GREENGUARD Environmental Institute to Present 'Making the Grade: Healthy Schools Nurturing Healthy Kids' at CEFPI Southern Region Conference

Continuing education course for educational facility planners focuses on indoor air quality in K-12 schools

ATLANTA, April 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to improving indoor air quality in schools and protecting children's health, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) will present a continuing education course on April 24 at the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) Southern Region Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas.

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Making the Grade: Healthy Schools Nurturing Healthy Kids is an intermediate-level educational program that will help designers and building maintenance professionals create and maintain K-12 schools with enhanced indoor air quality.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), good indoor air quality in schools can reduce absenteeism, boost academic performance, improve test scores, lower dropout rates, and improve teacher retention rates.  On the other hand, compromised indoor air quality in schools can have opposite effects.  It can also cause or worsen asthma -- a chronic, incurable, and potentially life-threatening disease of the airways that affects an estimated seven million American children.

"When it comes to the health of children, everyone always puts so much emphasis on healthy foods, organic products, and physical exercise -- all of which are extremely important, of course.  But why don't we ever put as much emphasis on the quality of the air our kids are breathing over 85-percent of the time?" says Leslie Gage, market segment manager at GEI, who will present the continuing education course. "The healthier the air is in our schools, the healthier our children and faculty will be."

Healthier schools may also lead to healthier school budgets: according to the American Lung Association, asthma-related loss of productivity costs Americans $5.1 billion each year.  

Making the Grade: Healthy Schools Nurturing Healthy Kids will teach educational facility planners several strategies for creating healthier indoor environments for students and staff.  The course will also explore the costs and benefits associated with enhanced indoor air quality.  

The presentation will begin at 2:45 p.m. at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Ft. Worth.  Visit www.cefpi.org for more information.

About GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute is an industry-independent, third-party, not-for-profit organization that aims to improve human health and quality of life through programs that reduce people's exposure to chemicals and other pollutants.  The GREENGUARD Certification Programs certify products for low chemical emissions and provide consumers with a resource for choosing healthier products and materials for indoor environments.  All certified products must meet stringent standards for low chemical emissions based on established criteria from key public health agencies. GREENGUARD Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by sustainable building programs and building codes worldwide. For more information and a complete listing of certified products, visit www.greenguard.org.

SOURCE GREENGUARD Environmental Institute