Alcoa Foundation and C2ES Help U.S. Schools Pledge More Than 21 Million Pounds of CO2 Savings
10,400 Participants Help Schools in 5 States Win Grants Worth $10,000
WASHINGTON – Alcoa Foundation and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) announced today that schools across Alcoa (NYSE:AA) communities in five states have won a total of $10,000 in grants after competing in the ‘Change Our 2morrow (CO2) Schools’ Challenge.’
During the month-long educational energy conservation competition, more than 10,400 participants collectively committed to take actions in their daily lives that will save more than 21 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions – the equivalent of taking 2,000 cars off the road for one year.
The winners of the 2013 ‘Change Our 2morrow (CO2) Schools’ Challenge are:
Grand Prize — $5,000 Alcoa Foundation grant
- Ridgedale Middle School- Florham Park, NJ
Honorable Mention — $1,000 Alcoa Foundation grant
- Ladera Vista Junior High – Fullerton, CA
- Valadez Middle School Academy – Placentia, CA
- Kesling Middle School – La Porte, IN
- Paul F. Boston Middle School – La Porte, IN
- Kulshan Middle School – Bellingham, WA
“We applaud all of the Challenge participants for the impressive actions they took to save energy, reduce their water usage and recycle more,” said Paula Davis, President, Alcoa Foundation. “By engaging students, teachers, families and communities to take action, we can inspire ‘greener’ living and enhance the environment for the entire community.”
The Make an Impact: Change Our 2morrow (CO2) Schools’ Challenge is part of Alcoa Foundation’s commitment to address regional environmental challenges, improve energy efficiency and enhance global reforestation projects. The investment is aligned with Alcoa Foundation’s sustainability focus to reduce, recycle and replenish.
“Providing middle school students with practical ways to save energy and help the environment is especially rewarding,” said Katie Mandes, C2ES Vice President of Community Engagement and Director of the Make an Impact program. “We know we’re giving them tools that they can use for a lifetime. We applaud the hard work and creativity of all the schools and communities that took part in this year’s challenge.”
The Change Our 2morrow (CO2) Schools Challenge is a fun and engaging competition that encourages students, parents and community members to use an interactive carbon calculator to determine their carbon footprint, explore online energy conservation resources, and select actions they will take to save energy from an energy efficiency pledge list. Ridgedale Middle School incorporated the schools challenge into the environmental science curriculum and other subject areas, showing students how to accurately measure energy use and save energy at home and school.
Over the years, the Make An Impact Schools’ Challenge has resulted in commitments from nearly 25,000 people to reduce carbon emissions by more than 41 million pounds – the same amount sequestered by more than 15,000 acres of US forests.
The Make an Impact: Change Our 2morrow (CO2) program promotes energy efficiency through a fun and engaging online competition, which features educational resources about energy conservation and an interactive carbon calculator.