Manorhaven School has often been referred to as a "lean green machine." These words never rang more true than when Manorhaven School agreed to be the test pilot school in Port Washington to use only environmentally safe cleaning detergents that bear the "green" seal of approval. This was an important initiative taken on by the district's school board members, and by Dr. Linda Welles, principal of Manorhaven School, and Eric Vonderhorst, facilities director for the Port Washington School District. They are all credited for permitting the use of environmentally safe products and to allow testing their cleaning effectiveness and safety at Manorhaven School over the past year.

The use of environmentally safe products in schools has been under scrutiny and criticism by the corporations that manufacture cleaning detergents, custodial personnel and certain community members, who claim that strong cleaning detergents are needed to free classrooms of germs and bacteria that make children more susceptible to illness. But many parents say they know from personal experience that children with respiratory problems, severe allergies, asthma, and sensitivity to harsh chemicals tend to have adverse reactions to strong detergents that, in some cases, are reported to impair the learning ability of students in the classroom. The introduction of "green" products in schools such as Manorhaven School received high praise from local community leaders and members. Manorhaven's custodial staff have had favorable experiences as to the effectiveness of the "green" detergents to provide a "clean" environment. Many parents at Manorhaven School have noted a significant improvement in the health of many children during the current school year and have attributed this to the use of environmentally safe products.

No one was very surprised to learn that Manorhaven's use of "green" products captured the attention of the media. It was an exciting day when television cameras and reporters, WABC's EyeWitness News, came to Manorhaven School. The focus of their report was primarily due to the dedicated efforts of Patti Wood, founder of Grassroots Environmental Education, who first introduced the "green" concept to Dr. Welles. Mrs. Wood's vision and programs aim to educate community members about the potentially dangerous use of certain chemicals found in common detergents and pesticides. Patti Wood's teachings serve to inform parents about how the combination of certain toxic chemicals, that are commonplace ingredients in many household products, may be harmful to children and their families. Manorhaven families are grateful to Mrs. Wood for working to bring about a change for the better in our community.

The school board members have been extremely responsive in addressing this important issue and taking the necessary steps to improve the quality of the environment in the district's school buildings. Thanks to the joint campaigning efforts of the PTA/HSAs, the school buildings within the Port Washington School District will be using "green" cleaning products by September 2003. According to Gabriel Salkin, Manorhaven's fifth-year student, "These products smell fresh and using them helps our environment, and that's a good thing."