School Projects
Whether it's school buses, parents dropping off kids, staff driving to work, or delivery drivers dropping off supplies, there is almost always a constant stream of traffic to and from schools. Here are some ways your school can help ensure that all that transportation is as Earth-friendly as possible.
No Idling, Please
School buses, supply trucks, and even cars often sit idling near schools. Not only is it noisy, it releases unnecessary pollution into the air, wastes fuel, and causes wear and tear on the engine. If children are outside or if there is an air-intake vent or window located near the idling vehicle, kids will end up breathing the exhaust. Diesel exhaust contains particulate matter that can aggravate lungs and trigger asthma attacks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also determined that diesel exhaust is a probable human carcinogen.
Children's lungs should not be blown off! Since kids are more susceptible to air pollution, it is up to you to keep them from breathing in potentially noxious gases if your school does not have a no-idling policy. Protect students' lungs by not letting them play or line up by idling school vehicles and by closing windows or doors when vehicles are idling nearby.
Make a no-idling policy at your school to protect children's health, prevent pollution, and save money. You can find all of the tools you need to successfully implement a program by visiting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus program website at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/antiidling.htm. You can find a prewritten press release, fact sheets, tips for teachers and staff, certificates, posters, case studies, and more. While it's great that it's all packaged and ready to go, empower your students to enforce the policy (and encourage other adults) by having them design the campaign posters and materials.
It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air is a program of the U.S. Department of Transportation that has dozens of ideas for helping people drive smarter and cleaner. There are materials you can use for handouts, as well as resources for conducting community-wide campaigns. Visit www.italladdsup.gov for more information.
School Carnival
Most schools host an annual school carnival to raise funds and get the community together. How about adding in a little environmental transportation education for all of the adults who drive to it? Have every parent who participates get a number that's entered into a drawing for a prize. Find a local car repair business to donate a free tune-up as a prize. Set up several simple ways to improve car efficiency and reduce pollution. Some examples:
Have an air compressor and fill tires.
Contact your local department of transportation to test gas caps for cracks or leaks. Ask a local vendor to donate or discount replacement gas caps for those who need them. Leaking gas caps release 200 pounds of emissions and thirty gallons of gas per car each year.
Ask a local vendor to donate window shades. The cooler a car stays, the less air-conditioning it needs and the less pollution it creates.
Ask parents who own the latest environmentally friendly cars or trucks to bring them to show off at a green car show section of the carnival
You can also share materials you may have created in class about not idling and driving slower to look out for wildlife. Get creative, make it fun, and you'll make a big difference in the community as you help influence drivers to take care of their cars so they create less pollution!
