
				Pat Quinn, Governor

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Environmental Progress - Spring 1998

New Name, Bigger Audience for Education Program

Air, Land & Water now targets a larger grade school audience.

Air, Land & Water Logo (2555 bytes) The Illinois EPA’s 10-year-old fifth grade education program, "We Depend on Illinois’ Environment," has gotten a new name, a new look and an expanded audience.

The 1998 curriculum, mailed to participating Illinois teachers before the 1997 year-end break, is now called "Air, Land & Water," and has been expanded to include sixth grade students. The text has been expanded and rewritten.

Participating teachers use the packet as a curriculum tool during January, then have their students create a poster, poem or essay illustrating what they have learned about their environment. Focus for the current year is "The Land We Depend On."

Schools may submit two posters and two written works to the Illinois EPA. An initial in-house judging selects 50 finalists. Six are then selected by an outside panel of judges to receive $50 U.S. Savings Bonds and specially inscribed environmental books for their schools’ libraries. All finalists receive certificates and ribbons and their families, teachers and principals will be invited to join them at an honors reception at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield. The 1998 reception will be March 21. The 50 finalists’ works will remain on display there through April 30.

A new feature will give additional exposure to the top six winning entries. Following the State Museum exhibit, the top place works will be displayed at several Springfield locations, and are displayed on the Illinois EPA’s Internet page at www.epa.state.il.us.