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August 18, 2011

Bryan EhlersAssistant Secretary Education and Quality Programs

Cal/EPA1001 I StreetP.O. Box 2815Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: SUGGESTED CHANGES TO EEI CURRICULUM

Dear Bryan:

I would like to commend you for your efforts in drafting the landmark EEI curriculum.I recognize that the finished product is the result of unprecedented cooperationbetween various state agencies and that you, Mindy Fox, Linda Adams, AndreaLewis, Patty Zwarts, and others spent innumerable hours processing testimony andinformation from scientists, technical experts, environmental agencies, business andindustry, etc. The result is comprehensive, visually stunning lessons that will helpstudents understand their relationship with the environment. The curriculum is age-

appropriate and very teacher and student friendly.

I do have some serious concerns about one section of the curriculum and I amrespectfully requesting that you and the State Board of Education consider minorchanges.

In unit 11.5.7 Lesson 5 Teachers Edition section IV of the Plastic Bags LectureNotes is titled: The Advantages of Plastic Bags and offers a false choice betweenpaper and plastic bags with no emphasis on cloth or canvas reusable bags. The linein IV a. states: Plastic grocery bags require 70% less energy to manufacture thanpaper bags. I would suggest adding a comment such as: Many customers in the

United States, as they do in Europe and other countries, now bring their ownreusable canvas or cloth bags to grocery stores. This will save even more energyand reduce pollution.

Section III. i. of the Plastic Bags Lecture Notes currently states: In 2007 the city ofSan Francisco banned the use of plastic shopping bags in large supermarkets andretail pharmacy chains. This law has eliminated the use of an estimated five millionplastic bags each month. Currently other cities, counties and states are consideringa ban on plastic shopping bags. This section should be updated to In 2007fivemillion plastic bags each month. Other cities and counties in California have

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implemented similar plastic bag bans and many other municipalities in our state andelsewhere across the nation are considering a ban on plastic shopping bags.

Question 1 in part 2 of Lesson 5 reads: What are the advantages of using plasticbags? The question should be more open ended and not encourage a specific

outcome and response from students. I suggest: What are the advantages anddisadvantages of plastic bags?

Thank you for your attention to these suggestions. I hope you agree these changeswill make the EEI curriculum more factual.

Sincerely,

Fran Pavley

Senate District 23

cc: Mindy Fox, Assistant Director Cal/EPA Office of Education and the Environment