EAGLE PEAK MIDDLE SCHOOL - Ukiah, CA - Ukiah Unified School District

Leaders/teachers: Shalyn Alton, 6th grade science

 

MODIFIED CAMPAIGN: Step 2: Initial measuring for three days; Step 3: School Science Night in February

(in lieu of driver contact event); no final measuring will be conducted; School will support campaign depending

on impact of idling

 

Step 1: introductory session conducted: 11/28/22 and 11/29/22

 

Step 2: initial data collection conducted for four days at school afternoon dismissal on 12/2, 12/5, 12/6, 12/7

Average temperature: 50.5 degrees

Total vehicles observed: 114; total vehicles idling: ? (?%); total minutes of idling: 748 = 12.46 hours

Amount of fuel consumed*: 5.74 gal/four days / 1.44 gal/per day average

Amount of fuel consumed annually (est.) - based on 175 day school year: 252 gal

Amount of CO2 emissions annually (est.) - based on 175 day school year: 4,987.5 lbs**

Eagle Peak Middle School Lab Report NOTE: Teacher measuring observations: Teams of students collected data in

designated, separate zones; however, it is suspected that their data overlapped. Since data collection on the number of

cars idling and not idling was inconsistently recorded, those numbers were not included in the Lab Report.

 

Step 3: School Science Night, 3/7/23: GDA provided idle-free literature and window cling decals were distributed. Two

sixth grade students, Andre and Meredith, from Ms. Alton’s class, opted to do projects at this event based on the class

idle-free campaign. They displayed their findings which focused on how much CO2 was released by idling vehicles and

how much fuel was wasted by doing so. They also gave oral presentations to a standing room only crowd at this event.

 

Ukiah Daily Journal news story: "Schools Are Not Drive Thrus", by Susan Sher

 

FINAL SCHOOL DETERMINATION: This campaign was intended to be a modified one with no final data collection: more

educational than results oriented. Ms. Alton was excellent in motivating students in understanding the issue of unnecessary

idling and the conducting of a detailed initial data analysis. The school installed the two provided idle-free zone signs in

February. The school does intend to support the campaign, but the principal felt, with a new dropoff/pickup location

planned for the next school year, that school newsletter coverage about concerns with idling should wait until then.

 

*Amount of fuel consumed based on passenger vehicle — car/SUV/pickup truck — idling consumption of 0.43 gal/hr.

**Amount of CO2 emitted based on one gallon of fuel consumed equaling 20 pounds of CO2 emitted (gasoline - 19.64 pounds; diesel - 22.38 pounds)

 

Step 3: School Science Night, 3/7/23