Carlmont High School’s Green Team is starting a campaign to reduce emissions from car idling.
This initiative is eager to tackle some of Carlmont’s vehicle emissions. They are the first in the Sequoia district to do this, collaborating with the nonprofit organization, Green Driving America.
First, they will collect data about Carlmont’s idling issues, then host a driver contact event to educate drivers. Finally, they will have another data collection in the spring to compare the fall results.
“We’re trying to reduce carbon emissions and promote a more sustainable way to reduce carbon emissions by not idling,” said Shaila Mehta, the co-president of Green Team.
The campaign’s goal is to reduce the idle emissions that cars generate. These emissions are harmful to the environment, waste money, and cause health problems. Green Team also hopes this example will encourage other schools to start monitoring idle emissions.
“We haven’t heard of any other schools in our district implementing this kind of education or awareness campaign,” said Aran O’Sullivan, the co-president of Green Team.
Green Team hopes to encourage other schools in the Sequoia district to have a similar campaign if they have similar idling issues. Though there is a lot of coordination and little funding involved, to both club and community members raising awareness is essential.
“There are a number of air pollutants that come out the tailpipe of a gasoline-powered vehicle that have really bad health effects,” said Dr. Gerald S. Davis, a lung specialist and Board Member for the Vermont American Lung Association.
One of these harmful gasses produced by idling is ozone. Ozone is a greenhouse gas that can trigger asthma, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease soon after exposure.
According to epa.gov, the pollutants can increase children’s risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems, and other health problems as their lungs are still developing.
Green Team’s campaign is to educate locals about this by raising awareness about Carlmont’s idling statistics.
“Green Team’s idle-free initiative will hopefully tackle some of Carlmont’s vehicle emissions during pick-up and drop-off,” said Natalie Su, the vice president of Green Team.
Traffic delays before and after school are bad. This is due to two other schools in the area with similar schedules. To avoid the traffic, parents arrive 15 minutes or more early to pick up their kids.
According to information based on observations conducted in Green Driving America projects, an estimated average of 35 of 50 cars waiting are idling. Since idling uses a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, 35 cars can burn more than three gallons of fuel. Over a 180-day school year, that is around 600 gallons of fuel. That is an estimated six tons of carbon dioxide per school.
“The bottom line message is to go idle-free. Don’t idle your vehicle when you don’t need to. Turn off the key to cut down on adverse health effects,” Davis said.
