What: Students, parents, teachers and community leaders will gather to celebrate the "Thornridge Biodiesel" team's victory in the Lexus Eco Challenge, a national education program designed by Lexus and Scholastic to educate and empower middle and high school students to take action to improve the environment. The seven team members, their teacher advisor and the school will share $50,000 in scholarships and grants. The team's entry earned one of two grand prizes awarded nationwide. Their ambitious winning campaign focused on educating people about the benefits of biodiesel and how to produce it. The team built a biodiesel processor that has produced more than 100 gallons of usable biodiesel from used vegetable oil donated by local fast food restaurants. They also added a solar panel to generate some of the electricity needed to run the system. They educated the community about their project through a blog, YouTube videos, a MySpace page, and an extensive media outreach effort. The teacher and students will share their story of their accomplishment and how they've learned that they can make a positive impact on the environment.
When: Thursday, April 23 3:30 p.m. Where: Thornridge High School "Rotunda" Auditorium (enter at the main door near the flagpole just right of Cotton Grove -- check in with security at Door 2) 15000 Cottage Grove Dolton, IL 60419 708-271-4400 Who: Dr. J. Kamala Buckner, Superintendent District 205 Dr. Douglas Hamilton, Superintendent, School District 151 "Thornridge Biodiesel" Team -- Grand Prize Winning high school students Brian Sievers, Teacher and Team Advisor, Thornridge High School Kim Waller, Principal, Thornridge High School Dave Griebler, Brand Experience Manager, Lexus Central Area Don Manning, Vice President of Administration, South Suburban College Nancy J. Cohen, Director of Development, University of Illinois at Chicago and Editor, Engineering News
Contact Information: Media Contact: Holly Ferris (562) 429-6456 cell (562) 746-8461