Around 28,000 children between the ages of five and 12 have been taking part in the Go H2O! Earth Day Festival.

First held in 2009, the festival encourages children to learn about recycling and waste reduction whilst also getting them to drink more water as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Ninety elementary schools took part playing such games as Water Bottle Bowling and the Recycling Relay Race.

The Go H2O! Challenge, developed by LA’s BEST, an after school programme serving L.A.’s children with the greatest needs and fewest resources, and the American Chemistry Council (ACC), also gave 15,000 pupils reusable plastic water bottles.

The children were taught about the importance of recycling, the benefits of a healthy drink of water, the importance of water conservation and how having recyclable containers can help reduce the consumption of materials and ultimately benefit the environment.

Carla Sanger, LA’s BEST president and CEO, said: "Providing our students with a creative way to learn about recycling and adopt healthy habits is an important goal for us and we’re pleased the challenge has been a success."

[Image: jimmyharris]