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Leaflet September
21, 2007 Hill Leaflet newsletters are part of the ACT's NeighborWoods Network, and are published for members, Hill staff, and conservation professionals. Newsletters feature timely information and public policy issues. Past issues are available in the Newsletters section of ACT's website. In this Issues:
Newsroom Evangelicals Go Green- Will Conservative Candidates Follow Suit? Washington, DC (August 23, 2007)- Nearly one-quarter of the nation's voters are evangelical Christians, and since the 1980s most of them have endorsed Republican candidates. They helped elect President George Bush to a second term, constituting more than one-third of his votes in 2004. But today some evangelicals are saying their votes can't be taken for granted. Looking beyond traditional litmus test issues, some young Christians say the environment is a top concern. Spotlight Issue Greening America's Schools Some 55 million students spend their days in schools that are too often unhealthy and restrict their ability to learn. A rapidly growing trend is to design green schools. Green schools cost 2% more than conventional schools, but provide financial benefits that are 20 times as large. Greening school design provides an extraordinarily cost-effective way to enhance student learning, reduce health and operational costs and, ultimately, increase school quality and competitiveness. Trees are an important aspect in green school construction from several angles including facility energy savings and cleaner air for children at play. Conventional schools are typically designed just to meet building codes, and few states regulate air quality at schools. Not surprisingly, a large number of studies have found that schools across the country are unhealthy- increasing illness and absenteeism and bringing down test scores. Green schools provide a range of additional benefits including reduced teacher sick days, reduced operations and maintenance costs, reduced insured and uninsured risks, improved power quality and reliability, increased state competitiveness, reduced social inequity, and educational enrichment. Bill Tracker Emerald Ash Borer Municipality Assistance Act (S.1717)- Referred to Ag, Nutrition, and Forestry Interior Bill (H.R.2643), includes Forest Service FY08 budget- Scheduled for Full Senate Hope VI Green Communities (H.R.3524)- Referred to Full House Green Buildings Acts (S.489, S.1207, S.506, H.R.121, H.R.539) SBA Energy Efficiency Acts (S.1656 & 1657)- Referred to Small Business and Entrepreneurship Featured Representative Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) As a tree farmer and honorary co-chair of NeighborWoods Indianapolis, Senator Richard Lugar understands that trees play a major role in creating healthy and sustainable communities. As co-chair, the Senator helps to promote awareness of the need and benefit of trees, as well as support for the tree program. NeighborWoods, a bold initiative to plant 100,000 trees over 10 years, was developed with the aim of increasing the tree canopy in Indianapolis while increasing the number of people invested in their neighborhoods. Tree by Tree -- Street by Street - The Alliance for Community Trees is dedicated to improving the environment where 80% of Americans live: our cities, towns, and villages. Together, ACT's national network of members have planted and cared for 7.8 million trees with help from 450,000 volunteers. The Alliance for Community Trees depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve our trees-and-people mission of healthy and livable communities for all. For more information please contact us at (301) 277-0040 or on the web at www.actrees.org. Tell your friends about the Hill Leaflet. Copyright (c) 2007 Alliance for Community Trees (http://actrees.org). Please use and share ACT's materials freely with anyone interested in urban forestry, but with this copyright notice intact. Send a copy of the cited publication to us. About this communication: You are receiving this email because you opted-in to the NeighborWoods Network. To stop receiving NeighborWoods Network communications, reply to this message with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. For information about how we protect your information, please read our privacy policy at: http://actrees.org/site/privacyPolicy.php. Alliance
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