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Protect Children Where They Learn
The Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3)
United We Serve
President Obama’s Summer Service
You can protect children where they learn. The Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) offers volunteer opportunities for technical experts and the general public to get involved in their neighborhood K-12 schools.
Learn more about how you can protect children where they learn during President Obama’s summer service initiative – United We Serve – and throughout the year. United We Serve is a call to all Americans to join a volunteer effort this summer and be a part of building a new foundation for America, one community at a time.
Visit Serve.gov to:
- Register your Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) event or project, or
- Find an SC3 volunteer opportunity near you. Search for chemicals.
Print Commit to Action (PDF) (2 pp, 46K, about PDF) to distribute at meetings.
Commit to Action
Do more to protect students and staff where they learn and teach by creating a chemically healthier learning environment. Choose one (or all) action(s) below and identify more actions you can take in the future. Note: Some activities require only an interest in children’s environmental health; others require highly specialized technical expertise. Examples of actions based on expertise are found in the Types of Volunteers and Activities section.
1. Talk to your neighborhood schools (no specialized expertise necessary):
- Download the online SC3 instructional video.
- Facilitate informational meetings between school staff and interested community, government and industry volunteers.
2. Practice responsible chemical management (students and teachers):
- Learn more about responsible chemical management in schools.
- Work with your school to sign a pledge to practice safe chemical management.
- Read chemical labels carefully, use chemicals safely, wear the right personal protective equipment, and lock up chemicals so students can’t reach them.
3. Volunteer at your local schools to assist with chemical management needs (in some cases, specialized expertise is necessary):
- Meet with your school officials about appropriate steps to take and help implement the steps found in the Building Successful Programs to Address Chemical Risks in Schools Workbook (PDF) (173 pp, 1.5MB, about PDF).
- Conduct a chemical inventory if you are qualified (or find someone who is).
- Convene a team to address the issue.
- Provide training in chemical management and/or safety.
- Provide safety and storage equipment.
4. Be Green! Prevent potentially dangerous chemicals from being used and stored in schools (students, teachers and school staff)
- Learn about Green Curricula in the Building Successful Programs to Address Chemical Risks in Schools Workbook (PDF) (173 pp, 1.5MB, about PDF).
- Download and share the Green Cleaning Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 68K, about PDF).
5. Spread the word (no specialized expertise necessary):
- Teach others where you work or go to school.
- Encourage your community to get involved!
Types of Volunteers and Activities
Chemical Suppliers |
Colleges and Universities |
|---|---|
| Provide technical assistance for purchasing, storage, and disposal | Help schools assess chemical cleanout, management and disposal issues |
| Provide chemical management services | Offer courses and training for teachers and school district employees |
Waste Handlers |
Environment, Health, and Education Agencies |
| Perform comprehensive inventory of chemicals in school facilities | Fund school chemical cleanout and prevention programs |
| Offer cost-effective waste analysis and handling solutions | Provide technical assistance to schools in conducting chemical inventories and cleanouts |
Fire, Police, and Emergency Response |
Parents and Concerned Community Members |
| Learn about chemical risks in schools | Work with schools to adopt responsible chemical management practices |
| Assist schools in developing emergency response plans | Identify community experts who can assist schools with chemical management needs |
| Establish effective communication | Learn more about green curricula and responsible chemical management in schools |
Questions and Answers
- How Do I Begin Volunteering?
- What Types of SC3 Activities Can I Do for United We Serve?
- What Resources Can I Use to Help with My SC3 Project or Event?
- What is the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3)?
- How Does SC3 Apply to the United We Serve?
- Who Can Participate in the SC3 United We Serve Projects and Events?
How do I begin volunteering?
Whether you have years of chemical management experience or no experience at all, you can review SC3 materials (available at EPA’s SC3 Web site) to learn more about how you can help your local school or school district. If you are a community, industry, or government volunteer, you can reach out to local schools to set up a meeting and decide on appropriate next steps based on school needs and available resources. If you belong to a school organization, you can work with school administration and contact local volunteers to establish a school chemical cleanout committee. If you would like help finding a school or a local volunteer to work with, contact the EPA SC3 team in your area.
What types of SC3 activities can I do for United We Serve?
SC3 volunteers with chemical management expertise can assist K-12 schools with a number of activities, including:
- development of a comprehensive chemical inventory;
- identification of outdated, unknown and unneeded chemicals; and
- identification of unsafe chemical management storage conditions and potential remedies.
Volunteers with an interest in responsible chemical management but no chemical management expertise can facilitate informational meetings between school staff and interested community, government, and industry volunteers.
What resources can I use to help with my SC3 United We Serve Project or Event?
The SC3 Web site has a wealth of information and tools to help you with your responsible school chemical management efforts, including a workbook with templates, tips, and techniques (PDF) (173 pp, 1.5MB, about PDF), as well as a free online instructional video that you can share with interested members of your community.
What is the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3)?
EPA’s Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) works to prevent chemical-related accidents in K-12 schools by facilitating safe chemical removal and disposal, raising awareness of the issue, and putting preventive measures in place. Outdated, unknown, and unneeded chemicals in K-12 schools can cause chemical accidents that endanger students and staff, disrupt school schedules, and cost thousands of dollars to fix.
How Does SC3 Apply to United We Serve?
The purpose of the President’s summer service initiative is to highlight existing volunteer programs and develop new ones that put Americans on a path to sustained civic engagement in their communities by participating in service projects. SC3 offers United We Serve opportunities for technical experts and the general public to get involved in their neighborhood schools. Technical experts can volunteer their time and provide knowledge about chemical management to school personnel; community businesses can support the costs associated with setting up safe storage and disposal of the chemicals; and citizens in the community can sign a pledge to raise awareness of the problem and can identify committed technical volunteers.
Who can participate in SC3 United We Serve Projects and Events?
Volunteers from government, industry, education, and the community all play a role in creating and implementing responsible chemical management solutions. Many SC3 United We Serve volunteers will have chemical management or education expertise, but other volunteers can simply have an interest in making schools safe places for children and staff to learn and work. For a more complete list of recommendations for SC3 volunteer actions, please see the “Commit to Action” chart above.