HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - September 28, 2010) - Sharp Solar Academy, Sharp's unique environmental education program designed to empower today's youth with the knowledge to change and improve their environmental future, continues to educate children about the environment and alternative energy.
"Sharp is very proud that this program has grown as much as it has; our employees are enthusiastic about volunteering and communicating the benefits of solar energy, so it's a perfect fit for us," said Eric Hafter, senior vice president, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group, the solar sales division of Sharp Electronics Corporation. "Part of our commitment to the environment is educating future generations about climate change, energy conservation, recycling and renewable energy, so that they are armed with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. We love this program and are looking at ways to expand it in the future."
There are ten Sharp locations participating in the Solar Academy program, including locations in Canada and Mexico. The number of students involved in the program has risen steadily since its introduction in 2008, and so far more than 3,600 students from 42 schools have participated.
William Howe, fourth grade teacher at Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Mahwah, NJ, commented, "The Sharp Solar Academy is an informative and engaging program. Our students enjoy the participatory nature of the class and it's a perfect complement to our curriculum. It's also an excellent example of a corporation using its extensive knowledge to help us teach valuable lessons related to our studies."
The Solar Academy began with two schools on opposite coasts and has since been rolled out all over the country. Leveraging its experience as a world-leading provider of energy-saving and energy-creating products, Sharp worked with education experts to create curriculum and presentations that address the topics of environmental awareness, climate change, recycling and renewable energy, including solar power. The curriculum fosters critical thinking and problem solving skills, while also encouraging students to adopt more earth-friendly lifestyles and make eco-conscious decisions. Attention was also paid to local school guidelines; for example, in California, the curriculum is tied to the standards which all teachers are responsible for covering, and is flexible enough to accommodate different class abilities while still adhering to the state standards.
In Japan, Sharp Corporation has operated a similar program for the last three years, and since 2006, Sharp Corporation has presented this program to approximately 54,000 Japanese school children, visiting 236 schools in 2009 alone. Program components include PowerPoint presentations, hands-on solar experiments and videos.
Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, Osaka, Japan, one of the world's largest manufacturers of solar cells for residential, commercial, industrial, off-grid and satellite applications for more than 50 years. Sharp entered the U.S. solar market in 2002 and is currently a market leader. Sharp has maintained solar module operations at its manufacturing facility in Memphis, TN since 2003, celebrating the assembly of the two-millionth solar module earlier this year.
The Solar Academy is one way in which Sharp is continuing to fulfill its corporate commitment to be an environmentally advanced company and minimize its environmental impact. Further information on Sharp's commitment to solar energy, its product line and the ways in which Sharp makes it easy to go solar is available online at http://www.sharpusa.com/Solar.
Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corporation, a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home entertainment products, appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, solar energy solutions and mobile communication and information tools. Leading brands include AQUOS® Liquid Crystal Televisions, 1-Bit™ digital audio products, SharpVision® projection products, Insight® Microwave Drawer® ovens, Notevision® multimedia projectors and Plasmacluster® air purifiers. For more information visit Sharp Electronics Corporation at www.sharpusa.com.
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CONTACT:
Regan Daniels
Crenshaw Communications
Phone: 650-728-8075
Email: regan@crenshawcomm.com
Chris Loncto
Sharp Electronics Corporation
Phone: 201-529-8680
Email: lonctoc@sharpsec.com
SHARP ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
One Sharp Plaza
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(201) 529-8200
www.sharpusa.com