In an effort to help prepare today's students to become tomorrow's environmental stewards, Bayer Corporation and the United Nations Environment Programme's North American Regional Office this week announced a new World Environment Day partnership and launched the International Children's Painting Competition in Pittsburgh area schools.

The International Children's Painting Competition invites elementary and middle school students ages six to 14 from around the world to learn more about the environment and express that knowledge creatively through art.

The deadline for submissions is January 15.

The ICPC is a signature program of UNEP's annual World Environment Day activities. Established by UNEP in 1972, World Environment Day is celebrated each year on June 5 in a different global host city. The theme of World Environment Day and the International Children's Painting Competition also changes each year.

This year's theme is Climate Change: Actions We Can Take Now.

This partnership with UNEP RONA and the ICPC also marks the newest local programming component of Bayer's national award-winning Making Science Make Sense initiative which advances science literacy across the United States through inquiry-based, hands-on science learning, employee volunteerism and public education.

"With this new partnership and by introducing the International Children's Painting Competition in our area schools, our goal is to help today's students make the important connection between science literacy and the environment, while reinforcing the notion that everyone has a responsibility when it comes to environmental and climate protection," explained Dr. Attila Molnar, President and CEO, Bayer Corporation.

Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, Deputy Director of UNEP's Regional Office for North America, added, "We are extremely proud and excited to be working with Bayer here in North America and commend the company for supporting an out-of- the-box approach to traditional science education that uses the arts as a way to foster the next generation of environmentalists."

The ICPC is open to all elementary and middle school students ages six to 14. Artworks must be done on either letter or legal size paper and can be done using crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, oils, etc. The style is free.

For complete entry rules and conditions, please visit the Making Science Make Sense webpage.

First place winners are selected from each UNEP region including Africa; Asia and the Pacific; West Asia; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; and, North America. There are cash prizes involved and these winners are awarded with a fully-paid trip for themselves and their chaperones to the main WED celebrations on June 5, 2008.

This year those celebrations will take place in Wellington, New Zealand. In addition, other winners from the six UNEP regions are celebrated at special World Environment festivities held in the regional host cities.

All regional winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22.

Making Science Make Sense is Bayer's company-wide initiative that advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and public education. Currently, Bayer's Pittsburgh site is one of 12 Bayer sites around the country that operate local MSMS programs, which together feature a national volunteer corps of more than 1,000 employees.

In Pittsburgh, more than 150 employee-volunteers take an active role in improving science education in local schools through the Bayer Association for Science in Communities. Its goals are to spark and nurture children's natural curiosity, and cultivate a better understanding of what science is and what scientists do. Bayer also has transformed a portion of its 258-acre campus to be used as a Wildlife Habitat Council Corporate Lands for Learning site. Local elementary school students are led by Bayer and Wildlife Habitat Council volunteers in hands-on, inquiry-based environmental learning activities.

In addition, more than a dozen years ago, Bayer created ASSET Inc. (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching), an independent non-profit organization to implement hands-on, inquiry-based science education reform.

Since July 2006, Gov. Edward Rendell has awarded $23 million to ASSET to roll out its program to elementary schools across the state of Pennsylvania. Starting with five schools in two districts in 1994, today ASSET serves 160 school districts across 47 Pennsylvania counties and directly impacts more than 4,400 teachers and 180,000 students.

More recently, the company in partnership with Carnegie Science Center's SciTech Initiative and Pittsburgh Filmmakers presents the C.A.U.S.E. Challenge High School Film Festival. An environmental film festival, C.A.U.S.E. stands for "Creating Awareness and Understanding of our Surrounding Environment."

Link: Bayer Plants Trees With Chartiers Valley Intermediate School Students

12/21/2007