No Idling Campaign | Healthier Schools
Earth Day Network’s No Idling Campaign, in partnership with the Clean Air Campaign, Inc., aims to reduce harmful vehicle emissions around children and instill environmental values in the next generation through a targeted focus on reducing vehicle idling at K-12 schools across the country. Entire school communities are motivated to be a part of the solution through action-oriented projects and classroom lessons.
The purpose of the No Idling Campaign is to reduce pollution from idling buses and cars that negatively affect a child’s healthy lung growth and development. Earth Day Network has partnered with the Clean Air Campaign, Inc. to take their success in impacting at least 220,000 people in the state of Georgia to a national level. This campaign provides solutions through toolkits for administrators and teachers, and collateral and educational materials for bus drivers and parent drivers.
The need for action is clear: excessive idling unnecessarily exposes vulnerable populations of children and adults to unhealthy plumes of exhaust filled with particle pollution. Airborne particles can cause nasal, throat, respiratory, and eye problems, and are particularly harmful to those with asthma.
Children are more vulnerable to the impacts of vehicle pollution than other populations:
- Their lungs are still in the development phase.
- They breathe, on average, 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults.
- They are closer to the ground; therefore, closer to tailpipes.
The World Health Organization found that particle pollution and ground level ozone aggravated asthma in children and contributed to an increased risk of respiratory tract infection as well.
For additional information, please contact education@earthday.net
No Idling District Toolkit – This toolkit contains information and resources for School District administrators to implement a No Idling Campaign in your district.
No Idling School Toolkit – This toolkit contains information and resources for teachers or parents to implement a No Idling Campaign at your school.
No Idling Data Collection Sheet This spreadsheet contains formulas for your calculations, or it may be printed.
No Idling Lesson Plans – These Lesson Plans can be used in the classroom as a supplement to the No Idling program at your school.
- Ready, Set, Stop Idling – Grade 1
- Make a Good Choice… Choose No Idling – Grade 2
- Please Do Not Make Us Cough, Turn Your Engine Off – Grades 3 – 5
- Idlers, Please Stop Your Engines – Grades 3 – 5
- Asian Brown Cloud – Grades 6 – 8
- 6 Major Air Pollutants – accompanying PowerPoint
- Brown Skies in Mexico City? – Grades 6 – 8
1. Awareness
- Introduce the campaign through school faculty/staff and PTA meetings, school newsletter, emails and fliers. Find information and resources in our District Toolkit and School Toolkit.
- Identify a teacher(s) and/or parent(s) who is willing to become your school’s No Idling Champion.
2. Implementation
- Notify parents—include No Idling materials in your back-to-school parent packets.
- Publish No Idling details on your school’s website and include in newsletters or emails. See article and email template in our School Toolkit.
- Collect No Idling pledge cards (from parents and bus drivers) and post prominently in your school.
3. Data Collection
- Determine a timeline for counting idling or non-idling cars in your school’s carpool line. Begin with a baseline count prior to posting signage. See Data Collection sheet in our School Toolkit.
- Schedule a prize patrol. Reward bus drivers and parents who are not idling and remind those who are to turn off their engines.
- Count idling and non-idling vehicles during the prize patrols. See Data Collection sheet in our School Toolkit.
- Submit data to Earth Day Network’s No Idling Campaign at education@earthday.net.
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Sponsored by the UPS Foundation and The Clean Air Campaign, Inc.