Departments throughout Disney joined efforts to rebrand Jiminy Cricket's Environmentality™ Challenge in 2007. The Company's flagship environmental, youth education program, now titled Disney's Environmentality Challenge (DEC), offers children an incredible environmental education opportunity by appealing to youth audiences in a new way. In addition to a name change, the rebrand introduced the DEC Eco Star Team, a group of four mascots or Eco Stars to represent key environmental topics. To date, more than 1.5 million students have participated in DEC worldwide.
Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) celebrated the 5th Anniversary of DEC by hosting an Environmentality Pledge Signing Ceremony at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. Young local artist, Alex Fong, attended the event and helped more than 400 students and teachers sign an Environmentality pledge and brainstorm creative ways to be green in their lives at school and at home. By November 2007, Hong Kong Disneyland received more than 50,000 applications to participate in the program.
Across the oceans, Disney Cruise Line celebrated the fifth year of DEC in the Cayman Islands, and in Florida, Walt Disney World Resort recognized students for their project, "Florida Endangered species." The winning students were guests of honor at a private Epcot party and received special attention at a behind-the-scenes, educational experience at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
DEC provides unique experiences for youth across the globe, inspiring them to create their own solutions to environmental challenges. The program continues to expand, allowing children to interact in school and with their world in new ways. To read more about this special program, continue the journey at www.deckids.com.
