-minute video with K-8th grade
students explaining what sun safety
means to them.
• For Teachers: Create a 1- to
4-minute video explaining how you
integrate Sun Wise activities into
your classroom.
We'll have monetary prizes for the
winner(s) of each contest, but we want
to know what you think. Would you
participate in one of the contests? Or do
you have a better idea for a contest we
could put on?
Please let us know what you think,
especially if any of these resources will be
useful to you, or if you have other ideas.
E-mail us at SunWise@epa.gov.
Thanks,
The,
New Resources for Grades 6-8
-f h
e
'he Skin Cancer Foundation has a new Web site,
www.skincancer.org/school, fortweens and
teens. The site is packed with great health information,
quizzes, fun facts, videos, an animated 3-D skin cancer
library, and curriculum resources for teachers. The
resources are an excellent complement to the SunWise
Tool Kit and Web site. Look for some of our favorite facts
from the foundation's new site on page 12.
SunWise Monitor
www.epa.gov/sunwise
-------
A/e
w
Tools £bi
Free Downloads of the "Sunscreen
Dance" - Do you work with 3rd graders
or younger? We've collaborated with
the Swingset Mamas to create the
"Sunscreen Dance," a fun song you
can teach your students about being
SunWise. You can download the song
for free from the SunWise Web site,
plus we've developed award-winning
accompanying activities.
Introducing SunWise to Your Students
- Do you want to teach your students
about sun safety but don't know where
to start? Try out our introductory sun
safety lessons in PowerPoint. They last
about 30 minutes and are available with
speaker notes in Spanish and English.
SunWise Tool Kit Activities Available
Online - If you've already signed up for
the SunWise Tool Kit at a conference,
workshop, or online, you can access the
Tool Kit activities as long as you're near
a computer. Just visit www.epa.gov/
sunwise/doc/toolkit/. The username is
toolkit and the password is foryou.
Find all these great resources and more
at www.epa.gov/sunwise/educator_
resources.html.
EPA has been developing "new media"
tools to help you learn more about
sun safety, including:
SunWise on GreenScene - Learn
more about sun safety by watching this
ll^-minute video. You can find the video
on the SunWise Web site. Be one of the
first 10 to spot an error in the video and
we will send you a pack of ultraviolet
(UV)-sensitive beads. E-mail us at
SunWise@epa.gov.
UV Index on Facebook - Check the UV
Index for your town or city on Facebook
and then let your friends
know about it. You can share
the UV Index by posting
it on your wall or sending
messages to your friends.
Visitwww.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.
html to learn more.
UV Index: Smartphones - Ever want
to know what the UV Index is while
you're away from your computer running
errands or spending time outdoors? With
our new smartphone applications, you'll
be able to do just that. Visit www.epa.gov/
sunwise/uvindex.html to learn more.
UV Index Widget - Post the UV Index on
your school or organization Web site with
our easy-to-use UV Index widget. Even a
novice Web developer can grab the code
and easily pop it into his/her site. Visit
www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html to
learn more.
Greenversations - EPA is talking about
what we do on our blog Greenversations.
Sometimes, you might even find a
SunWise post. Visit http://blog.epa.gov
to see what we're up to.
o
his past summer, school nurse
Terri Roe became a SunWise
educator. She was so excited about
the program that she presented
SunWise to a large group of middle
school teachers at a conference in
Richmond, VA. As a result of her
action, the teachers are using the
SunWise Program with their students
in a variety of great ways. One teacher
has her students going into a daycare
center and teaching the 4-year-olds
some of the SunWise activities. Other
teachers have their students going
into elementary schools to teach
SunWise activities.
Next, Terri plans to incorporate
the SunWise Program into her 3rd
grade classes. She hopes to have the
other elementary school nurses do the
same. Good luck Terri! Thanks for
promoting SunWise behavior!
Terri Roe, school nurse at Carver, Holladay, Johnson, and Trevett Elementary Schools in Richmond, VA, promoting
the SunWise Program at a conference for middle school teachers.
www.epa.gov/sunwise
February 2010
-------
Peek
Prum roll, please! The results of the
program effectiveness evaluation
involving 60 Sun Wise educators are
currently being analyzed. The evaluation
involved two groups: the delayed Sun Wise
teaching group (control) and the immediate
Sun Wise teaching group (intervention).
Before participating in the Sun Wise
Program, students at the involved schools
were surveyed in April and May to
determine what they know about the sun,
how they feel about sun protection, and
what they are currently doing to protect
themselves. After the students took the
survey, the teachers in the intervention
group taught them Sun Wise activities before
the end of the 2008 school year, while the
control group educators did not teach
Sun Wise until after the second set of surveys
(a.ka. post-test surveys) was conducted.
In spring 2009, a similar survey (post-test
survey) was distributed to the same students
(in the intervention group) to see whether
their sun protection knowledge, attitudes,
and behavior changed.
The results are being analyzed by the
Sun Wise Team, comparing the control and
intervention groups, to see how effective
Sun Wise is at improving sun protection
knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.
Here are a few sneak peeks into what
types of answers we are getting:
• About two-thirds of students surveyed
reported receiving at least one sunburn
per summer.
• About half of students surveyed reported
wearing sunscreen often or always during
the summer.
• About 70 percent of students surveyed
reported spending 3-6 hours outside per
day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during
the summer; less than 10 percent of
students spend an hour or less outside
per day.
• Before participating in the SunWise
Program, less than 40 percent of students
were aware that they could get a sunburn
on a cloudy day.
The final results will help the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
show the effectiveness of the program and
guide improvements of SunWise materials!
Also, even though we do not need any
more schools for the survey, we continue
to value your input and invite you to
complete a teacher survey at www.epa.gov/
Sun Wise/survey.
Again, a big thanks to all the SunWise
educators involved for taking the time
to help!
Optimist International, an
association of more than 3,000
Optimist Clubs around the world
dedicated to "Bringing Out the Best in
Kids," has established the Childhood
Cancer Campaign. The campaign
supports children with cancer, cancer
research, and health care and health
service providers. The Rushmore
Optimist Club, in the Black Hills of
South Dakota, has been a big player in
the campaign. As part of their efforts,
the Rushmore Optimists have decided
to become involved with the Sun Wise
Program. They've reached out to local
schools, recreation directors, summer
camps, and child-focused organizations
(e.g., 4-H Centers, Girl Scouts, Boy
Scouts, etc.).
The club continued its efforts by
sending letters to meteorologists at local
TV stations encouraging them to sign
up for and present SunWise materials.
And the club didn't stop there: It has
handed out sun safety materials at
Mount Rushmore National Memorial,
the Central State Fair Children's Day,
and health fairs. As a result, more than
20 schools and organizations have
signed up for SunWise, increasing the
number of schools and partners in South
Dakota by 50 percent!
So, what's next for the Rushmore
Optimists? They've decided to continue
their efforts by building shade shelters
with sun safety educational signs. Their
goal: Provide an educational and safe
experience for children and families.
The first shelter will be at a playground,
designed and built by children and the
community, in the new 26-acre Rapid
City Park within Vicki Powers Park.
Thanks to the Rushmore Optimist
Club for its exceptional work promoting
SunWise behaviors in its community!
Keep up the good work!
SunWise Monitor
www.epa.gov/sunwise
-------
CoCT,
esearchers from San Diego State
University surveyed 116 U.S. cities
and found an average of 42 tanning salons
per city—more than the average number of
Starbucks or McDonald's! Start looking in your
community and see how many tanning salons
you see. 76 percent of teens surveyed
(more than 6,000) lived within two miles
of a tanning salon. Those teens were
significantly more likely to have used indoor
tanning than teens living more than two miles
from a salon.
You can learn how many tanning salons
are in your states largest city at the CITY100
Web site, www.indoortanningreportcard.
com. CITY refers to Controlling Indoor
Tanning in Youth and 100 represents
the 100 most populous cities in 34 U.S.
states and Washington, DC (plus the
largest cities in the other 16 states), where
the research was conducted. For more
compelling findings about indoor tanning,
conclusions, and recommendations for
action, please visit the Web site.
About the author: A skin cancer survivor,
Stephene Moore is the wife of Congressman
Dennis Moore and a member of the
Congressional Families Cancer Prevention
Program. She has been helping the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)
SunWise Program since 2006. To raise
awareness about the Don't Fry Day campaign,
sponsored by the National Council on Skin
Cancer Prevention, EPA asked her to share her
personal experience with skin cancer.
\ f^f ith Don't Fry Day just a few
jf v months away, it's important to
remind family, friends, and the children in
your care to Slip on a shirt! Slop on some
sunscreen! Slap on a hat! and Wrap on
some sunglasses today and every day. I've
learned the importance of being smart in
the sun the hard way.
As a teen, I used to cover myself in baby oil
that we girls all added iodine to, and sit out in
the sun by the pool or in the backyard. As an
adult, I even hopped into a tanning bed once
in a while to get a "safe tan" so I wouldn't
burn on a beach vacation. Little did I know at
the time that there's no such thing as a "safe
tan," unless it comes from a bottle.
My sun-seeking and tanning caught up
with me in November 2007.1 was taking off
my makeup and noticed a tiny black spot
that I couldn't wipe off. I waited a month
before visiting my dermatologist, hoping the
spot would just go away. When it didn't, I
made an appointment. Just a few days after
the doctor did a biopsy of the spot on my
nose, a nurse called with the results: It was
skin cancer!
A pit began to form in my stomach after
hearing the "C" word: cancer. Hearing
"cancer" used in the same sentence as my
own name is still unsettling. Luckily, the
cancer I had was very treatable. I'll never
be able to say I'm cancer-free, but after
three surgeries, the doctor was able to
remove all the cancer he could find. The
experience has left a lasting impression—
literally and figuratively.
Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are
responsible for most skin cancers. UV
reaches the Earth's surface in two forms:
UVA and UVB. UVA is associated with
premature aging and wrinkling of the skin.
UVB, which is associated with sunburn,
is mostly blocked by the ozone layer.
Unfortunately, the ozone layer isn't perfect.
To protect my skin and eyes, I wear a hat
and sunglasses, and keep extra sunscreen all
over the house and in the car so I remember
to put it on year round. I'll never know which
day by the pool or trip to the tanning bed
gave me cancer, but please learn from my
mistakes and remember to Slip! Slop! Slap!*
and Wrap! each time you spend time outside.
I'd also like to encourage you to take
the Don't Fry Day Pledge and teach your
students to be SunWise. Getting your
students to participate in the poster contest
is one action you can take. I'll be a judge
again this year and am looking forward
to seeing your students' posters! Visit the
SunWise Web site to learn more and take
the pledge, www.epa.gov/sunwise.
Stephene Moore, hours after Mohs surgery to remove a skin
cancer above her lip, giving an interview on Radio Disney.
www.epa.gov/sunwise
February 2010
-------
A/
ew
SunWise Salt Lake County (Utah)
5 alt Lake County Mayor Peter
Corroon proclaimed May
22, 2009—the first-ever Don't Fry
Day—"SunWise Day" in the county
to encourage residents to adopt sun-
safe behaviors. As part of the mayors
proclamation, the county encouraged
area schools to participate in the
SunWise Program. In addition, all 10
Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation
outdoor swimming pools hosted Don't
Fry Day events to promote sun-safe
behaviors throughout the summer. To
help institute sun safety, each county
pool has partnered with a local school
to provide SunWise materials.
SunWise Washington
First King County, then Pierce
County, and now the whole state
of Washington! In July 2008, Governor
Christine Gregoire and the SunWise
Program made Washington a "SunWise
State." According to the most recent data
(2006) from the National Cancer Institute,
Washington has the sixth highest
melanoma incidence rate and 17th highest
melanoma death rate in the country.
Incidence rates in counties bordering
Puget Sound and counties in the
states extreme eastern area are among
the highest in Washington. In fact,
melanoma occurs as often, if not
more often, in the cloudy and rainy
parts of the state as in the sunnier
regions. Because of this, Gregoire asked
schools across the state to participate
in SunWise Schools, teach children
about the dangers of overexposure to
the sun, and equip them with the skills
to protect themselves. EPA estimates
that if every K-8 school in Washington
taught SunWise every year for five
years, more than 500 cases of skin
cancer and two premature deaths could
be prevented!
LaShon Blakely of EPA's Atlanta, GA office distributes sun
safety materials to students at Harmony Leland Elementary.
SunWise Cobb County (Georgia)
Secause melanoma incidence
in Cobb County, GA, is more
than 50 percent higher than
the national average, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), Wellstar Health System, and
Cobb County School District teamed
up in summer 2007 to improve sun
protection in the county. To start,
every K-8 school in the district
received SunWise Tool Kits and EPA
attended several community fairs in
the county. On May 7, 2008, Cobb
County Board of Commissioners
Chairman Samuel Olens proclaimed
"SunWise Day" in the county, and
encouraged students and their
families to learn about and practice
sun-safe behaviors. To celebrate this
occasion, a kickoff event was held at
Harmony Leland Elementary School in
Mableton, GA. In addition, the Relay
for Life event on May 9, 2008, was
designated SunWise. Information for
children and adults on sun protection
was distributed.
Future plans for SunWise Cobb
County include:
• Broadcasting in-school public
service announcements over school
TV stations
• Presenting information to school
district parent teacher organizations
• Sending letters to parents with
information on sun safety and
good sunscreens
• Reaching out to youth sports coaches
• Collaborating with county parks and
recreation facilities
SunWise Boston
On April 22, 2008—Earth Day-
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino,
with help from SHADE Foundation of
America founder and President Shonda
Schilling and then-EPA Administrator
Stephen Johnson, announced Bostons
commitment to protecting the
environment and its residents from skin
cancer by becoming a model SunWise
Community. The city of Boston has
pledged to plant 100,000 trees by
2020, increasing its canopy cover by
60 percent. As part of becoming a
SunWise Community, Mayor Menino
proclaimed April 22 "SunWise Day"
in Boston, and pledged to work with
SHADE and EPA throughout the year to
provide shade, sunscreen, and a quality
SunWise education to Bostons youth
and families.
The Swingset Mamas were on hand for the "SunWise Day"
event, performing their catchy hit Sunscreen Dance,
available at the SunWise Web site.
SunWise Monitor
www.epa.gov/sunwise
-------
Why We Po Wh*-/- We Po:
Educate Yourself and Your Local Officials
Ever wonder how skin cancer
touches your community?
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), in collaboration with
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and state cancer
programs, is developing state-specific
fact sheets to help you learn more
about skin cancer in your state. Each
fact sheet contains a melanoma
survivors story, state- and county-
specific facts, national statistics, facts
about skin cancer prevention, and
the steps you can take to be sun-
safe. Share the fact sheets with your
local officials so they can learn how
skin cancer affects them and the
people they serve. To view your
states fact sheet, visit www.epa.
gov/sunwise/statefacts.html.
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Are you a camp counselor, scout leader,
or do you work with youth outdoors?
If you answered yes, consider taking EPAs
new Sun Safety Certification for Outdoor
Recreation Staff. The 30 to 40-minute
online training walks you through the
basics of why sun protection is important,
how to be sun-safe, and how to protect
the youth in your care from sunburns and
other skin and eye damage. The training
will help you implement sun safety tips
when you're outside with children.
Want to go one step further? Have
everyone working at your camp, pool,
recreation center, or park take the training
and let your customers know your staff
is SunWise-certified. The certification
tells parents that your staff knows how to
protect their children from the sun.
To become SunWise-certified, visit
www.epa.gov/sunwise/tutorial.html.
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Certificate of
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Marcelle Leahy:
Melanoma Survivor
Growing up, I was
always in the sun and
sunburned. All that sun
finally caught up to me
in 2003 when my new
dermatologist decided
to biopsy a discolored spot on my face.
I'd had it for years, but something about
it didn't feel right. The result: a large
melanoma in situ.
The first two operations to remove it
weren't successful, leaving my face
disfigured and still with cancer. Mohs
surgery was scheduled with a different
doctor to remove the rest. After six
excisions during the Mohs, an area of
skin the size of my palm was removed,
and I was finally cancer-free. I learned
to be an advocate for my own health,
and to keep asking questions. I've had
at least six nonmelanoma skin cancers
removed since, and am always on the
lookout for any skin changes.
My advice: we know how to prevent
and detect skin cancer, so share
your knowledge with your loved ones.
I'll never know which sunburn gave
me cancer, but I'll certainly do all I
can to protect my grandchildren from
getting one.
Marcelle Leahy likes to make time for
cancer prevention, education, and research
programs. She is married to Senator Patrick
Leahy of Vermont; they have 3 children and
5 grandchildren.
www.epa.gov/sunwise
February 2010
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• You would need 62.8 gallons of
sunscreen to protect the historic
faces on Mount Rushmore.*
• Humans shed and regrow
outer skin cells about every
27 days—that's almost
1,000 new skins in a
typical lifetime!*
* Every square inch of the
human body has about
9.5 million skin cells.*
• By age 70, the average
person will have lost 105
pounds of skin.*
• If the sun were hollow, you
could fit about 1.3 million
earths inside.*
• If you weigh 100 pounds, you
would weigh approximately
2,800 pounds on the sun.*
• Elephants use dirt and hay
as a natural sunscreen—they
spread it on their backs to
cover their skin.t
• Pigs and warthogs do not
have sweat glands; they
wallow in mud to keep cool
and protect their skin from the
sun's harmful rays.1
• Meerkats have black rings
around their eyes to absorb
the sun's rays, protecting
their eyes from sun damage.1
Source: *Skin Cancer Foundation, www.skincancer.org/school/
tSunwise Stampede, www.foundation.sdsu.edu/sunwisestampede/meetanimals.html
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