WHAT: In celebration of Air Quality Awareness Week, Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment Robert M. Summers and Cheryl Duncan DePinto of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will meet with fifth-graders from the Green School of Baltimore to discuss air pollution and demonstrate the effects of breathing polluted air. The event will kick off May’s Clean Commute and Asthma Awareness Month observances and highlight MDE’s new “Clean Air Progress in Maryland” report, which will be released Monday.

WHO: Robert M. Summers, PhD, Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment; Cheryl Duncan De Pinto, MD, MPH Medical Director, Child, Adolescent, and School Health Center for Maternal and Child Health, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Kate Primm, Principal, The Green School of Baltimore, Seth Michaels, fifth-grade teacher, The Green School of Baltimore; and fifth-grade students from The Green School of Baltimore.

WHEN: Monday, April 30, 2012 from 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. *Media sign-in and set up 9 a.m.*

WHERE: The Green School of Baltimore - 2851 Kentucky Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21213

WHY: For nearly 40 years, Maryland has been a leader in national efforts to improve air quality. Thanks to the sustained efforts of MDE, businesses, concerned citizens, scientists, health professionals and many others, Maryland and surrounding states have seen dramatic improvements in air quality. These improvements have direct implications for public health, our quality of life and the economy.

# # #