Over 1,000 volunteers to participate in projects from Atlantic to Pacific April 14-21
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2012 : The Student Conservation Association (SCA), the national leader in youth service and stewardship, will engage more than 1,000 volunteers in ten signature projects across the U.S. on April 14th and 21st to commemorate the 42nd annual Earth Day.
SCA members, alumni, partners and others will join forces to address significant environmental concerns and model sustainable practices in events sponsored by American Eagle Outfitters, ARAMARK, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Exelon Foundation, Johnson Controls, Sony and Southwest Airlines.
“Earth Day is all about conservation, participation, and celebration,” states SCA senior vice president Jamie Patten. “We look forward to collaborating with friends and partners to better our environment, and to stressing the importance of building ongoing connections with nature, especially among children.”
Patten notes recent studies indicate today’s youth enjoy half as much time playing outside as their parents did as children, and spend seven hours a day in front of a television, computer or mobile device screen. Over the past thirty years, childhood obesity rates have tripled, and rates of heart disease, asthma, cancer, and other health conditions have increased among America’s youth. Experts agree that recreation in the outdoors can improve a child’s physical condition while cultivating creativity and building self-confidence.
“SCA Earth Day projects are not just about strengthening our environment, they’re about improving the physical and emotional well-being of an entire generation of young people,” states SCA president Dale Penny. “We are grateful for the support of so many generous partners who share our vision for engaging our youth in the outdoors.”
SCA Earth Day projects include:
April 14th
- Manchester, NH, Audubon Center; planting community gardens for NH Food Bank
- Seattle, WA, Washington Park Arboretum; invasive plant removal, trail maintenance
April 21st
- Chicago, IL, Humboldt Park; park and garden maintenance
- Detroit, MI, Belle Isle Conservancy; invasive plant removal
- Houston, TX, Sheldon Lake State Park; prairie re-vegetation
- Philadelphia, PA, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge; riparian clean-up
- Pittsburgh, PA, Riverview Park; invasive plant and litter removal
- Oakland, CA, Dimond Park; riparian restoration with Friends of Sausal Creek
- Seattle, WA, Pacific Beach State Park; beach clean-up with Washington Clean Coast Alliance
- Washington, DC, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens National Park; invasive removal, native planting
For more information, or to register to participate, visit: thesca.org/events.
About the Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association is the only national organization that develops tomorrow's conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. More than 5,000 SCA volunteers and interns annually render over two million hours of service to America's public lands. Since 1957, SCA has helped to develop new generations of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save the planet. SCA is based in Washington, D.C., and maintains regional offices in Anchorage, AK; Boise, ID; Charlestown, NH; Oakland, CA; Pittsburgh, PA and Seattle, WA. For further information, visit http://www.thesca.org.
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