Deirdre Imus Visits PS 54 and Teaches Brooklyn Students How to Green Their Lives
By Mel Fabrikant Monday, January 26, 2009, 04:08 PM EST
Deirdre Imus Visits PS 54
What Does Greening Mean?
The Q&A session at PS 54, Samuel C. Barnes Elementary, was part of a career day aimed at teaching 200 students about greening, health and wellness. Sitting at the edge of the stage in the auditorium, Ms. Imus engaged in a very lively Q&A. Students brimmed with enthusiasm.
The 2nd- through 5th-grade students asked how to stay healthy and prevent illness, what foods are best, and, is there such a thing as healthy candy.
One key question Ms. Imus asked students: What does greening mean to them?
An avalanche of answers and questions followed. More than 25 children responded: "Recycle…Don't waste water… Don't waste money." Some asked what they could do to be “green”. One wanted to know why Ms. Imus was so committed to children's health. Another described how her mom cleaned the bathtub with "smelly chemicals," and asked what she should do. Many children asked what cleaners their moms should be using.
Ms. Imus offered suggestions for staying healthy and cleaning up their environment -- the right way. Children who smell strong cleaning chemicals at home should ask their parents to switch to greener cleaning and personal care products. Children can ask their mothers to add one new organic item to the grocery list -- organic milk or a fruit or vegetable.
"I really enjoy talking to young students because they grasp the importance of preventing toxic exposures in their school, home and community -- and how that relates to their health and well being," Ms. Imus said.
At the end of the visit, the children presented Ms. Imus with a handwritten book summarizing answers from all the students, and each received a packet from the Environmental Center with helpful green tips to use at home.
Principal Lorna Khan commented, "We are extremely thrilled that Deirdre Imus came to PS 54 to talk to students about how they can contribute to saving our environment. The students were extremely excited about her visit. …Many of the older students are interested in pursuing environmental-related projects in the coming year. We hope to present their ideas to the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center in the spring."
Ms. Imus is the founder and president of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® (www.dienviro.com), part of Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey, a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation.
The school, dedicated to providing students with a rigorous, focused and stimulating educational experience, enrolls 389 students in grades K-5. Most are from disadvantaged homes. Leslie J. Yerman — a communications consultant, who is partnered with the school through the nonprofit organization PENCIL — tapped Ms. Imus to participate.
Greening the Cleaning® means eliminating to the greatest extent possible, all cleaning agents containing hazardous ingredients and replacing them with naturally-derived ingredients with the least level of toxicity. One hundred percent of all profits from the institutional products go to the Environmental Center for supporting education and research to identify, control and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially, pediatric cancer, as well as other health problems with our children.
The Greening the Cleaning (GTC) household line is available in stores nationwide, as well as from imusranchfoods.com. One hundred percent of all profits from the retail line go to the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit.
Ms. Imus is also co-founder and co-director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, an authentic 4,000 acre working cattle ranch in northern New Mexico, which provides the experience of the American cowboy to children suffering from cancer and various blood diseases, as well as to children who have lost a brother or sister to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Deirdre Imus' latest book, The Essential Green You!, How to Detoxify Your Diet, Your Body and Your Life, is the third volume in her New York Times bestselling Green This! series from Simon & Schuster. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target.
Ms. Imus is the author of three national bestsellers. Growing Up Green: Baby and Child Care, the second volume in the Green This! series, is an essential parent-friendly guide to raising a healthy child in our increasingly toxic environment. Her other bestsellers are Green This!: Greening Your Cleaning, the first in the series, and Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids & Cowboys.
Numerous organizations have recognized Deirdre Imus for her service in championing children's health issues. The United Service Organization (USO) of Metropolitan New York awarded the high honor of “Woman of the Year” in 2008. Deirdre serves on the boards of several children’s health organizations, including the National Autism Association, Safe Minds, SKIP of New York, Generation Rescue, and East Harlem Council for Human Services, Inc., Boriken Neighborhood Health Center.
ABOUT THE DEIRDRE IMUS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® at Hackensack University Medical Center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission is to identify, control and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially pediatric cancer, as well as other health problems with our children. The Center’s mission is twofold: to enhance health by educating our children, their parents and the public-at-large about the carcinogens and other environmental factors that occur all too commonly in our lives…and to serve as a voice that can realistically help shape policy decisions that impact the environment and our well-being.
ABOUT PENCIL
PENCIL builds and supports customized relationships between business leaders and principals to inspire innovative solutions to the challenges facing New York City public schools. By bringing together the best ideas, resources and talent across sectors, we develop strong leaders, build school capacity, enhance student learning, and inspire greater community and corporate support, to create real change in our City’s schools. For more information on PENCIL, call 646.638.0565 or visit www.pencil.org.
