National Consumers League statement on House Passage of the American Health Care Act – National Consumers League

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May 4, 2017

Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The following statement can be attributed to National Consumers League Executive Director Sally Greenberg:

By voting today to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the U.S. House of Representatives has shown callous disregard for the health of our nation’s consumers. This bill will result in millions of consumers losing health coverage and paying more for less, and should be rejected by the Senate.

Specifically, among its provisions, the bill would:

  • Cause 24 million Americans to lose their health coverage by 2020;
  • Strip protections for consumers with pre-existing conditions, allowing insurers to charge those with pre-existing conditions higher – and likely unaffordable – premiums;
  • Allow states to eliminate guaranteed coverage of essential health benefits like maternity care, prescription drugs, and mental health services;
  • Defund Planned Parenthood, on which millions rely for access to family planning and critical preventive services such as cancer screenings; and
  • End Medicaid as we know it, harming our nation’s most vulnerable consumers.

The National Consumers League joins with our colleagues in the consumer and public health communities in urging the Senate to reject this harmful bill and instead work to strengthen the Affordable Care Act.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL statement of opposition to FDA decision to delay the compliance date for menu labeling to May 2018 – National Consumers League

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May 4, 2017

Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL), in response to a decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay the compliance date for menu labeling from May 5, 2017 to May 7, 2018, has issued the following statement, which may be attributed to NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg:

Menu labeling guidelines were first introduced as a provision under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The rules require restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and cafeterias, with more than 20 locations, display calorie counts on their printed menus and posted menu boards.

We are disappointed that the FDA has yielded to industry pressure to extend compliance dates yet another year. Industry lobbyists argue compliance will be complicated and costly. However many chains, such as McDonalds, Panera, Dunkin Donuts, and Starbucks, have already responded to the proposed rules and very helpfully posted calorie and nutrition information for the benefit of all consumers. Studies have shown that companies that offer voluntary calorie amounts actually offer lower calorie meal options than establishments that don’t disclose nutrition information.

Readily available nutritional information allows consumers to make informed choices about what they and their families consume. Even industry agrees. A report by Unilever found that as many as “67 percent of U.S. diners indicated they wanted to know about fat content and calorie content on menus.” Additional research presented by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found: 80 percent of Americans support menu labeling in chain restaurants; 77 percent want calorie labeling at convenience stores; and 81 percent favor having supermarkets provide calorie information for their prepared, restaurant-type foods.

FDA will open a 60-day comment period starting  May 4, 2017. We encourage consumers to submit comments during this period and urge the FDA to enforce menu labeling that gives consumers the nutritional information they want and will use. Additionally, members of Congress are also trying to weaken menu labeling rules. An anti-menu labeling bill named the “Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (S.261/HR.772)” was surreptitiously attached as a rider to the FY2017 appropriations bill. We urge consumers to call their members of Congress in opposition of this misleading bill. Consumers can call them through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

National Consumers League testimony to Senate: Congress must act to restore air travelers’ rights – National Consumers League

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May 4, 2017

Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, today called on the Senate to take immediate action to address the lack of competition in the industry that fuels incidents like the now infamous Dr. David Dao video being violently removed from a United flight. 

“It is time for Congress to step in and restore consumers’ rights in the airline industry,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg, who testified before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security. “Only through Congressional action can American consumers be assured that the next time they fly, they won’t become the unwitting star of their own viral airline video.”

Read Greenberg’s full testimony here.

The consumer group blamed unchecked consolidation for an environment characterized by anti-consumer practices, policies, and experiences. Since airlines were deregulated in the late 1970’s, there have been no fewer than 40 airline mergers. Currently, more than 80 percent of domestic flights are controlled by four major airlines. 

“The near-complete lack of competition has enabled U.S. air carriers to worry more about profits and less about customer service and consumer rights,” said Greenberg. “Although recent headlines have shined a spotlight on the airlines’ most egregious practices, frequent air travelers were already familiar with how anti-consumer the industry has become.”

Unchecked consolidation has led to higher prices, fewer flights, worse service, and the rise of excessive fees for things like baggage, cancellation, seat selection, and other services that were at one time free to customers. The major airlines are raking in record profits–in 2015, the biggest airlines brought in $14.69 billion in ancillary revenue. Consumers are increasingly powerless in the airline marketplace and have been forced to suffer from a decrease in comfort and amenities, with shrinking seats, aisles, and bathrooms.

Before the Senate, Greenberg called for Congress to take action and implement a Passenger Bill of Rights, strengthen consumer protections, and require airlines to justify fees and reverse the trend of “unbundling” services. To read her full testimony, click here.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL statement on 3-2 CPSC vote on mandatory safety standard for table saws – National Consumers League

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April 28, 2017

 Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneering consumer and labor advocacy organization, is greatly encouraged by the vote yesterday at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to move forward on a mandatory safety standard for table saws (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking). 

The following statement may be attributed to Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League:

“This issue has been before the CPSC for over 14 years when the Commission was first petitioned by developers of safety technology asking it to require that all table saws be designed with some form of Active Injury Mitigation technology or AIM[1].  Since that time, NCL has led the effort to get a safety standard enacted. The marketplace has failed to deliver safe designs for all table saws and the current voluntary standard requiring guards over the blades has failed to reduce the rate of injury. [2]

In 2015, there were an estimated 33,400 table saw, emergency department-treated injuries. Table saws inflict 11 amputations each day, according to the CPSC’s accident reporting system. These are agonizingly painful injuries that cause lifelong debilitation and often, many expensive surgeries to treat. Technology in use today, and other technologies that have yet to be introduced into the marketplace, could all but eliminate these devastating injuries. NCL itself has been pressing for action for years. In November 2010, NCL wrote to then-Chairman of the CPSC, Inez Tenenbaum, asking the Commission to address the hazards associated with table saws. Indeed, the CPSC, in a 5-0 vote in October 2011, supported the first regulatory step toward a federal safety standard in support of an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

Yesterday’s 3-2 vote gets us closer to a final rule requiring that all table saws be built with Active Injury Mitigation technology. NCL applauds Commissioners Adler and Kaye for their eloquent statements and longtime efforts to get this measure adopted. We thank the CPSC staff as well for years of work, including the Commission’s engineers, economists, statisticians, and human factors experts. We applaud the finding that the benefits of AIM technology will greatly outweigh the costs.  The benefits estimated in the CPSC package range from $2.3 million to $2.45 billion.

Although three Commissioners voted in support of moving forward toward a final rule, we regret that several amendments were added to require additional, and unnecessary in our view, staff work on the rule.

The very purpose of the Consumer Product Safety Commission is to protect consumers and prevent injury when the market isn’t addressing these problems. We therefore regret that two CPSC Commissioners, faced with overwhelming evidence of these devastating injuries and technology to fix the problem for a reasonable cost, voted against protecting consumers and preventing injuries.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

[1] in 2003, the developers of table saw safety technology petitioned the Commission asking that all table saws implement injury prevention technology.

[2] CPSC staff concludes that there is no discernible change in the number of blade-contact injuries or types of injuries related to table saw blade contact from the timespan before the voluntary standard was implemented (2004- 2009) to the time span after the implementation of the voluntary standard requiring the riving knife and modular blade guard on all table saws (2010-2015).

The Financial CHOICE ACT of 2017 is the wrong choice for consumers – National Consumers League

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April 26, 2017

Media contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—Today, House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) is convening a hearing to discuss the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017. This anti-consumer legislation aims to revoke all of the protections Dodd-Frank provided consumers after Wall Street’s reckless behavior created the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The National Consumers League (NCL) urges all members of Congress to oppose this legislation which would make consumers vulnerable to another market collapse, and irrevocably weaken the nation’s strongest financial cop on the beat.

The following statement can be attributed to NCL’s Executive Director Sally Greenberg:

“The Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 is the wrong choice for consumers. Supporters of the bill claim that it will provide consumers with more choices and hold Wall Street accountable. This is simply not true. This legislation will in fact do just the opposite by allowing Wall Street to once again participate in the very practices that caused the collapse of 2008. The Financial Choice Act would also rob the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) of its independent funding structure, and make it dependent on the highly politicized appropriations process where the very entities it is supposed to watch over, can buy influence over members of Congress.”

“If robbing the CFPB of its independence was not enough, this legislation will also prevent the CFPB from protecting consumers against unfair mandatory arbitration, end its jurisdiction over big banks, prevent the Bureau from stopping deceptive or abusive practices, and enable unscrupulous actors to hide from their bad behavior by eradicating the CFPB’s public consumer complaint database.”

“This legislation is not meant to provide more choices for consumers, it is meant to allow unethical banks to partake in practices that hurt consumers. Since the creation of the CFPB, the Bureau has done its job and done it well. The CFPB has returned $11.8 billion to 29 million cheated consumers. It has enacted numerous common sense protections and disclosures to make borrowing money safer for consumers, and it has ensured that the 1 million consumers who filed complaints with the Bureau reached the resolution they deserve. I urge all members of Congress to oppose this anti-consumer legislation and stand with the CFPB.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Repeat champs from Pennsylvania takes 2017 National LifeSmarts title in Pittsburgh – National Consumers League

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April 24, 2017

Contact: National Consumers League, Carol McKay, (724) 799-5392, carolm@nclnet.org

Pittsburgh, PA—The student team from Dallas, PA, coached by Kevin West, was crowned national LifeSmarts champions in the Steel City today at the 23rd annual National LifeSmarts Championship. In an extremely tight final match against the Virginia state champion team from George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, the teens from Dallas High School outplayed their opponents in an exciting end to the 4-day competition. Dallas High School students won the national title in Denver, Colorado in April 2016 and returned to the National Championship to successfully defend their title. 

Teams from Rhode Island and Michigan placed third.

“We are so proud of these students from Pennsylvania, who represented their state program with class and pride to take the championship for a second year in a row,” said LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “They played hard and demonstrated their consumer smarts throughout the four-day event. They are true LifeSmarts champions.”

LifeSmarts is an education and scholarship program run by the Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization. It competitively tests high school students’ knowledge of consumer awareness, with subjects including personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights and responsibility, technology, and the environment. LifeSmarts is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in partnership programs with student leadership programs FBLA and FCCLA.

Teens from each of the 31 state champion teams represented at nationals competed as individuals, and the top five scorers received scholarships from NCL. This year’s winners were:

  • Environment: Troy Reinert, PA
  • Personal Finance: Wesley Maycumber, AZ
  • Health and Safety: Ann Metzloff, PA
  • Consumer Rights and Responsibilities: Matthew Metzloff, PA
  • Technology: Michael Bian, MI

Kerstin Peterson, from Missouri, and Porter Crumpton, from Washington, DC, were named the 2016 Students of the Year. Jeremy Cheney, from Georgia, and Linda Cumpton from Missouri were named LifeSmarts Coaches of the Year. Long-time State Coordinator Sharon Pierce, from Texas, earned the Coordinator of the Year honor.

“NCL’s LifeSmarts program is allowing us to rear a generation of consumer-savvy teenagers who often outsmart their parents on issues related to avoiding fraud, credit and debt, and complicated healthcare decisions,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. In the 23 years that LifeSmarts has been educating high school and middle school teens on consumer issues, it has grown dramatically, with more than 3 million consumer questions answered at www.lifesmarts.org in the online competition during the 2015-2016 program year.

For team photos, event schedules, grid standings, and more, log on to www.facebook.com/LifeSmarts

All winners at the national LifeSmarts Competition received valuable prizes donated by sponsors to the National Consumers League, including scholarships, savings bonds, gift cards, and more. To learn more about the program, contact NCL’s Lisa Hertzberg at 202-835-3323.

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About LifeSmarts and the National Consumers League

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

 

Local News: Final Four determined at annual national consumer literacy championship in Pittsburgh – National Consumers League

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April 24, 2017

Contact: National Consumers League’s Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (724) 799-5392

Pittsburgh, PA–Today in Pittsburgh, the 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship will come to an end with four state champion teams heading to the final matches to vie for the national title. LifeSmarts (LifeSmarts.org) is a national consumer literacy educational program and competitive scholarship opportunity, run by the National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer watchdog organization. LifeSmarts is celebrating its 23rd season this year, and the 2017 National LifeSmarts Champions will be determined by noon today and crowned at an awards ceremony following the final match.

The four semi-finalists are:

Virginia: George C. Marshall High School, Coach Rebekah Glasbrenner
Michigan: Cranbrook Kingswood School, Coach Kurt Godfryd
Rhode Island: Barrington High School, Coach Samuel Schacter
Pennsylvania: Dallas High School, Coach Kevin West (returning 2016 national champions)

NCL hosts the National Championship each April, during Financial Literacy Month. This year, NCL brought the LifeSmarts National Championship to Pittsburgh. On Friday, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto welcomed 31 state champion teams from as far away as Hawaii and as nearby as the returning champion team from Dallas, PA to the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh to kick off the weekend of activities. On Saturday, the students participated in Earth Day activities, including a discussion of food waste audits and participated in a food recovery action.

The event will come to an end Monday with NCL crowning the 2017 national champion team at 12 noon EDT. The team from George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, Virginia, will face off against Cranbrook Kingswood School from Michigan in the first match of the morning. Rhode Island’s Barrington High School and the 2016 champion team from Dallas, Pennsylvania will compete in the second semi-final. 

LifeSmarts is a free, competitive educational and scholarship program, in which teams of students begin competition online. Top-scorers progress to their state competitions, and state champion teams convene each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. For a complete list of state champions, visit LifeSmarts.org.

The 2017 National LifeSmarts Champion and other winning teams will walk away with prizes and scholarships. In addition to placing as a team, individual students have the opportunity to compete for scholarships for demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams and top five individuals are recognized.

NCL thanks the sponsors who make the program possible including McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Western Union, Johnson & Johnson, LifeLock, UL, Comcast, Intuit, Experian, American Express, the International Dairy Foods Association, CARE, the Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU), and the World Wildlife Fund.

Throughout the 2016-2017 program year, more than 100,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

Streaming live online from Pittsburgh today, Monday, April 24

Watch this year’s final and semi-final matches live at LifeSmarts.org!

9 am EDT – Virginia vs. Michigan
9:45 am EDT – Rhode Island vs. Pennsylvania

The final match will begin immediately following the second semi-final match.

Follow the conversation on Instagram and Twitter at #LifeSmarts or Facebook.com/LifeSmarts

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: LifeSmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

Pittsburgh to host student-led food waste activities on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 – National Consumers League

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April 21, 2017

Panel of high school students from across the nation to spotlight food waste causes, solutions at National LifeSmarts Championship hosted in the Steel City this weekend

Food Recovery Network’s University of Pittsburgh chapter to partner with event organizers to recover surplus food and donate for use by local partner agencies

For immediate release: April 21, 2017
Contact: Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (724) 799-5392 or

Regina Northouse, regina.northouse@foodrecoverynetwork.org, (240) 615-8813

Audra Kruse, akruse@idfa.org, (202) 220-3529

Pittsburgh, PA — In celebration of Earth Day this Saturday, April 22, Pittsburgh will be home to a series of activities focused on identifying causes and solutions to America’s food waste problems, led by student leaders from across the country who have gathered in the Steel City to compete at an annual national scholarship competition.

LifeSmarts (LifeSmarts.org) is a national consumer literacy scholarship opportunity and educational program, celebrating its 23rd season this year. LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League, the nation’s oldest consumer watchdog organization. The 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship kicks off this Friday, April 21 at the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh and will feature welcome remarks by Pittsburgh’s Mayor Bill Peduto. 

Earth Day focus on food waste

LifeSmarts covers five topic areas in consumer literacy, including the environment, which will be a special focus of emphasis this Saturday, Earth Day 2017. On Saturday, a panel of students from across the country will share their experiences of food waste audits they conducted this spring in their own communities.

“Food waste is an economic, environmental, and moral issue. We can’t think of a better day to help spotlight leadership by the next generation of consumers to fight this growing problem than Earth Day 2017,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “NCL and our LifeSmarts program are giving youth leaders the tools to recognize and fight our country’s food waste crisis and become part of the solution.”

“The dairy industry is looking at ways to reduce food waste that will help to increase U.S. food security and enhance sustainability. IDFA is pleased to be working with the National Consumers League to expand NCL’s youth leadership education program on this important issue,” said Dave Carlin, IDFA Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs and Economic Policy.

LifeSmarts will partner with Food Recovery Heroes, the University of Pittsburgh’s chapter of the national Food Recovery Network, to recover surplus food served during the event. Since 2011, Food Recovery Network has recovered 1.96 million pounds of food and donated it to those who need it most.

“Our model is successful because we combine the power of thousands of student leaders across the country to solve this complex issue of so many people going hungry, and the adverse impact of wasting food on our environment. Our University of Pittsburgh chapter is a shining example of positive change,” said Regina Northouse, Executive Director of Food Recovery Network.

Student volunteers from Food Recovery Heroes have been collecting surplus food from several locations on Pitt’s Oakland campus since fall 2014. Surplus food is safely delivered to local nonprofit agencies that are able to feed families and communities fresh, nutritious meals rather than canned, sodium-heavy, non-perishable foods. In May 2016 the University of Pittsburgh’s Dining Services became Food Recovery Verified by the Food Recovery Network. Pitt is the first school in the ACC to be Food Recovery Verified, and Food Recovery Heroes managed to recover and donate 9,338 lbs of surplus food from its campus in 2016.

Food waste facts

  • 40 percent of food is thrown out in the United States every year; this could feed 25 million Americans
  • 1 in 7 people in America facing hunger are children
  • The United States wastes food at a higher rate than any other country in the world

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Food waste panel discussion and food recovery efforts

When: Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 12 noon
Where: Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh, Allegheny Ballroom (third floor)
1000 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

The panel will feature student leaders as well as:

  • Sally Greenberg, National Consumers League
  • Regina Northouse, Food Recovery Network
  • William Loux, International Dairy Foods Association

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a competitive educational program, in which teams of students begin online. Top-scorers progress to state competitions, and then state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. This year’s lineup of state champion teams come from as far away as Roosevelt High School from Honolulu, Hawaii, and as near as the Pennsylvania team from Dallas, which returns to the National Championship to defend its title as the 2016 national champs.

Consumer-savvy teens representing 30 states and the District of Columbia will compete at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2016-2017 program year, more than 100,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

Steel City to host 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship event April 21-24 – National Consumers League

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April 20, 2017

Returning 2016 champs from Dallas, PA will defend national title in Pittsburgh

Mayor Peduto to welcome state champion teams facing off at 23rd annual national consumer literacy scholarship competition

For immediate release: April 20, 2017
Contact: Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (724) 799-5392

Pittsburgh, PA — In celebration of April’s Financial Literacy Month, the National Consumers League (NCL) has announced the 31 state champion teams that have earned a spot at the 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship, which will take place starting later this month in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mayor William Peduto will officially welcome the state champion teams arriving in Pittsburgh at the event kickoff Friday, April 21 at 5 pm at the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh.

LifeSmarts (LifeSmarts.org) is a national consumer literacy scholarship competition, celebrating its 23rd season this year, hosted by NCL, the nation’s oldest consumer watchdog organization. The 2017 National LifeSmarts Champion team will be crowned on Monday, April 24.

Complete roster of state champions teams available here

LifeSmarts is a competitive educational program, in which teams of students begin online. Top-scorers progress to state competitions, and then state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. This year’s lineup of state champion teams come from as far away as Roosevelt High School from Honolulu, Hawaii, and as near as the Pennsylvania team from Dallas, which returns to the National Championship to defend its title as the 2016 national champs. 

“We are so proud of this year’s state LifeSmarts champions, who have proven themselves to be the best and the brightest of the next generation of consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “LifeSmarts is fun and fast, and the perfect vehicle for educating young consumers. Our program goes in-depth on the issues kids—and adults—are facing now: finances, health care, the environment, and technology.”

The 2017 National LifeSmarts Champion and other winning teams will walk away with prizes and scholarships. In addition to placing as a team, individual students have the opportunity to compete for scholarships by demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams and top five individuals are recognized. Additionally, NCL will award scholarships to winning participants from its Safety Smart Ambassador program, conducted in conjunction with Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which offers high school students the opportunity to teach very young students environmental and safety lessons as a community service.

NCL thanks the sponsors who make the program possible including McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Western Union, Johnson & Johnson, LifeLock, UL, Comcast, Intuit, Experian, American Express, the International Dairy Foods Association, CARE, the Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU), and the World Wildlife Fund.

Consumer-savvy teens representing 30 states and the District of Columbia will compete at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2016-2017 program year, more than 100,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Event kickoff featuring Mayor William Peduto

When: Friday, April 21, 2017 at 5 pm
Where: Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh, Allegheny Ballroom (third floor), 1000 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 

Final competition

When:  Monday, April 24, 2017
Where:  Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh Hotel, 1000 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Final and semi-final matches begin:  Monday, April 24, 9 a.m. Eastern Time
Awards Ceremony: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Follow the competition online

Parents and teachers can follow the action at Facebook.com/LifeSmarts and via Twitter: #LifeSmarts

The semi-final and final competition matches will be streamed live at LifeSmarts.org.

Monday, April 24, 2017 starting at 9 a.m. Eastern Time

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.LifeSmarts.org, email LifeSmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

LifeSmarts program awards scholarship to student leaders from Warren Township, IL; Jefferson City, MO; Moultrie, GA; and East Greenwich, RI – National Consumers League

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April 6, 2017

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, (202) 207-2832, cindyh@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—Today the National Consumers League (NCL) has announced five scholarship recipients in four states, honored for their involvement in a community service and leadership initiative made possible through its consumer literacy program, LifeSmarts (LifeSmarts.org). The students were awarded $1,000 academic scholarships for their winning entries based on their experiences serving as Safety Smart® Ambassadors, a partnership between LifeSmarts and UL that pairs high school students with elementary classrooms to teach lessons about health, safety, and the environment.

The scholarship winners are:

  • Gabrielle Alcala, Warren Township High School FBLA, Illinois
  • Shivank Gupta, Warren Township High School FBLA, Illinois
  • Emily Miga, East Greenwich HS, Rhode Island
  • Genesis Nobles, Colquitt County HS, FBLA, Georgia
  • Kerstin Peterson, Blair Oaks HS, FCCLA, Missouri

Since 2013, when the LifeSmarts UL partnership began, hundreds of LifeSmarts students have become Safety Smart Ambassadors. Working in teams, high school students have made more than 1,000 interactive, 30-minute presentations, sharing empowering, educational safety messages with thousands of younger children throughout their communities. LifeSmarts is a national program that competitively tests high school students’ knowledge of consumer awareness, with subjects including personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights and responsibility, technology, and the environment.

“We are so proud of our students who participated in the Safety Smart Ambassador program and the positive impact they made on their communities, and especially these five stand-outs,” said LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “We truly appreciate this partnership with UL. It has been extremely gratifying to see LifeSmarts students embrace the Safety Smart Ambassador program, provide education and mentoring to younger children, and learn about themselves in the process.”

The LifeSmarts-UL partnership has underwritten the Safety Smart Ambassador program and provided LifeSmarts with access to the vast knowledge base of UL, including resources for LifeSmarts to bolster its science and environment curriculum, resources, and competitive opportunities.

For more information, please visit LifeSmarts.org/SafetySmart.

2017 Safety Smart Ambassador award winners – in their own words 

Genesis Nobles, Colquitt County HS, FBLA, Georgia

“I had so much fun learning and growing through this fun experience. Doing different hands-on activities is always enjoyable. I can’t wait to do more with my younger family members and kids at my local church on my own time. I want to thank Lifesmarts.org and Safety Smart for offering such a huge opportunity for young adults like me.”

Kerstin Peterson, Blair Oaks HS, FCCLA, Missouri

“I really believe that by doing these Safety Smarts presentations, we can influence the younger generation of students to behave better and impact the world.”

Gabrielle Alcala and Shivank Gupta, Warren Township High School FBLA, Illinois

“Children enjoyed the Disney movie, especially the sing-along, with some asking for an ‘encore.’ Following each presentation, Safety Smart Ambassadors would ask kids what they learned from the video, (with the incentive of a pencil for answering a question right), and kids would jump out of their seats to answer questions. After seeing the children’s excitement, the fitness center director requested us to come to future events.”

Emily Miga, East Greenwich HS, Rhode Island

“To teach about good character, we had the younger students do several activities. For example, we had students stand back to back and describe what they saw. They quickly realized that their partners saw different things than they saw. However, this didn’t mean that their partner was wrong, just that they had a different point of view.” 

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About LifeSmarts and the National Consumers League

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. LifeSmarts educational resources are available online throughout the year at www.LifeSmarts.org. Competition begins again in September. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.