Sustainability Count! Energy Challenge
News Release
The following news release templatecan be tailored to inform local media aboutEnergy Challenge events being organized during April 2013, the official Math Awareness Month and throughout the year as your school continues to take action to save energy…because Sustainability Counts!
Instructions for using the Template
- Fill in the bracketed areas with your school or event information.
- Logo: Use the Math Awareness Month header or replace it with your own School logo. You could alsoprintthe news release on your school’s letterhead.
- Contact Information:Choose a point of contact person for the news release who will be available throughout the event. Make sure the phone number you give will be readily answered should someone need additional information.
- Length: One page is the ideal length for a good media advisory.
- Identify Media Contacts: Research the bestmedia outlets (television, radio, and newspapers) in your local area ahead of time.
- Distribution: Distribute the advisory to local media contacts a few days or the day before the event via email, fax, mailor hand-delivery.
- In addition to having copies of the media advisory available at the event, it is a good idea to have a copy of the national media advisory.
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MEDIA ADVISORY
[City, Co., area] Students Cut School Energy Waste to Celebrate
Math Awareness Month in April
WHAT: [Name of school} in [city] will join schools from around the country in celebratingApril as Mathematics Awareness Month 2013 – Mathematics of Sustainability by participating in the Sustainability Counts! Energy Challenge. The Energy Challenge is a step towards realizing the goal that President Obama outlined in his State of the Union address of cutting U.S. energy waste in half!
WHO: Approximately [#]students from[participating school] will learn the mathematics of energy use in their school and then develop and implement a plan to reduce energy.[List any names and titles of participating school district, school, community leaders or prominent figures].
WHEN: [Time] - [Time] April [Day, Date]
Throughout the day, the students will “power down” electrical devices to see how much energy they can save. Special activities associated with the Sustainability Counts! Energy Challenge include [list specific activities that will be part of your event such as“lights out” day oran hour in which classrooms try to keep their lights turned out and just use natural light].
CONTACT: [Name, title] at [cell phone number] or [email – only use a contact who can be easily reached]
WHY: Saving energy cuts waste, saves money and helps the environment. Mathematics Awareness Month activities, often organized by college and university departments, expands this year to K-12 classrooms. In keeping with President Obama’s State of the Union goal of cutting U.S. energy waste in half, students will use math to determine how small actions can add up to measurable results.
ABOUT: Mathematics Awareness Month, held each year in April, was created to increase public understanding of and appreciation for mathematics. It began in 1986, when President Reagan issued a proclamation establishing National Mathematics Awareness Week. The theme for 2013 is the Mathematics of Sustainability. Humanity continually faces the task of how to balance human needs against the world's resources. Society and individuals will need to make challenging choices; mathematics provides us with tools to make informed decisions.
Mathematics Awareness Month is sponsored by the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics (JPBM). The JPBM is a collaborative effort of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the American Statistical Association (ASA), the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
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