Jaeya Taxali, a sixth-grade student at Crossfield Elementary, gained her inspiration from the school bus ride home.
“I was thinking of ways to make the world a better place,” she said, “I just got off the school bus.”
Her class was learning about the atmosphere, and she thought of the school bus and its capacity to carry multiple people at the same time, she said. “There are so many people who go to my school in separate cars. Less cars on the road will create less pollution.”
She quickly developed her slogan -- “Find a partner to go to school. Stop Pollution. Carpooling is the solution.”
Jaeya was honored last Wednesday, May 11 by Clean Air Partners at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
“Jaeya is a very hard-working student. She is enthusiastic and passionate about science especially issues that relate to the environment,” said her teacher Andrea MacRae.
Jaeya and her class have also studied renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. “The students learned more about how the choices we make now will affect their future,” said MacRae.
JAEYA HOPES the slogan and her award will encourage classmates and other people in the community to make better choices that will help the environment and planet.
“We’re trying to help children learn about air quality,” said Brian O’Malley, board chair for Clean Air Partners.
“Engaging young people, they make great ambassadors to a cause if they believe in it,” he said.
Clean Air Partners is a public-private partnership that educates the greater metropolitan Washington-Baltimore region about the health risks associated with poor air quality and the impacts everyday actions have on the environment.
The slogan awards help the mission of raising awareness. “We have a ways to go, but air quality has gotten better; this is work that is getting results.”
Clean Air Partners helps individuals and organizations take simple actions to reduce their impact on the environment and exposure to air pollution during unhealthy air quality days.
See www.cleanairpartners.net.
TAXALI was honored at the 8th Annual Awards Ceremony, held this year at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
“It was really special. I met a lot of people,” said Jaeya. “The day I found out, I was so excited. I didn’t even know about it until my teacher announced it to the whole class.”