A Minnesota example:

Schools educate on Minnesota's "no idling" law

			The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that diesel fumes contain 40 toxic chemicals, including 15 carcinogens.

In May 2002, Minnesota adopted legislation to protect the health and safety of children from harmful diesel bus emissions. This law calls for schools to reduce the unnecessary idling of school buses in front of schools, and reroute bus parking zones away from air-intake vents (or if necessary, relocate the air-intake vents).

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency worked with the Sierra Club and other health-based organizations to provide resources to help your school protect students from diesel emissions. We have sample letters to help explain the new law, posters and camera-ready signs for Clean Air Zones. We also offer information on available funds to help your school reduce students' exposure to diesel emissions.

Toxic chemicals in diesel emissions increase the risk of asthma, lung and heart disease, and are responsible for as many as 125,000 cancers nationwide. Research by Yale University's Dr. John Wargo found students on school buses are exposed to 5 to 15 times the levels of particulate pollution than at nearby monitoring sites. Bus idling and bus queuing (back-to-front line-up of buses) increases the concentrations of harmful particulate pollution inside school buses. It is with this knowledge that the state of Minnesota took action in the interest of students and communities.

Take action: Simple steps for schools

Schools can begin with these simple steps to minimize children's exposure to harmful diesel emissions. By adopting a no-idling policy and redesigning bus parking zones, schools can protect the health of students..

1. Implement a no-idling policy. Post "no idling" signs and alert bus drivers, parents and administrators that engines should be turned off when a bus (or any vehicle) is waiting, or parked. Buses generally do not need to idle, except in cold weather.
2. Redesign bus parking zones. Move bus parking area away from school air intake vents and park buses at a diagonal to avoid front-to-back passing of emissions to help reduce students' exposure to emissions.

Beyond the mandate of the new law, your school can reduce students' exposure to diesel emissions by good maintenance of your current bus fleet and investment in cleaner fuels and technologies, such as exhaust pipe retrofits for current buses, use of biodiesel, and the purchase of newer, cleaner buses, over the long term.

Downloadable resources for schools

Handout | "No Idling: Young Lungs at Work"

Sample
Single
4 on a page ("4-up")

Posters

No Idling: Young Lungs at Work
Turn Off Your Engine: Clean Air Zone
No Idling: Children Breathing
Turn Off Your Engine: Kids Breathe Here

Sample "No Idling" Policy

Sample School Board Policy (December 2002)

Sample newsletter article

School Idling Policy Notification: Sample Article for Parents/School Newsletters (January 2003)

Curricula and lesson plans

For more information

The North Star chapter of the Sierra Club ran a multiyear campaign promoting cleaner school buses and changes to reduce student exposure to diesel emissions. While this student initiative is no longer active, the resources are still available online: http://northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/air/schoolbus/index.html.

Diesel Retrofits (MPCA) | www.pca.state.mn.us/air/dieselretrofits.html
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency works with the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce air quality standards, and reduce motor vehicle pollution. The agency is working to clean up harmful diesel emissions by promoting new retrofit technologies and cleaner fuels for school and transit buses. Diesel oxidation catalyst mufflers and crankcase vent filters reduce emissions by 40 percent at a cost of around $2000.

Project Green Fleet (Clean Air Minnesota) | www.projectgreenfleet.org
This partnership among Minnesota businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations aims to reduce pollution emitted from school buses and to protect children’s health by installing pollution-control equipment.

Clean School Bus USA (U.S. EPA) | www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/
The goal of Clean School Bus USA is to reduce both children's exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses. This initiative brings together partners from business, education, transportation, and public health organizations to work toward these goals: encouraging policies and practices to eliminate unnecessary public school bus idling; upgrading buses that will remain in the fleet with better emission control technologies and/or fueling them with cleaner fuels; replacing the oldest buses in the fleet with new, less polluting buses.

Clean School Bus campaign (Union of Concerned Scientists) | www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/vehicle_impacts/diesel/
UCS ran a campaign focusing on emissions from school buses. Their site includes research, including Clean School Bus Pollution Report Cards (2002 and 2006), and other projects related to diesel exhaust.

Diesel Exhaust (U.S. EPA, Region 1) | www.epa.gov/ne/eco/diesel/
The New England region has provided some very interesting resources on the growing concern about pollution from diesel engines, including a special focus on school buses. They have some downloadable resources and useful links.

Idling Reduction (U.S. EPA) | www.epa.gov/smartway/
The EPA is working with the trucking industry, manufacturers of idle control technologies, various states, and other partners to help save fuel and reduce air pollution from idling trucks.

Diesel Exhaust and Children (Environment and Human Health, Inc.) | www.ehhi.org/diesel/
EHHI's research into the dangers of vehicle exhaust, including the published report Children's Exposure to Diesel Exhaust on School Buses (Wargo, 2002) strongly supports reducing the amount of idling by school buses as a way to protect children's respiratory health.

National Idling Reduction Network News (U.S. Department of Energy) | www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/resources/fcvt_national_idling.html
The monthly newsletter of the National Idling Reduction Network compiles news from around the nation related to idling. The network brings together the public and private sectors to identify consistent, workable solutions to heavy-vehicle idling across the U.S.

Car Talk web site | www.cartalk.com/content/eco/tips.html
The hosts of Car Talk, the Tappet brothers (aka "Click and Clack") offer a series of tips for making driving more environmentally acceptable. One of them is "stop your idling."

Sample US program: National Idle-Reduction Campaign

There are 25 million reasons why it's important to reduce idling. Take the pledge...the key to reducing idling is you!

Clean School Bus USA's newly launched National Idle-Reduction Campaign is a public information campaign that recognizes the important role of the school bus driver as a professional, who is responsible for the safety and security of children. The National Idle-Reduction Campaign:

• Provides an opportunity for bus drivers, transportation managers, teachers, and children to learn about air quality and diesel emissions.
• Recognizes the positive contributions being made by school bus drivers.
• Promotes idle-reduction as an easy way to save money by saving fuel, reducing wear and tear on engines, protecting drivers' health and the health of children, and improving air quality.

Idle-Reduction Campaign Do-it-Yourself Kit

School districts are improving the health and air quality in their communities by participating in EPA's Idle-Reduction Campaign. The Idle-Reduction Do-it-Yourself Kit provides a selection of materials that can be tailored to your event.

The following materials will help your school district or organization launch an Idle-Reduction Campaign:

• A Letter (PDF, 2 pages, 67K) to campaign managers.
• A Press Release (PDF, 1 page, 35K) template to publicize your event in your local paper.
• A Clean School Bus Idle Reduction Certificate (PDF, 1 page, 884K) and Clean School Bus Logo (PDF, 1 page, 260K) for schools, school districts and/or drivers.
• A Clean School Bus USA Brochure: "Today's Buses for Tomorrow's Children" (PDF, 8 pages, 880K) (October 2003, EPA 420-F-03-039), that discusses strategies available to your school district for reducing exposure to diesel exhaust.
• A Clean School Bus USA Idle-Reduction Brochure: "There are 25 Million Reasons Why it is Important to Reduce Idling" (PDF, 6 pages, 406K) (April 2006, EPA 420-F-06-018), that provides a basic overview of the Idle-Reduction Campaign. The brochure comes complete with a tear out Idle-Reduction Pledge Card, which school bus drivers can sign, as a way to make a commitment to limiting idling time; turning off the engine whenever possible; and learning more about implementing idle-reduction programs in the school district.
• A Clean School Bus USA Poster: "Reduced Idling = Cleaner Air" (PDF, 1 page, 2.7M) (December 2005, EPA 420-H-06-001), that provides a visual reinforcement of how the program can benefit kids and the community, together with a teacher's guide for structured classroom learning.
• A Clean School Bus USA Fact Sheet: "What You Should Know About Reducing Diesel Exhaust from School Buses" (PDF, 4 pages, 177K) (November 2003, EPA 420-F-03-038).
• By sending an e-mail message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it you can also receive:
  • A Teacher's Guide
  • Background information to support your press release