January 14, 2000

Eco Soul Delivers Revolutionary Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Kits
To Southern California High School

Newport Harbor High Da Vinci Academy science students will be among the first in the nation to study Department of Energy curriculum and use working fuel cells

Newport Beach, CA.--Some local high school science students are becoming pioneers in the emerging technology that will power the new millennium. The Da Vinci Academy at Newport Harbor High School today received a grant of Solar Hydrogen Renewable Energy Demonstration kits from Eco Soul, a California 501(C)3 nonprofit organization that is dedicated to furthering the utilization of Solar Hydrogen Technology through educational outreach.

Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity without creating pollution. Pure water is the only byproduct.

"The kids are really excited about being the first on the block to work with these fuel cells. They are also interested to know how technology can help the environment," said Scott Dukes, the science teacher who heads the Da Vinci Academy. "There just is no substitute for hands-on experimentation when it comes to learning science."

The Da Vinci Academy students will also be among the first to learn from a new Department of Energy-sponsored curriculum centering on the benefits of hydrogen-based energy systems due out in the coming weeks. Mary-Rose Valladares, a DOE consultant and developer of the Hydrogen Outreach Programming for Education (HOPE) Curricula for secondary school students, believes Eco Soul's fuel cell kits are a perfect complement to her program.

"Eco Soul's demonstration kit is the most elegant example of the opposite (and sometimes reversible) relationship between the fuel cell and electrolysis processes that I've seen in this country," said Valladares, principal of M.R.S. Enterprises.

Eco Soul is a California 501[c]3 non-profit corporation dedicated to furthering education and research in environmentally-friendly hydrogen fuel cell technology. The organization distributes the country's first reversible fuel cell demonstration kit for wide-spread practical use.

"The kit's unique engineering demonstrates how fuel cells can provide energy without pollution. They are being used in high schools, universities and research laboratories across the nation and around the world.