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1 No Idling Student Toolkit for students grades 4 8 Breathe Easy cleanaircampaign.org

2 cleanaircampaign.org Georgia Performance Standards Grade Level ELA CCGPS Math CCGPS Science NGSS Health Fourth ELACC4RI1; ELACC4RI4; ELACC4RI7; ELACC4W1; ELACC4W2; ELACC4W4; ELACC4W9; ELACC4SL4 MCC4.OA.2; MCC4.NBT.4; MCC4.MD.2 S4CS1abcd; S4CS2ab; S4CS4abc; S4CS5cd; S4CS8abc 4-ESS2.E; 4-ESS3-1; 4-ESS3-2; 3-5-ETS1-1; 3-5-ETS1-2; 3-5-ETS1-3 HE4.1c; HE4.2c; HE4.3ab; HE4.5abcde; HE4.6b; HE4.7ab; HE4.8ab Fifth ELACC5RI2; ELACC5RI4; ELACC5RI7; ELACC5RI9; ELACC5W1; ELACC5W2; ELACC5W9; ELACC5SL4 MCC5.NBT.5; MCC5.G.2 S5CS1abcd; S5CS2ab; S5CS4abcd; S5CS5abcd 5-LS1-1; 5- LS2.A; 5-ESS2.A; 5-ESS3-1; 3-5-ETS1-1; 3-5-ETS1-2; 3-5-ETS1-3; HE5.1ab; HE5.2b; HE5.3ab; HE5.4a; HE5.5ab; HE5.7abc; HE5.8ab; Sixth ELACC6RI4; ELACC6RI7; ELACC6RI8; ELACC6W1; ELACC6W2; ELACC6W7; ELACC6SL4 S6CS1a; S6CS3ad; S6CS4a; S6CS6bc; S6CS7b; S6CS9abcde; S6CS10c; S6E5j; S6E6b; MS-PS1-3; MS-LS2-4; MS-ESS3-1; MS-ESS3-3; MS-ESS3-4; MS-ESS3-5; MS-ETS1 HE6.1ac; HE6.2efj; HE6.4a; HE6.5bfg; HE6.7abc; HE6.8abcd Seventh ELACC7RI4; ELACC7RI8; ELACC7W1; ELACC7W2; ELACC7W8; ELACC7SL4; ELACC7SL5 MCC7.RP.2; MCC7.NS.1; MCC7.NS.2; MCC7.NS.3 S7CS1ab; S7CS3abdef; S7CS4a; S7CS6bc; S7CS7bcd; S7CS9abdefg; S7CS10c; MS-PS1-3; MS-LS2-4; MS-ESS3-1; MS-ESS3-3; MS-ESS3-4; MS-ESS3-5; MS-ETS1 HE7.1ac; HE7.2fj; HE7.3a; HE7.4a; HE7.5abefg; HE7.6bc; HE7.7c; HE7.8abcd Eighth ELACC8RI4; ELACC8RI8; ELACC8W1; ELACC8W2; ELACC8W8; ELACC8SL4 MCC8.F.4; MCC8.SP.1; MCC8.SP.4 S8CS1ab; S8CS3abdef; S8CS4a; S8CS6bc; S8CS7bcd; S8CS9abdefg; S8CS10c; MS-PS1-3; MS-LS2-4; MS-ESS3-1; MS-ESS3-3; MS-ESS3-4; MS-ESS3-5; MS-ETS1 HE8.1c; HE8.3a; HE8.5af; HE8.7bc; HE8.8bcd

3 Table of Contents program information Notes About this toolkit 4 Why is air quality important? 4 What is Idling? 5 Leading a No Idling Program at your school 6 Tools and Resources Breathe Easy Team Plan 9 ideas for Your Educational Campaign 10 air Quality Fun Facts 11 Breathe Easy Suggested Timeline 12 no Idling Pledge Cards 13 sources and Notes 14 cleanaircampaign.org 3

About this toolkit You hold the key to making a difference! Using this toolkit, you can play an important role in making our world a better and healthier place to live.

Your reward will be cleaner air and a healthier environment for all living species. The Breathe Easy No Idling Student Toolkit will help you start a No Idling campaign at your school.

4 About this toolkit You hold the key to making a difference! Using this toolkit, you can play an important role in making our world a better and healthier place to live. When people like your friends and parents see you lending a helping hand, it will inspire them to take action, too. You can be the spark that ignites a chain reaction! Your reward will be cleaner air and a healthier environment for all living species. The Breathe Easy No Idling Student Toolkit will help you start a No Idling campaign at your school. It s packed with helpful info and inspiration to kick-start your campaign for cleaner air. Stopping idling is a great way to help improve the environment, health, and save money. This toolkit includes easy, fun steps and actions to help you reduce idling and educate your school community, as you become an ambassador for clean air at your school! Thank you for taking action to make the world a better, healthier place! Why is Air Quality Important to Me, My School and My Community? We all need air to survive. It is a shared resource, recycled repeatedly since the beginning of time. Everyone wants and deserves to breathe clean air. That is why the U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970 has established national air quality goals for the protection of human health and welfare. Despite these efforts and significant progress, the United States still faces challenges with air quality. Poor air quality can affect respiratory and cardiovascular systems and cause a variety of healthy problems, including asthma. Air pollution can also irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and reduce resistance to colds and other illnesses. Thankfully, there are lots of small actions people can take to help reduce air pollution. Things like riding a bike, walking, taking the bus, carpooling, or not idling can really make a big difference. cleanaircampaign.org 4

5 What is Idling? What is Air? Have you ever been waiting for your parents to pick you up and smelled exhaust coming from cars or buses parked in the pick-up line? A vehicle that is parked or waiting with its engine turned on for 30 seconds or more is idling. An idling vehicle emits 20 times more pollution than one traveling at 30 miles per hour. 1 And one idling vehicle can put out up to 3 pounds of pollution per month into the air we breathe. Idling not only pollutes the air, it wastes gas and money. 2 Idling vehicles in school zones can be hard on young lungs, triggering asthma and exposing students to harmful pollution. Did you know that children breathe 50% more air per pound than adults? 3 Children are also closer to the ground, so they are also closer to vehicle tailpipes. Pure air is an invisible mixture of several gases, which all living land animals and plants breathe. It consists of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and less than 1% of argon, carbon dioxide, and other gases as well as varying amounts of water vapor. cleanaircampaign.org 5

6 Leading a No Idling Program at your school The key to having a successful No Idling program at your school is understanding and educating about the benefits of not idling in order to change habits. Remember, the small action of turning off a car engine while waiting in the pick-up line can make a huge difference! Armed with the facts and a friendly smile, you can significantly reduce idling at your school and improve air quality. And together, we can all breathe a little easier! Just follow these 6 easy steps: Step 1: Establish a No Idling team and register for the program Building a good team is important. With the right attitude, a team s spirit and enthusiasm can overcome almost any difficulty to reach success. Identify a team sponsor. This can be a troop or club leader, teacher or parent. Recruit teammates. This can be a troop or club project or you can work with other students in your class. You can also pair up with another classmate and use this as a science fair or class project. Make sure you have permission from your school principal to start the campaign. (Be sure to let them know you will need to work with the school facilities director to post No Idling signs.) With the help of your sponsor, register for the program at As soon as you register, you will be contacted by The Clean Air Campaign and will receive your first toolkit, which will include everything needed to conduct your baseline survey! Step 2: Set goals and make a plan Use the Breathe Easy Team Plan template on page 9 of this booklet to lay out your goals and team responsibilities. Set your campaign goals. Possible goals may be to reduce idling by 50%, raise awareness about health risks and costs related to idling, and establish a long-term No Idling policy. You may want to give specific responsibilities to team members. Roles can include: marketing and education to students and parents, liaison to the principal or administration, data collector, public speaker, banner or flyer designer, etc. Consider involving other student or parent groups in the process, such as the school newspaper staff or PTA. Who else can help with this campaign? Decide as a team how you would like to spread the word. See the list of Ideas for Your Education Campaign on page 10 in the back of this booklet. The education campaign should happen over 1 week. Refer to the Suggested Timeline on page 12. Once you ve received your first toolkit, schedule your baseline survey. cleanaircampaign.org 6

7 Tips for Data Collection Helpful Supplies: Adult chaperone, Clipboard, Pencil, Clickers, Watch with a second hand (optional), and Camera (optional) Suggestions: Step 3: Complete and submit your baseline survey Use the baseline survey form from the first toolkit you received in the mail or use the online form at Surveys must be taken during either morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up over one full week. Use the clickers and clipboards during the survey. Surveys must be completed during the same time period that the initial baseline survey was taken. Use your Clean Air VIP badges to help identify your team during data collection. (schools@cleanaircampaign.org) or fax ( ) results to The Clean Air Campaign, ATTN: Clean Air Schools. Once you ve submitted your baseline survey, you will receive your second toolkit with No Idling signs, fliers and fun educational materials to use for Step 4. Step 4: Get the word out! This is the most important step in a successful No Idling Program. Most people do not know that idling is a problem, so it is up to you to tell them about the problem and offer a solution(s). Wellplanned educational activities can help generate understanding and support for the issue. Stick to the plan you created to guide you through the week. Advertise your upcoming events and activities. Post your No Idling signs and pass out No Idling fliers and stickers. Be sure to take pictures during the week and share them with The Clean Air Campaign. Be sure to arrive at morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up five to ten minutes prior to date collection in order to pick up supplies. You will need to collect data for five days in a row. Be discrete and do not let the drivers know what you are doing, as they may turn off their engines due to project influence, which will lead to inaccurate data. Measure idling until the line of cars and buses begin to consistently move. Remember, idling refers to a car or bus that is sitting with its engine on for 30 seconds or longer. Indicators of idling vehicles include visible exhaust fumes, engine noise, a vibrating tail pipe, or illuminated exterior lights. cleanaircampaign.org 7

8 Step 5: Measure your results Conduct and submit your follow-up survey. Use the follow-up survey sheet included in the toolkit or use the online form at Surveys must be taken during either morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up over one full week. This will also help you measure how much you reduced idling. Use the clickers and clipboards during the survey. Use your Clean Air VIP badges to help identify your team during data collection. You will need to turn in your follow-up survey to The Clean Air Campaign in order for your school to become a Clean Air School. Step 6: Celebrate success! Refer to your original goals. Did you meet your goals? Did the campaign bring your issue to the attention of a group of people? What would you do differently? Be sure to talk through the results as a team. People love to know their actions matter, so be sure to share your results with your school community. Make posters, announce results and post pictures on morning announcements or post a write-up in your school newspaper or website. Share any pictures, videos, quotes or stories about your program with The Clean Air Campaign staff and schools@cleanaircampaign.org. We d love to include this on our website and share it with the local newspaper. cleanaircampaign.org 8

9 Breathe Easy Team Plan Goal #1 Goal #2 Goal #3 Educational Campaign Actions: Team Member Role: Name/s: cleanaircampaign.org 9

10 Ideas for Your Educational Campaign Be creative, positive and clear in your messaging in order to get your classmates fired up during the campaign. Here are a few suggestions for fun ways to spread the word: Check out the list of Air Quality Fun Facts on page 11. Share a fun fact each day on morning announcements or online. Create posters to hold or post during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Use the fun facts for design ideas. Hand out fliers to every parent and bus driver about No Idling (provided by The Clean Air Campaign). Pass out stickers to students. Share the excitement about your No Idling campaign at a school-wide event in a public, high-traffic area. School fall or spring festivals are a great way to spread the word, because there is already plenty of excitement for you to tap. Make sure everyone knows the key message and has fun! Also, remember to take photos and videos. Set up a table at lunch, visit classrooms, or attend a PTA meeting to share the results of the initial survey and explain how idling impacts human health and the environment. Educating your peers creates interest and support, which they in turn can share with their parents. Create a song or skit about idling to share with the school. Use the No Idling Pledge Cards on page 13 to have drivers commit to turning off their engines. Studies show that people who commit in writing to a sustainable behavior are more likely to actually practice that behavior. Suggestions: Send pledge cards home with students for both parents/guardians and students to sign. Be sure to have extra pledge cards available for drivers to sign when they are dropping off or picking up their children. Find a public space at school to hang up signed pledge cards. Write an article in the school newspaper or for the website. Create and display signage at school drop zones. Design a bookmark, magnet, coloring sheet, comic, or door hanger that can be given out to remind people of the details about idling. Give prizes to non-idlers and information or mock tickets to idlers. The mock ticket concept provides an icebreaker when approaching someone that is idling. It looks like a traffic ticket, but simply provides information about idling. Design buttons, sashes or T-shirts for your Breathe Easy team to wear during survey collection and the educational campaign. cleanaircampaign.org 10

11 Air Quality Fun Facts More facts, tips, and advice can be found at Each of us takes 20,000 breaths and breathes 13,000 liters (or about 3,400 gallons) of air a day. 4 Children breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults. 5 Pollutants from a vehicle s exhaust include soot particles, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. All of these have dangerous effects on plants, animals, and humans. 6 Diesel exhaust from a school bus contains microscopic soot, particles that are about 200 times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. 7 A single vehicle dropping off and picking up students at one school puts up to 3 pounds of pollution into the air per month. 8 Asthma is one of the most common chronic illness in children and the cause of most school absences. More than ½ million school days were missed last year as a result of asthma or asthma related illnesses. 9 Each day, Americans waste approximately 3.8 million gallons of gasoline by idling their cars. An engine that idles for 10 minutes yields 90 grams of pollutants like carbon dioxide. 10 Consuming less fuel by not idling helps reduce the need to import oil. Saving gasoline (a fossil fuel) represents conservation of a non-renewable natural resource. 11 According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, idling for more than 30 seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine. As a rule of thumb, if you are going to stop for 30 seconds or more, except in traffic, turn off the engine. 12 Idling a vehicle is not an effective way to warm it up. The best way to warm up a car is to drive it, accelerating gently for the first mile. 13 One hour of idling can burn up to one gallon of fuel. Avoiding 5 minutes of idling each day can save approximately $35 every year. 14 Breathe Easy No Idling Ambassador intervention suggestion Approach with a smile, explain who you are and what you are doing, and respect a person s personal space. People are more willing to speak if the approacher is wearing some form of branded t-shirt, vest, or badge. cleanaircampaign.org 11

12 Breathe Easy Suggested Timeline Notes Week 1 Identify your team sponsor and establish your team members. Seek permission from school administrators. Register your campaign with The Clean Air Campaign. Team members educate themselves about air quality and idling. Week 2 Establish goals and make a plan. Assign roles to the team. Receive your first toolkit and schedule your baseline survey. Week 3 Complete the baseline data form and submit results to The Clean Air Campaign. Confirm and review your plan of action for the education campaign. Advertise about your upcoming educational campaign. Week 4 Receive your second toolkit and kick off your educational campaign. Post your No Idling signs and pass No Idling fliers and stickers. Hold your campaign. Week 5 Complete the follow-up No Idling survey. Week 6 Submit survey results, pictures and stories to the Clean Air Campaign. Congratulations! Thanks to your team, your school is now a Clean Air School. Celebrate results! Be sure to let The Clean Air Campaign know what you have planned so that they can promote your school s results. cleanaircampaign.org 12

13 No Idling Program Pledge Card By signing this pledge, you are joining others in our school community to improve air quality and health. Thank you for helping everyone breathe a little easier! I, pledge to reduce idling when possible by turning off my engine when waiting in drop-off or pick-up lines for 30 seconds or more. Signature of Driver date No Idling Program Pledge Card By signing this pledge, you are joining others in our school community to improve air quality and health. Thank you for helping everyone breathe a little easier! I, pledge to reduce idling when possible by turning off my engine when waiting in drop-off or pick-up lines for 30 seconds or more. Signature of Driver date No Idling Program Pledge Card By signing this pledge, you are joining others in our school community to improve air quality and health. Thank you for helping everyone breathe a little easier! I, pledge to reduce idling when possible by turning off my engine when waiting in drop-off or pick-up lines for 30 seconds or more. Signature of Driver date No Idling Program Pledge Card By signing this pledge, you are joining others in our school community to improve air quality and health. Thank you for helping everyone breathe a little easier! I, pledge to reduce idling when possible by turning off my engine when waiting in drop-off or pick-up lines for 30 seconds or more. Signature of Driver date cleanaircampaign.org 13

14 Sources Notes 1. North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( 2. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ( state.or.us/aq/toxics/whatyoucando.htm) 3. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ( state.or.us/aq/toxics/whatyoucando.htm) 4. American Lung Association ( 5. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ( state.or.us/aq/toxics/whatyoucando.htm) 6. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division ( html) 7. Alpha Online ( 8. Environmental Protection Agency ( 9. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ( state.or.us/aq/toxics/whatyoucando.htm) 10. Children s Healthcare of Atlanta ( 11. Town Center Area Community Improvement District ( tcacid.com/idling.html) 12. New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services ( des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/air/) 13. Environmental Protection Agency ( 14. City of Fort Collins Environmental Services ( com/breatheeasy/pdf/mythbustersflyer_breatheeasy.pdf) cleanaircampaign.org 14

15 2013 The Clean Air Campaign. All Rights Reserved. The Clean Air Campaign is a 501(c)3 Georgia non-profit organization. 55 Park Place, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA CLeanair cleanaircampaign.org cleanaircampaign.org

How to Reduce Idling on the School Bus. Video Reference Guide

How to Reduce Idling on the School Bus Video Reference Guide Introduction Nearly 600,000 school buses are the carriers for roughly 25 million students. Diesel fuel is what most school buses use today.