School No Idling Policies

How students can implement an idle-free project that can lead to

a school no idling policyPresented for 2013 4-H YES!

by Wayne Michaud, director of Idle-Free VTand 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: 3242. Number of Supervisory Unions/Districts: 633. Number of School Board Members: nearly

1,500 – key people in policy adoption4. 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

600 CO2 Readings

CO2

(ppm

)

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!