Post on 29-Mar-2015
School No Idling Policies
How students can implement an idle-free project that can lead to
a school no idling policy
Presented for 2013 4-H YES! by Wayne Michaud, director of Idle-Free VT
and Lydia Gulick, Rutland High School student
Idle-Free VT was founded in 2006 to raise awareness of the unnecessary idling
of all motor vehicles
• Partnered in legislation of Vermont’s school bus idling rule
• Coordinated two funded Vermont fleet operators idling reduction projects: 2010-2013
• Currently bringing funded School No Idling Policies to schools statewide: 2013-2014
• Idle-Free from the Start drivers education
Idle-Free VT Inc.
Vehicle Idling
Idling gets 0 MPGIdling causes engine wear
SAVE MONEY!
Idling exhaust emits harmful chemicals into the air we breathe
IMPROVE AIR QUALITY / IMPROVE OUR HEALTH!
Idling causes C02, contributing to climate change
LESSEN CARBON EMISSIONS!
Idling wastes energy making us more dependent on oil
CONSERVE ENERGY!
THE PROBLEMS of Unnecessary Idling
THE BENEFITS in Avoiding Idling
…was born at a convenience store in Waitsfield…
Idle-Free from the Start
Idle-Free from the StartA project working with Vermont driver
educators to educate new drivers in the benefits of idling reduction
and efficient driving practices (eco-driving).
Vehicle Idling in the School Environment
Prior to 2008, there was no state law to restrict idling on school grounds.
Vehicle Idling in the School Environment
In 2007, a coalition of groups led by students from Browns River Middle School in Jericho
successfully lobbied the Vermont legislature to enact Vermont’s School Bus Idling Rule.
YAY!
YAY!
Vermont School Bus Idling RuleState Board of Education Rule #6001 School Bus Idling – Sec. 1
BASIC PROVISIONS
The operator of a school bus:
a. shall turn off the primary propulsion engine immediately upon arrival at student loading or unloading areas on school grounds, and shall not restart the engine until the bus is loaded or unloaded and is ready to depart; and
b. shall not otherwise idle the bus engine for more than five (5) minutes in a sixty (60) minute period on school grounds.
Vermont School Bus Idling RuleState Board of Education Rule #6001 School Bus Idling – Sec. 2
Model policy relating to the idling of vehicles other than school buses when present on school
premises
“It is the intent of the school board to also limit the idling of motor vehicles other than school
buses on school grounds.”
Policy: Subject to exceptions developed by the (principal or superintendent), the operators of motor vehicles, other than school buses, shall not allow their vehicles to idle while on school grounds.
Idling Vehicles Other Than School Buses
Light-duty vehicles emit harmful chemicals when idling, including:
• Carbon monoxide
• Nitrogen oxide
• Sulfur dioxide
• Benzene
Vermont School Structure & Sec. 2 of School Bus Idling Rule
1. Number of schools: 324
2. Number of Supervisory Unions/Districts: 63
3. Number of School Board Members: nearly 1,500 – key people in policy adoption
4. Number of Schools adopting Model Policy (Sec. 2) as of 2013: more than half
Using the Model Policy as a template, students – or any
citizen in a given school district – can petition their school to
adopt a no idling policy.
A couple of examples…
Adopting the Model Policy (Sec. 2) of the Vermont school bus idling rule
HOW?
Morristown School District(Lamoille County)
adopts model policy
Combined effort of students and a parent:
• Students at Peoples Academy H.S., Morrisville in environmental science class
and…
Morristown School District(Lamoille County)
adopts model policy
• Parent: Morrisville resident David Polow - with two children in school district
School board adopted district model policy in 2008
CAR IDLING at BARSTOW
MEMORIAL SCHOOL(Rutland County)
By Lydia Gulick and Dani Laird
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Vernier CO2 Gas Sensor measures gaseous carbon dioxide in two ranges–0 to 10,000 ppm and 0 to 100,000 ppm.
http://www.vernier.com/products/sensors/co2-bta/
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
No Cars Cars0
100
200
300
400
500
600CO2 Readings
CO
2 (
pp
m)
Carbon Monoxide Emissions
Honeywell Lumidor Minimax XTRT Gas Monitor
Monitors Carbon Monoxide (CO) concentration levels
Carbon Monoxide Emissions
No Cars Cars0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4 CO Readings
CO
(p
pm
)
BarstowMEMORIAL SCHOOLAdopts Model Policy
• May 2012: idle-free project findings presented to school board
• June: further school board discussion – policy placed on the warning
• October: model policy officially adopted
School No Idling Policies
Tips for your Idle-Free campaign!
• Soon we’ll have the law behind us
• Be polite to idlers – they are merely uninformed
• What if your school already has a policy?
• Inform Idle-Free VT of your campaign
School No Idling Policies
Questions or comments?
Contact Wayne Michaudschools@idlefreevt.org
THANK YOU!