Simi Valley Fifth-Grade Class Earns Grand Prize for Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge

SACRAMENTO--Hard-working worms, a singing cricket, and enthusiastic fifth-grade students from the Park View Center School in Simi Valley joined forces in the name of recycling and it all paid off in a trip to Disneyland. Park View Center School fifth graders have turned their school compost project into an award-wining program, spread the news about recycling to other district schools and students, and raised money for earthquake victims in India.

Teacher Deni Lopez and her class recently learned that they are the grand prize winners in Jiminy Cricket's Environmentality Challenge.

"I applaud the waste reduction and recycling accomplishments of these committed youngsters," said California Integrated Waste Management Board Chair Linda Moulton-Patterson, whose board is the primary recycling State agency in California. "If they can do so much with so little, surely the rest of us can help make California a better place by doing our part to conserve through recycling."

This year’s grand prize environmental project incorporated all 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle), as well as composting. The students’ project involved reconstructing a school worm farm to reduce school cafeteria food waste and establishing a permanent recycling area for school paper, plastic, and other items. Their "reuse" efforts resulted in vermicompost for the school garden from the worm farm. By diverting cafeteria food waste to their worm farm, the worms produced soil-enriching casings within weeks for use in the school garden. Moreover, the students created new paper for art projects from recycled paper.

The eager Park View Center students also educated other children in their own school and in their district in worm farming and papermaking skills at school assemblies and classroom presentations and with an instruction book they produced. They created an enterprise for vermicompost and handmade paper projects (journals, greeting cards, etc.) by selling these items at various events. Funds raised from these efforts, $650, were ultimately donated to aid earthquake victims in India.

The Environmentality Challenge was created by The Walt Disney Company and the State of California Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN), which includes 17 different boards, commissions, and offices. The statewide competition, now completing its seventh year, is designed to promote environmental awareness and encourage students to learn how to protect the environment. More than 2,700 classes, representing over 82,000 students, participated in this year’s Environmentality Challenge.

Mrs. Lopez and her class were honored today during a special awards ceremony at Disney’s California Adventure where they received a specially designed Environmentality trophy called the "Jiminy."

Presenting the award were Roy E. Disney, vice chairman of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company, and Mary Nichols, Secretary for Resources of the Resources Agency of California.

Ms. Moulton-Patterson, the Waste Board Chair, was also on hand to congratulate the young award winners. For additional information, please contact Kris McNamara at The Walt Disney Company (818) 553-7255.

The six-member Integrated Waste Management Board is responsible for protecting public health and safety and the environment through management of the estimated 66 million tons of solid waste generated in California each year. The Board works in partnership with local government, industry, and the public to reduce waste disposal and ensure environmentally safe landfills. California now diverts 42 percent of its solid waste away from disposal.

The Waste Board is one of six boards and departments within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).

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The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For tips on conserving energy, please visit us on the Internet at www.ciwmb.ca.gov