Vehicle idling can be harmful, wasteful and largely unnecessary. At many of America's more than 130,000 public schools, collectively, prolonged idling by passenger vehicles occurs as parents drop off and pick up students every school day. The pick up period is when most of this idling occurs as vehicles queue up prior to dismissal for 15 to 30 minutes.

This idling at schools mimics cars waiting in a drive-thru at fast food and coffee outlets, or at a bank, hence, the project name: Schools Are Not Drive-Thrus! We are also making a statement that this harmful and wasteful practice should not occur, especially at schools where the negative impact of toxic tailpipe chemicals from a caravan of idling vehicles not only contributes to climate change and fossil fuel use, it affects children whose lungs are still developing.

Green Driving America's Schools Are Not Drive-Thrus!© is a funded project with a goal of implementing idle-free schools campaigns with Northern California participating elementary, middle, and high schools (grades 5-12), for the 2022-2023 school year.

THIS IS A FUNDED PROJECT; IT IS AT NO COST TO SCHOOLS

EDUCATORS: Contact Wayne Michaud, Green Driving America executive director, upon interest in having your school participate in these campaigns: info@greendrivingamerica.org or 916-209-0224.

HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVELS (grades 6-12): Green Driving America works with science, math, STEM, health, and environmental teachers, and school environmental clubs and green teams, in student-led campaigns.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL (grade 5; other grades can be discussed): Green Driving America works with teachers and parents* to engage school staff and students in the campaigns.

*parent clubs/PTOs are encouraged to join in participation!

This project gets to the core of an environmental problem and how to address it without it being a sophisticated, technological solution to reducing transportation GHG emissions. This is a "nuts and bolts" behavioral solution that shows drivers the compelling reasons sitting in a car and idling for 15-30 minutes is a virtually unnecessary practice when the temperature is under 75-80 degrees (this is six months or more a school year). Simply turn off the key.

THE MATH: based on observations in previously conducted Green Driving America idle-free schools projects, it can be estimated that on average 50 cars wait for 15 minutes or more during dismissal at one school and that 35 of them are idling. Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, so 35 cars idling for 15 minutes can burn more than three gallons in one dismissal period. Not a real big deal. But over a 180 day school year, this idling can consume up to 600 gallons of fuel. That can be up to six tons of CO2 emitted. Per school. That's significant, especially since most of this idling is unnecessary. Let us then imagine how much fuel is burned and CO2 emitted by idling vehicles at America's 130,000 schools, annually. Fuel burned: 76,700,000 gallons; CO2 emitted: 767,000 tons. California is roughly one-tenth of this impact. But even more important is to keep in mind the health impact on children.

The U.S. EPA Region 8's Idle-Free Schools Toolkit for a Healthy School Environment states: "Idling vehicles contribute to air pollution and emit air toxins, which are pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects. Monitoring at schools has shown elevated levels of benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other air toxics during the afternoon hour coinciding with parents picking up their children. Children’s lungs are still developing, and when they are exposed to elevated levels of these pollutants, children have an increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems and other adverse health effects. Limiting a vehicle’s idling time can dramatically reduce these pollutants and children’s exposure to them."

AND CALIFORNIA WANTS THIS EDUCATION CARRIED OUT!

In 2016, the California state assembly passed the resolution ACR-160 to "...encourage motorists not to idle their motor vehicles near places where children congregate."

IDLING MYTHS: — BUSTED!

IDLING MYTH #1: IT'S BETTER TO IDLE FOR A MINUTE OR TWO THAN SHUTTING OFF AND RESTARTING

FACT: For light-duty gas vehicles such as compacts, sedans, SUVS and pickups, idling for more than ten seconds uses more fuel and emits more CO2 than shutting the engine off and restarting

IDLING MYTH #2: RESTARTING AN ENGINE UP TO TEN TIMES A DAY WILL SHORTEN THE LIFE OF A STARTER

FACT: Starters are "over-built". They are extremely durable and are designed to last for more than 30,000 starting cycles. The general rule is to not restart an engine more than ten times a day*; during the school dismissal waiting period, shutting off and restarting an engine more than several times is rarely necessary

MORE IDLING FACTS

*For vehicles not equipped with an auto stop/start system that shuts off an engine at a traffic light, for safety reasons, do not shut off an engine manually while waiting for a traffic light to turn green

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL INTEGRATION

In the interest of encouraging alternatives to the CO2 emissions and air pollution impacts of vehicular traffic—both on school grounds and commuting to school—the Schools Are Not Drive-Thrus! project encourages schools participating in our campaigns to integrate a Safe Routes to School program: a movement that aims to make it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school.

THE CAMPAIGNS ARE OFFERED IN TWO VERSIONS: LONG-TERM AND SHORT TERM

LONG-TERM EFFORT: FIVE STEP CAMPAIGN

A student-led measuring and educations campaign spanning five months in a school year

Step 1: In early to mid fall, an initial training session is conducted virtually (such as with Zoom) in the classroom, by a trained student, teacher/advisor, or by Green Driving America executive director Wayne Michaud. An approximately 45-minute PowerPoint and videos presentation (see below) shows: what idling means, its impact, touching on alternatives to being driven to school, such as Safe Routes to School, and how a campaign works. Campaign materials are provided, including:

• Downloadable documents below for students and teacher/advisor containing full details of the campaign steps including conducting measuring data collection (Steps 2 & 5) and procedure for the Driver Contact Event (Step 4)

• Provided reflective aluminum bilingual idle-free zone signs; two per school - installed by school (Step 3) - delivered or shipped

• Provided anti-idling window cling decal handouts (Step 4) - delivered or shipped

• Provided Sustainable America anti-idling flyer handouts (Step 4) - delivered or shipped

Step 2: In mid to late fall, three to five students will conduct three days of data collection unobtrusively1 to determine the number of vehicles waiting during the dismissal period and to determine as best as possible how many are idling and for how long.2 It is imperative that these students begin conducting this measuring at least 15 minutes prior to official dismissal time and continue the process until all vehicles have departed.

Step 3: A week or two following Step 2, the school announces support for the idle-free campaign in the school community, including a notice in a school newsletter and website, and a letter and pledge form to parents. The school installs provided idle-free zone signs in strategic areas.

Step 4: Approximately two weeks after Step 3 is completed, a two-day "driver contact event" is conducted. For high schools / middle schools, students will lead. For fifth grade elementary schools, staff / parents will lead. Ahead of the event, campaigners will create idle-free posters to display. All drivers, whether idling or not3, are offered information handouts and anti-idling window cling decals (high / middle school students practice this "contact" ahead of time with staff / parents). For drivers who are idling, they are asked to read the handout and to consider turning off the engine.

PUBLICIZING CAMPAIGN: ahead of the event, Green Driving America will work with the school administration or unified school district's communications office in seeking TV, radio, print and/or social media coverage.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: for safety purposes, students, who will be walking amongst cars in pick up areas, should wear safety vests.

Step 5: In early to mid spring, Step 2 is repeated, again unobtrusively, to determine a percentage difference in the number of vehicles idling.2

After campaign completion, school administration is provided a PDF containing full information on how to sustain this effort in following school years, and consideration for a school idle reduction policy or practice.

1Why unobtrusively? Drivers should not be informed a vehicle idling study is being conducted as some may turn off engines, skewing the results. Students can tell drivers they are conducting a general transportation study for the school, if asked.

2OPTIONAL: Schools that possess a CO2 or CO gas sensor, or other emissions analyzer, and a compatible interface, are welcome to collect supplemental emissions data from vehicles.

3Thank drivers who are not idling. Additionally, try to identify cleaner vehicles that seldom idle (full hybrids like a Toyota Prius) or do not idle at all (electric vehicles such as a Tesla, Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf) and thank these drivers as well.

NOTE: School buses are not included in these campaigns as California regulates the idling of school buses and other heavy-duty vehicles at or near schools; passenger vehicles are not regulated.

LOGISTICALLY, HOW IDLING DURING DISMISSAL PERIOD CAN BE REDUCED BY 80%

SHORT-TERM EFFORT: THREE STEP CAMPAIGN

A fully educational campaign spanning a six to eight week period

Short term campaigns are not measured (Steps 2 and 5 are eliminated), so the difference in the amount of idling that occurs before and after cannot be pinpointed. And students will have less of a role in this campaign. But, some schools may prefer to make a shorter commitment in a school year to reducing idling on school grounds, one that will have the full educational value of measured efforts. A short-term effort can start as late as March rather than in the previous fall. And if Covid is still an issue in a school year, the six to eight week window of the short-term campaign makes it less dependent on in-person schooling, perhaps making it more doable.

NOTE: Each school's campaign will be updated on this website as it progresses.

For elementary, middle, and high school educators in Northern California:

Below are video images (advancing in 12 seconds each) of the full, animated Schools Are Not Drive-Thrus! long-term, five-step, measured campaign (short-term, three step, non-measured campaign also available) slide presentation for our idle-free schools campaigns initial training sessions (in its current developed form) that will be given, along with four or more videos. NOTE: most slides include notes that the presenter will use to elaborate upon.

NOTE: The full, animated Schools Are Not Drive-Thrus! PowerPoint that will be shown is copyrighted and the property of Green Driving America Inc. It may not be used or recorded without permission. The other videos below are open source and may be freely used.

FOR CAMPAIGNERS, TEACHER/ADVISOR, and SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION:

Downloadable documents in WORD or PDF

STEP 2: INITIAL OBSERVATIONS AND MEASURING for campaigners and teacher/advisor

• Conducting observations/measuring (WORD)*

• Observation/measuring form (WORD)*

• Analyzing the data (WORD)*

• Format for calculating data (WORD)*

STEP 3: SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION:

Green Driving America will work with school administration to provide two Idle Free Zone signs that the school will have installed. School administration will take action in the school community with the following documents

• Announce idle-free campaign (WORD)

• Letter to parents (WORD)

• Pledge form for parents (WORD)

STEP 4: DRIVER CONTACT EVENT

• How to conduct driver contact event (WORD)

• Suggested script for driver contact event (WORD)

NOTE: 35 anti-idling window cling decal handouts and 50 8.5"x11" flyer handouts shipped to participating schools

STEP 5: FINAL OBSERVATIONS AND MEASURING (same documents as Step 2)

SUSTAINING THE EFFORT IN FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEARS: SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

• Sustaining school's idle-free effort (PDF)

*Long-term effort only

WHY AN IDLE-FREE SCHOOLS PROJECT? The goal to mitigate idling on school grounds is a real win-win! The benefits:

• Based on Green Driving America Inc. past idle-free schools campaigns, idling has been reduced by nearly 50 percent

• People's health—particularly of students—is protected

• Carbon emissions and energy consumption is reduced

• Motorists learn about saving money in needless fuel use, engine wear, and maintenance

• Students learn organizational, analytical and communication skills as they perform data analysis, are empowered by showing

drivers the significant benefits in shutting off engines when parked, and take pride in making a positive difference in their

school community

• Motorists, learning of the benefits, potentially apply them beyond schools

SUSTAINING THESE EFFORTS IN PROCEEDING YEARS: Green Driving America provides participating schools a written guideline to help sustain these efforts. Schools or school districts in proceeding years are strongly encouraged to reinforce the message of idle free zone signs to remind the school community about the benefits in idle reduction several times each year, and to consider adopting policies, procedures, or handbook rules that limit idling on school grounds.

Green Driving America's previous organization names were Idle-Free California and when located in Vermont: Idle-Free VT. In the 2017-18 school year, Idle-Free California implemented a two-school pilot project: Sacramento County Idle-Free Schools. In two school years from 2014-16, Idle-Free VT implemented Vermont Idle-Free Schools at 11 schools.

These projects combined to reduce idling at participating schools by nearly 50 percent.

Green Driving America's basic guideline for their idle-free schools campaigns comes from the U.S. EPA Region 8 Idle-Free Schools Toolkit for a Healthy School Environment. For schools interested in implementing their own campaigns, this is a complete resource to do so.