footprint. For example, students at Robinson Elementary School3 in Manhattan Beach held a No Idle Zone rally last February where they held up “Idle Free Zone” banners and handed out “good tickets” to parents who turned off their engines while waiting in the pick-up line after school. For a single environmental initiative, creating a No Idle Zone bestows many simultaneous benefits, from reduced carbon and toxic pollution emissions and a reduction in associated health risks for vulnerable children to increased fuel effi- ciency and environmental awareness across all sectors of the school community. The best part of implementing a No Idle Zone? Students learn and instill environmental values all while making a positive impact on the environment today.
No Idle Zones also empower students to motivate par-
ents to reduce their carbon footprint. According to Hamilton County Environmental Services and Air Watch Northwest, one vehicle drop-off and pick-up at a school results in a cumu- lative 3 pounds of pollution per month emitted into the air. Additionally, 19 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced for every gallon of gas used. Limiting a vehicle’s idling time is a no-brainer, because it not only dramatically reduces air pol- lutants and children’s exposure to them, but it also saves driv- ers money by increasing fuel efficiency. It takes ten seconds worth of fuel to re-start a car, so idling for longer than ten seconds uses more fuel than turning off and re-staring a car engine, and pollutes the air in the process. In fact, on average, each person wastes 1-2 tanks of gas every year by idling. Creating a No Idle Zone is one of the best ways to teach
students about emissions and how they affect air quality. Students participating in establishing a No Idle Zone cam- paign gain experience as first-hand air quality advocates and feel empowered and inspired to reduce their carbon
Emily Gee helps oversee the School Engagement Program at Grades of Green in El Segundo, California. Her back- ground is in environmental science and advocacy commu- nication. Emily Stewart is an intern and Program Advisor at Grades of Green, and has a degree in Environmental Studies and Government from Bowdoin College.
Grades of Green
Grades of Green offers free, step-by-step instructions, down- loadable resources and one-on-one support to implement their No Idle Zone Activity, and 40+ other environmental activities, on school campuses worldwide. Grades of Green also offers a free, downloadable No Idle Zone banner on our website (
www.gradesofgreen.org) that you can use to start a No Idle Zone at your school!
Notes
1.
www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/learn- about-asthma/
asthma-children-facts-sheet.html 2.
www.gradesofgreen.org/green-activity/no-idle-zone/
3. For more information about Robinson Elementary’s No Idle Zone efforts, please visit:
http://www.gradesofgreen.org/assemblymember-david-hadley- joins-robinson-elementary-school-for-no-idle-zone-assembly/
One Student’s Impact & No Idling Regulations
Four years ago, Antonio, a student in our Grades of Green program, implemented our No Idle Zone activity2 at his middle school in Long Beach. He became so passionate about air quality that he continued working to develop No Idle Zones while in high school. Grades of Green introduced Antonio to California Assembly member David Hadley, the Clean Air Coalition, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, who were blown away by Antonio’s passion to decrease carbon emissions and improve the health of schoolchildren. Inspired by Antonio’s dedication to clean air, Assembly member Hadley then authored a statewide resolution to encourage schools across California to implement No Idle Zones on campus. Now in his senior year, Antonio has made a lasting impact on students across the state of California, and witnessed his vision being put into action when he travelled to Sacramento to see the resolution pass unanimously on the State Assembly floor. It became California’s first statewide resolution to encourage No Idle Zones in schools, and 6 million students now breathe cleaner air. California is just the latest of 29 states to pass school idling regulations, and the United States is part of a growing number
of countries across the globe that are demanding cleaner air for their children. In the province of Ontario, Canada, regulations were passed as early as 2002 to prohibit idling for more than three minutes, with fines beginning at $75. In accordance with the Environmental Act of 1995, the United Kingdom allows local authorities to cite drivers twenty euros for unnecessary idling, with some government leaders petitioning lawmakers to increase the fines. As more communities adopt idling regulations, teachers and students are implementing No Idle Zones on school campuses and spreading awareness about why idling is harmful to our students and the environment.
GREEN TEACHER 113 Page 35
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