(openPR) - (ATLANTA – January 26, 2012) The Clean Air Campaign is calling on Georgia students to put their heads in the clouds and get creative for clean air during the second annual Young Lungs at Work art competition.

Guided by the theme “Act Now for Clean Air,” K-12 students are invited to create authentic comic strips and videos that illustrate the positive impact that actions such as riding the bus, turning off an idling car engine or carpooling to school with a friend can have on Georgia’s air quality.

Elementary students will compete in a comic strip contest. Middle and high school students will compete, separately, in a video contest. All winning entries will be featured on The Clean Air Campaign’s website, social media channels and printed materials — showing off the winner’s talent to tens of thousands of Georgians! Donations will also be made to each winner’s school science, environmental, or art program.

“This competition gives students a fun way to learn about air quality and how to take action now to clean the air. Who knows, we could be judging artwork for the next Mike Luckovich or Bill Watterson,” said Gretchen Gigley, director of education for The Clean Air Campaign. “Last year’s entries captured creative ways to make Georgia’s air quality better. We were very inspired by all of the entries. I look forward to seeing the artistic work that we will receive this year.”

The Clean Air Campaign empowers students and parents at nearly 300 Georgia schools to take action for cleaner air within their school community. Clean Air Schools participate in one or more of the following programs: No-Idling Program, Pool to School or Ride the Bus! For Clean Air.

The art contest is open to all students statewide and is a great way for students whose schools are registered for the 2011-2012 Clean Air Schools program to get even more engaged. Interested teachers, parents and students are encouraged to visit CleanAirCampaign.org to learn about entry requirements and additional contest details. Comic strip and video contest submissions must be postmarked by April 16, 2012. A panel of judges will select first, second and third place winners, along with any honorable mentions. Winners will be announced at the beginning of Air Quality Awareness Week on April 30, 2012.

Visit www.CleanAirCampaign.org for more information about how traffic and vehicle emissions affect Georgia’s air quality.

The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit organization that works with Georgia’s employers, commuters and schools to encourage actions that result in less traffic congestion and better air quality. To accomplish this goal, The Clean Air Campaign, along with its associate organizations, partners with more than 1,600 employers to create custom commute options programs; and annually helps thousands of commuters find commute alternatives that work for them, providing financial incentives to get them started. The Clean Air Campaign also protects public health by distributing Smog Alerts and empowers students, parents and teachers to play a positive role in reducing traffic and cleaning the air through a multi-faceted education program reaching elementary, middle and high schools.

Each day, these programs reduce 1.4 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 700 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624) or visit CleanAirCampaign.org.

CONTACT: Mike Rieman/Brittney Watson
404.816.2037
mike@cookerly.com
brittney@cookerly.com

Cookerly Public Relations
3424 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30326