FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, October 3, 2011

FOR ASSIGNMENT: Friday, October 7, 2011; 9:30-10:15 a.m.

Contacts: Brice Freeman, Communications, 410-396-1910, bfreeman@oedworks.com Kate Schmelyun, Communications, 410-396-7336, kschmelyun@oedworks.com

Local Chef Spike Gjerde to Talk Sustainability with ACCE Students ACCE, located near Gjerde’s Woodberry Kitchen, is engaging students in an ongoing initiative to promote a more sustainable environment at the school's campus Baltimore, Maryland (October 3, 2011) What: Nationally acclaimed Baltimore chef Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen will visit the Academy of College and Career Exploration (ACCE) this week to talk with students about sustainable agriculture and his choice to use only seasonal ingredients and organic meats from local farmers. He will also present certificates to the ACCE students who worked over the summer to create several gardens on the school’s property. Their work marked the start of a major greening initiative at ACCE, which is located a half-mile from Woodberry Kitchen. The greening project is intended to be a year-round effort to promote a more sustainable environment at the school's campus, beautify the school’s grounds, and benefit the Hampden community as a whole. When: Friday, October 7, 2011; 9:30-10:15 a.m. Where: ACCE, 1300 W. 36th Street, Baltimore, MD 21211 Background: As part of the school’s broader greening project, under the leadership of the ACCE science team headed by Victoria Mathew, students will participate in thematic, environment-themed lessons tailored for each subject and grade-level throughout the school on October 7. In addition to hosting Chef Gjerde as a guest speaker, each science class will participate in outdoor greening projects on the ACCE grounds – harvesting produce from the school’s vegetable garden, planting trees, building a compost bin, erecting birdhouses, spreading seeds in the wildflower meadow, and working in the butterfly and rain gardens. ACCE is a public transformation school that currently enrolls sixth-, seventh-, and ninth- through twelfth-grade students. The school is located at 1300 W. 36th Street in the Hampden community and is co-operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies. For additional information, visit www.accebaltimore.com. ### In fiscal year 2011, the Mayor's Office of Employment Development hosted more than 139,000 visits from city residents at our one-stop career centers, facilitated nearly 19,000 computer literacy training sessions at our Digital Learning Labs, and placed close to 2,700 individuals in jobs. We connected more than 5,000 youth to summer employment and assisted more than 500 businesses through our Employ Baltimore strategy. This year we are continuing our commitment to match Baltimore citizens with good jobs and satisfying careers, and to link area businesses to qualified employees.