“For many Alabamians, school starts next month. As children go outside for recess or physical education, some schools may lack the shade structures needed to protect their students from skin cancer. The Alabama Department of Public Health is offering grants to all Title I public schools in need of such shade structures. The grant program is part of ADPH’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition.
“All applications are due next Friday at 5 p.m. Central time. If selected, public schools could receive up to $15,000 for the shade structure and construction. Shade structures will be installed into the ground and have a canopy top to cover playground areas and other recreational spaces exposed to sunlight. These structures are permanent and protect children against UVA and UVB radiation from the sun. UVA and UVB radiation are known to cause all three forms of skin cancer in children and adults, including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
“Lakita Hawes is a public health educator with ADPH’s Cancer Division. Hawes said sun safety should be practiced at an early age, and these structures will provide children with the safety they need to enjoy the outdoors.
“Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and melanoma ranks fifth in the cancer incidence in Alabama,” she said. “A lot of kids spend a lot of time at school, and during that time at school, they’re outside on the playground, especially when school starts back in August. This grant will allow there to be protection from the sun,” (LeBerte, 2023).
Complex problems can have simple solutions. I can imagine short-term and long-term benefits: more activity among kids in shaded areas, better focus in class when not exhausted, and reduced risk of skin cancer. At this point in my research, I have seen multiple instances of grants for shade structures from health organizations. I think this is a unique opportunity for ODNR to join this effort and use it to better the health of visitors and their parks. For example, ODNR could install shade structures in parks that lack shade. Maybe having shade will make visitors less tired and more willing to walk to trash cans.
This idea raises many questions: Could having more shade reduce stress on families? How could we redirect that energy towards sustainable behavior? Is that possible?
Questions like this will prompt me to explore further. Perhaps a co-design session would give me the insights I’m looking for…
References
Banks-Caddell Elementary School – Decatur, Alabama. (2022, July 14). A shout out
to Andrea Stewart for your hard work on the Sun Safety Grant. BCES is so
excited to be a part of this grant. We are waiting to hear if our school
will be a chosen site. Please read Andrea’s post for more information. B.
Lovelace [Photograph attached] [Post]. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/bankscaddellelementaryschool/photos/a.50844487932935 2/2181038645403292/?type=3
LeBerte, J. (2023, July 27). Grant program ensures Alabama public schools
practice sun safety. Alabama Public Radio. Retrieved September 13, 2024,
from https://www.apr.org/news/2023-07-27/
grant-program-ensures-alabama-public-schools-practice-sun-safety
