7.08.2008 - 08:00amET
News from:
Bayer Corporation
Global Bayer Foundations Create International High School Climate Change Camp
Western Pennsylvania is Site of Two-Week Environmental Summer Program
(CSRwire) PITTSBURGH,PA. - July 8, 2008 - An international summer science camp for
high-school students that centers on environmental education has been
created by Bayer Corporation in partnership with RiverQuest and Creek
Connections of Allegheny College.
The Bayer Climate Fellows Sustainability Camp, based in Western
Pennsylvania, is an innovative, two-week residential camp (July 11 – 25)
that will provide eight students from Germany and the United States with
hands-on group learning about environmental, sustainability and global
climate change through rural- and urban-river experiences that are fun,
academically challenging and physically engaging.
The new camp – funded by the Bayer USA Foundation and the Bayer Science
and Education Foundation, two of Bayer's three global foundations – is
an outgrowth of the recently launched Bayer Climate Program. With this
program, the company is working to reduce its "climate footprint" and
develop sustainable solutions, including investing approximately $1.5
billion between 2008 and 2010 in climate-related research and projects.
"Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world faces today,
and we at Bayer can be instrumental in providing solutions through our
products and our know-how," said Dr. Attila Molnar, President and CEO of
Bayer Corporation and President of the Bayer USA Foundation. "At Bayer,
our commitment to sustainability, science education and corporate social
responsibility has us on a constant mission to not only reduce our own
impact and greenhouse gas emissions, but also to create educational
opportunities for today's students so they may grow into their roles as
the environmental stewards of tomorrow. The Bayer Climate Fellows
Sustainability Camp is the latest manifestation of our commitment."
The camp is facilitated by RiverQuest in Pittsburgh and is being delivered
through a new partnership with Creek Connections of Allegheny College.
Both education-based, nonprofit organizations are dedicated to exploring
the environment through the lens of Western Pennsylvania's freshwater
ecosystems.
During the first week, the students will participate in Creek Camp, a new
summer initiative of Creek Connections at Allegheny College in Meadville,
Pa. Creek Camp transforms waterways in Northwest Pennsylvania, Southwest
New York and the Pittsburgh area into outdoor environmental laboratories.
Students will spend their days in a hands-on, inquiry-based study of
biology, freshwater ecology and sustainability.
RiverQuest will host the students the second week. Based in Pittsburgh,
RiverQuest operates a river learning center for students, teachers and the
community of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Its experiential programs link
classroom theory to real-world applications, improve critical thinking and
cooperative learning, and instill an understanding and appreciation for the
region's waterways.
"Rivers are an enormous gold mine in terms of teaching us about climate
change," said Karl Thomas, RiverQuest Executive Director. "Like the
proverbial 'canary in the coal mine,' they're harbingers of what is
happening in the environment. Changes in the native fish population, the
flora and the water itself can tell us a lot if we're willing to
listen."
At RiverQuest, students will board the environmental learning vessel,
Discovery, for a series of green science excursions and experiments and
will explore sustainability issues at Duquesne University.
In addition, experts from Bayer MaterialScience and Bayer CropScience will
contribute to the curriculum and be on hand to serve as guest speakers on
the latest in green-building construction and sustainable-farming
techniques, two areas these Bayer businesses are pioneering.
About Bayer USA Foundation
The Bayer USA Foundation is an endowed 501(c)(3) entity and is the primary
source of Bayer Corporation’s philanthropy in the United States. With a
programmatic focus on the environment and sustainability; education and
workforce development; arts and culture; and health and human services,
the foundation creates and supports organizations that improve communities
in which Bayer employees live and work, as well as society at large. The
Bayer USA Foundation is one of three Bayer foundations worldwide,
including the Bayer Science & Education Foundation and the Bayer Cares
Foundation.
About Bayer Corporation
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer
AG, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group
based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales
of 8.1 billion euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer’s three
subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience,
improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that
help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance
yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.
About RiverQuest
RiverQuest, formerly Pittsburgh Voyager, is an award-winning
not-for-profit education organization offering river-based educational
programs for students, teachers, and the community. RiverQuest also
provides a range of public programs, including interpretive cruises and
private charters for businesses, organizations and the public. RiverQuest
operates a small fleet of laboratory vessels, docked on the North Shore
adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh, PA.
RiverQuest's mission is to connect people to their environment through
river education adventures programs. Since launching programs in 1995,
RiverQuest has served nearly 80,000 individuals through on-board education
programming. More than 64,000 elementary, middle and high school students
representing 239 schools from 66 school districts in 11 Western
Pennsylvania counties have participated in standards-based learning
programs, with themes ranging from environmental science and regional
history to physical science and mathematics. Along with students, more
than 2,500 teachers and college students and 17,000 members of the general
public have participated in RiverQuest programs. For more information,
visit www.RiverQuest.org.
About Creek Connections
Creek Connections has forged an effective partnership between Allegheny
College and regional K-12 schools to turn waterways in Northwest
Pennsylvania, Southwest New York, and the Pittsburgh area into outdoor
environmental laboratories. Emphasizing a hands-on, inquiry based
investigation of local waterways, this project annually involves over 40
different schools and the classes of 50 teachers. In the past year, Creek
Connections has established branches at the Catamount Institute in Colorado
Springs and at the Green Valley School in Atenas, Costa Rica.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material
differences between the actual future results, financial situation,
development or performance of the company and the estimates given here.
These factors include those discussed in our annual and interim reports
filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company assumes no liability
whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them
to future events or developments.
www.bayer.com
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