For Immediate Release                                                 Contact: Collin Nash or Sid Nathan

May 4, 2009                                                                                           (516) 869 7794

Local Schools Participate in North Hempstead’s Environmental Awareness Project

Westbury, NY—Over the past five years the Town of North Hempstead has conducted outreach programs with schools throughout the town during Earth Day to get the message out about preserving the planet.

To promote the event, the Grocery Bag Project, a program in which brown paper bags decorated with an eco-friendly theme by students are returned to supermarkets to be distributed to customers to help heighten community awareness about the importance of keeping our environment green.

“Our young people are the future and the keepers of the flame when it comes to environmental stewardship,” said Supervisor Jon Kaiman. “That’s why this administration has made a concerted commitment to engage the youth in our environmental initiatives on ever level.”

In addition to the Grocery Bag Project, North Hempstead has launched a number of environmental programs in local schools including a comprehensive school recycling program, a companion program where schools are issued scales so they can measure the impact of their recycling effort, and a school-based electronic waste program.

The town also conducts seminars and workshops at the Clark Botanic Garden in Albertson aimed at familiarizing youngsters with natural horticultural methods designed to keep the planet healthy.

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Captions: A Drexel Avenue student presents a decorated grocery bag to Town Clerk Leslie Gross (left) and Comissioner of Community Services Kimberly Corcoran