CHICAGO HEIGHTS | Bloom High School will celebrate the use of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, clean technology and reducing the nation’s energy dependence during its National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey event.
On Thursday, Bloom High School’s Odyssey is one of more than 160 events being held concurrently across the United States and internationally in Paris, France and Gothenburg, Sweden. National AFV Day Odyssey is a biennial event coordinated and created by the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium at West Virginia University. This year marks the 10th year anniversary of the event; the 2012 theme is “Driving Change Across America.”
Of the 160 Odyssey events, more than 50 are being held at secondary schools. Secondary school events were first included in Odyssey in 2010 to introduce students in grades 7-12 to information about advanced electric drive vehicles and other cleaner transportation technologies. In that inaugural year more than 2,700 students from 70 schools participated in one of the 26 secondary school Odyssey events held in 12 U.S. states.
“We are pleased to join Odyssey 2012 as we continue to drive change across America,” said Barry Latham, physics/chemistry instructor. “With our event we will share the message of embracing alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles with our students and commemorate Odyssey’s Decade of Difference.”
The 2012 National Kickoff Event will take place Thursday at White River State Park in Indianapolis. Through a partnership with Odyssey, the Indianapolis Colts will provide on-site activities and promotional assistance. The goals for this year’s Odyssey are to attract more than 250,000 attendees at 160 sites across the country and to reach more than 100 million people through media coverage and support.
Odyssey is supported in part by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, through the Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education Program. Honda and Toyota are national sponsors. AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps and West Virginia University are national partners of the event.
For more information about Bloom High School’s Odyssey event, visit www.bloomhs.org, or contact Latham at (708) 755-1122 or blatham@sd206.org.
For information about the national program, email Virginia McMillen, National AFV Day Odyssey event manager, at Virginia.McMillen@mail.wvu.edu, or Bobbi Schrout, Odyssey assistant, at Bobbi.Schrout@mail.wvu.edu. Both can also be reached by calling (304) 293-7882.
Please Wait…