It might seem insurmountable to bring a No Idle Zone to your school’s drop off and pick up line, but not only is it easier than you might think — you have science to back you up.
What is a No Idle Zone?
A No Idle Zone is an area where drivers are encouraged to turn off their engines instead of idling. At schools, these areas are located in the drop-off and pick-up lanes, where vehicles can often wait for extended periods of time. The goal is to reduce exposure to toxic vehicle exhaust, especially among children.
Why No Idle Zones Are Important
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, for every 10 minutes a car’s engine is off, it prevents one pound of carbon monoxide from being released into the atmosphere.
As almost any parent will tell you, the wait in the drop-off and pick-up lines can easily last 10 minutes or longer. A school near Denver did a multi-month study in 2015, and found on the fastest day of the year, the average wait was 5.2 minutes. On the slowest day of the year the average wait time was nearly 8 minutes. So even in the best of circumstances, a 5-minute wait twice a day adds up to a pound of carbon monoxide released into our atmosphere, per car, per day.
And if that weren’t enough, idling vehicles also emit other air toxins, which are pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health issues, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Children are especially at risk because their lungs are still developing.
Limiting idling time can reduce these pollutants and exposure to them dramatically.
Parents, Stop Your Engines
Here we’ve outlined five easy steps to implement a No Idle Zone at your school:
Step One: Research
A wealth of great resources is waiting for you online about No Idle Zones – many organizations have done the work for you and created kits on how to implement it at school. We especially like this toolkit from the EPA, but there’s also this one and this one.
Also, we recommend integrating the Little Steps Cleaner Air curriculum at your school, at some level, to help students and their parents understand why not idling is so important.
Step Two: Reflect
Why do you think your school needs a No Idle Zone? Make it personal to your school’s situation. Here are some case studies and examples to inspire you: Pleasanton Middle School in California, St. Louis, and Ann Arbor.
Step Three: Recruit
No one can do it alone – recruit a group of people who are equally passionate about this subject. You don’t need a large group, and it’s even better to get students involved. Consider getting student organizations to join the cause like a Girl Scout troop. They may be able to help with fundraising and promotion of the new policy.
Step Four: Rally, Recommend and Reduce
It’s time to organize! Get your committee together, determine what it will take to implement the No Idle Zone, put a plan together, delegate responsibilities, and move forward. The sooner you get started, the sooner our entire community will feel the impact of cleaner air.
Step Five: Reach Out
Tell us about your No Idle Zone. We’d love to hear about your process and the success you’ve had making your school a healthier place for everyone.