Update #19, May 27, 2009 SEFA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS UPDATE In This Issue... News and Events Feature Article; Gluttons for Glorv: The 2009 IAQ TfS Competitive Awards Have Been Launched! Special Feature; Introducing. ..the NEW National IAQ TfS Connector Award Insight into Excellence; Kent School District Have Your Questions Answered News and Events Webinar Now Available Online: Your Regional Resources for Developing an IAQ Tools for Schools Award Application. If you missed the Regional Resources Webinar, hosted May 14, 2009, you can now watch it online! View the recording of this Webinar to discover the resources available in your local area that will help you develop an IAQ TfS Award-winning application. You will be introduced to your EPA Regional representatives school IAQ experts located throughout the country that offer individualized assistance and support for school environmental health initiatives at the local level. Watch it online today. » Join the Schools IAQ Connector Listserv. Connect directly with your peers in the IAQ TfS National Network to share information and resources, and communicate by e-mail and on the Web. Need advice or sample materials for an IAQ meeting? Want to know how other schools manage tough environmental health issues? Join the listserv and drive the conversation to get all the information, perspectives and resources you need! Back to Top Gluttons for Glory: The 2009 IAQ TfS Awards Have Been Launched! Implementing an IAQ program is hard work. Get the recognition and the glory you deserve by applying for an IAQ TfS Award. EPA provides the resources that make it easy for you to apply. With so much to gain and nothing to lose by applying for an IAQ TfS Award, why wait? The Awards Program was initiated by EPA in 2000 to recognize success in comprehensively managing IAQ and consists of five national-level awards. The National Great Start and National Leadership Awards are non-competitive awards for schools or school districts that recognize IAQ management programs that are just starting out. Applications are accepted year-round. The National Excellence and National Model of Sustained Excellence Awards are EPA's competitive awards for school districts that recognize outstanding, established IAQ management programs. Applications are due Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Finally, the NEW National IAQ TfS Connector Award is a competitive award recognizing individuals and organizations that are making a difference in our children's health and lives by taking action to promote healthy indoor environments in schools. Applications are due Wednesday, September 30, 2009. ------- Update #19, May 27, 2009 "Winning the Leadership Award in 2003 brought new attention to our IAQ management program, and with the buy-in from the administration and community, we were able to advance our program in order to win the Excellence Award in 2004." Barbara Grohe, Ph.D., Superintendent, Kent Public Schools, Washington Read the Insight into Excellence article about Kent in this edition of the Update! National prestige. Administrative buy-in. Community support. Winners of EPA's awards are well- rewarded for their excellence and effort. Winners of the National Great Start and Leadership Awards receive a personal letter and certificate of recognition signed by the EPA's Director of the Indoor Environments Division, are regularly featured by local media and enjoy broad school and community buy-in of their efforts. Winners of the National Excellence, National Model of Sustained Excellence, and National IAQ TfS Connector Awards receive an all-expense-paid trip to the District of Columbia for the National IAQ TfS Symposium where they are the stars of the Awards Ceremony, are presented with an engraved, crystal award by the EPA's Director of the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air and receive a press kit which has garnered many winners national media attention. Applications are due Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Apply today and spread the news to colleagues in other districts. If you know a school district, individual or organization that may be eligible for an award, download the Awards Fiver and share it with others today. For resources to help you apply, visit the Awards Web site or contact your local EPA Regional representative. Back to Top Introducing ... the NEW National IAQ TfS Connector Award EPA is proud to announce the launch of the National IAQ TfS Connector Award, an award designed to give national recognition to individuals and organizations whose actions and initiatives promote improved school indoor environments, with a special focus on activities that reflect the spirit of the IAQ TfS Connector. The Connector is the IAQ TfS Program's networking and communication platform. It encompasses the resources that EPA provides, such as the listserv, e-mail communication such as this Update, and special events to promote interconnectedness and foster mutual assistance and support within the IAQ TfS network. Realizing the importance of communication and community building to the long-term success of IAQ management programs everywhere, EPA has created the National IAQ TfS Connector Award. In addition to promoting excellence in indoor environmental health, this award recognizes initiatives that promote the same kind of interconnectedness and capacity and relationship building as does the Connector. Read examples of Award-winning activities. To win the Award, applicants will need to demonstrate that their activity or initiative: Aligns with the IAQ TfS Program approach (i.e., Action Kit) and Framework (i.e., Key Drivers and Technical Solutions). Supports the values and goals of the IAQ TfS Connector. Demonstrates results (quantitative and/or qualitative). Is replicable and/or is sustainable. More detailed examples, instruction and guidance are available on the Web site now - learn more about the National IAQ TfS Connector Award. Do you know someone who should apply for the National IAQ TfS Connector Award? Forward them this e-mail to make sure they read all about it! Back to Top ------- Update #19, May 27, 2009 Insight into Excellence: Kent School District, 2003 Leadership Award Winner, 2004 Excellence Award Winner After staff, students and parents raised concerns about indoor air quality in 2002, Kent School District in Washington launched an investigation that resulted in the discovery of extensive mold hidden in the schools' walls and ceilings, elevated CO2 concentrations due to insufficient ventilation, and other issues that required critical action. In order to affirm their commitment to solving the schools' environmental health issues, the district quickly partnered with their EPA Region 10 schools representative to implement the IAQ TfS Program. A year and many hard-won successes later, Kent applied for and received the National Leadership Award. Kent's IAQ management program was structured so that the head custodian at each school primarily directed their efforts, which ensured that the technical knowledge necessary to address their IAQ problems would be in rich supply. Other staff personnel were educated about IAQ as the program developed and through weekly e- newsletters. Now that their program is institutionalized, training sessions are attended twice yearly by all custodians to sustain and supplement their IAQ management knowledge and skills, and the district superintendent and school administrators are regularly trained and involved in IAQ management. Kent fought hard to make sure their program was strong as it evolved from the initial implementation phase to a day-to-day, routine operation through institutionalized training and district-wide communications, such as the e- newsletters. After the progress Kent made in the year after winning the National Leadership Award, EPA Region 10 encouraged them to apply for the National Excellence Award. Because of their outstanding dedication and amazing success in improving their schools' health and repairing their relationship with the community, Kent won the prestigious National Excellence Award in 2004. "Winning the National Excellence Award was a big honor, but for me, winning the Leadership Award and then progressing enough to win the National Excellence Award was the true honor. We proved to our community and ourselves that we were committed enough to our schools' health to actually institutionalize IAQ management and make it part of our day-to-day operation. And even though the staff in the school knew how much progress we had made over the years, the EPA awards we received were the symbols of success that the community needed to see." - Beth Gilbertson, Environmental Health Manager, Kent School District, Washington Have you made significant progress in implementing an effective, sustainable IAQ management program? You could win an Excellence Award, too! Learn more and apply today to start telling your success story. Back to Top Have Your Questions Answered Is there a topic you want to see covered in an IAQ TfS Update? Need more information or have a quick question? Do you have suggestions for a Webinar, an Update feature or you are simply curious about an IAQ topic and would like more information? If so, send us an e-mail at IAQTfSConnector@.cadmusqroup.com . Share YOUR news and events! Send us information to share with the school IAQ community. It could be featured in the next Update. E-mail your news to IAQTfSConnector@cadmusaroup.com. If you like what you're reading, maybe a friend or colleague would too forward this e-mail! To subscribe to the IAQ TfS Update, send an e-mail to IAQTfSConnector@.cadmusqroup.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. ------- Update #19, May 27, 2009 The IAQ TfS Program is a comprehensive resource to help schools maintain a healthy environment in school buildings by identifying, correcting and preventing IAQ problems. Learn more about the IAQ TfS Program at www.epa.aov/iaa/schools. Back to Top To view EPA's privacy and security notice, please click here. * To stop receiving messages from EPA's Indoor Air Quality Program, please click here. Erw>onmnnt»i Prat*ciwn Sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. - Mail *** Code: 6609J - Washington, DC 20460 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) ------- |