24 Sep 2008
Late last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008! Republicans and Democrats alike voted in favor of the legislation (293 to 109) to support environmental education in our nation's schools.
It's been a while since I first blogged about No Child Left Inside in May of this year and I want to say thank you to all of the Green Hour Blog readers that wrote to or called your representatives in Congress.
We will need your support again next year on No Child Left Inside, since the Senate is not expected to act on the legislation this year, requiring both the U.S. House and Senate to approve the bill next year”¦ Yes, I know, it takes a long time to get things done in Washington!
Even though it may take another year before No Child Left Inside is signed by the President, momentum continues to build. The No Child Left Inside Coalition now has more than 750 organizational members representing 40 million Americans (compared to just over 100 organizations earlier this year).
And when the No Child Left Inside Act does become law, teachers will receive more training on how to incorporate environmental education into the curriculum. More students will be brought outside to learn during the school day. Teachers will take their students on more educational field trips to nature centers and local parks. And your children will be one step closer to getting their Green Hour!
We need your help:
If you're just itching to take action and don't want to wait until 2009 for the next steps on the No Child Left Inside Act, check out National Wildlife Federation's petition to the U.S. Surgeon General, which urges him to announce a call to action -- to get kids outside for a Green Hour every day to benefit children's mental and physical health.
Patrick Fitzgerald is the National Wildlife Federation's Senior Legislative Representative for Environmental Education Campaigns
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