1. 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

2. Idle-Free VT was founded in 2006 to raise awareness of the unnecessary idling of all motor vehicles Partnered in legislation of Vermonts 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.

3. Vehicle Idling Idling gets 0 MPG Idling causes engine wear SAVE MONEY! Idling exhaust emits harmful chemicals into the air we breathe IMPROVE AIR QUALITY / IMPROVE OUR HEALTH! Idling causes C0 2, 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

4. …was born at a convenience store in Waitsfield… Idle-Free from the Start

5. A project working with Vermont driver educators to educate new drivers in the benefits of idling reduction and efficient driving practices (eco-driving).

6. Vehicle Idling in the School Environment Prior to 2008, there was no state law to restrict idling on school grounds.

7. 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 Vermonts School Bus Idling Rule. YAY!

8. Vermont School Bus Idling Rule State Board of Education Rule #6001 School Bus Idling – Sec. 1 BASIC PROVISIONS The operator of a school bus: 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 shall not otherwise idle the bus engine for more than five (5) minutes in a sixty (60) minute period on school grounds.

9. Vermont School Bus Idling Rule State 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.

10. Idling Vehicles Other Than School Buses Light-duty vehicles emit harmful chemicals when idling, including: Carbon monoxide Nitrogen oxide Sulfur dioxide Benzene

11. 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

12. 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?

13. 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…

14. 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

15. By Lydia Gulick and Dani Laird

16. Vernier CO 2 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/

18. Honeywell Lumidor Minimax XTRT Gas Monitor Monitors Carbon Monoxide (CO) concentration levels

20. 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

21. School No Idling Policies Tips for your Idle-Free campaign! Soon well 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

22. School No Idling Policies Questions or comments? Contact Wayne Michaud schools@idlefreevt.org THANK YOU!