Your School Environment

An Ounce of Prevention

Maryann Suero Ph.D.US Environmental Protection Agency,

Region 5Regional Team Manager, Children’s

HealthApril 6, 2002

A Healthy School Environment is

NECESSARY

POSSIBLE

School EMS: The “Ounce of Prevention” Approach

What is a School EMS?

What are the benefits of a school EMS?

What would an EMS for my school look like?

How can my school adopt an EMS?

What is a School Environmental Management

System?

A way to assess and continually improve the environment

Not a SCARY ProcessWork in a stepwise

fashion to address a school environment in an integrated and comprehensive way

Basic EMS Approach to Continual Improvement

DO

PLAN

CHECK

ACT

Some Benefits of a School EMS

Reduce HAZARDS to students, teachers, staff, visitors in schools

Reduce Liability (reduce insurance costs???)

Increase Environmental Stewardship

Improve Communications

Improve Relationships Parents / AdministrationTeachers / Administration

What Might a School EMS Look Like?

NOT ALL AT ONCE

Develop an environmental policySelf-auditUse a pollution prevention approachTraining / awareness / competenceOn-going evaluation / improvement Improve communicationsOne step at a time!!!!!

Some Elements to Consider in the Self-Audit

Indoor Air Quality Use of Pesticides (inside & outside) Presence of Hazardous Chemicals

In classroomsIn janitor’s closets, boiler rooms, garages

Fire prevention Food safety Radon Spills / Emergency Response plans Diesel bus idling policy Pollution Prevention / Waste Management

Helpful Hints for Building a School EMS

Use Team Approach Pace Yourself Don’t Re-Invent the Wheel Make use of existing resources

IAQ Tools for Schools ProgramSchool IPM ProgramFood Safety ProgramWaste Wise Program

Go with your strengths

How Can My School Adopt an EMS?

Identify people who sense the need

Educate yourselves (great resources available)

Figure out who else needs to be involved

Convince, cajole, coerce them to join

Just Do It !

Resources for Schools

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schoolswww.epa.gov/iaq/schools

Integrated Pest Managementwww.epa.gov/pesticides/ipm

Mercury www.mercury-k12.org/

Resources for Schools (handout)

EPA Resources on CEH

www.epa.gov/children

Tips to Protect Children from Environmental Threats (www.epa.gov/children/whatwe/tips.htm)

Engage Youth in Children's Environmental Health Protection (www.epa.gov/children/whatwe/engage.pdf)

A Healthy School = A Healthy You

Please feel free to contact me for more information, or to suggest ways we may be able to partner in activities that will have a

positive impact on children’s health

Maryann SueroRegional Team Manager, Children’s

HealthUS Environmental Protection Agency

Region 577 W. Jackson Blvd, T-13J

Chicago, IL 60604(312) 886-9077

suero.maryann@epa.gov