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West Geauga moves to stop vehicle idling
(by Sue Hoffman - August 19, 2009)
West Geauga moves to stop vehicle idling
By SUE HOFFMAN
Tenth-grader Clay McMullen told the West Geauga School Board last week why it's important to extend the district's no-idling policy to include all vehicles and not just school buses.
"There are many reasons why a no-idling policy is good for our district," he said. "The most important reasons are health and money savings.
"Children breathe 50 percent more air per pound than adults," he said. "Students who ride a West G bus a half-hour each way will spend about three full months of their life on a school bus during their 13 years in school. Thus the air quality improvement that can be gained from a no-idling policy and the installation of closed crankcase ventilation systems (in school buses) is very important."
Clay, who has been involved in environmental causes since fifth grade and won awards for his efforts, studied the effects of vehicle exhaust on students this summer as an intern at Case Western Reserve University and the Army Educational Outreach Program.
The school board is scheduled to consider the latest policy change at its Aug. 24 meeting.
"I will recommend that they approve it so we can have it in place for the school year," School Superintendent Anthony Podojil said. He said the policy change is an effort to educate the general public about burning fuel while a vehicle is idling.
Clay had recommended a previous policy change that had been approved by the board reducing idling time of school buses in front of school buildings.
He is currently applying for several grants for the district. One is for equipment through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to measure air quality before and after the proposed policy change. Another grant is for diesel particulate filters for all of the school buses to reduce emissions, and system heaters that will reduce bus warm-up time.
"Buses will use less fuel and be more comfortable for the kids," Dr. Podojil said about the heaters. He said the extension of the no-idling policy will benefit all schools. "It's really impactful at the middle school because of the proximity to of the buses to the building."
"I expect to see a reduction of at least 40 percent of air particulates surrounding our schools with the new bus filters and no-idling policy and a 20 percent reduction in particulates inside the school buses," Clay said.
Clay told the board about the many negative effects of vehicle idling. "Asthma symptoms increase with increases in particulates," he said. "Twelve percent of Ohio's children have asthma. I am hopeful that the school district can also create change in our township. Once parents turn off their cars on school grounds, they will stop idling in other places as well."
Idling costs money, Clay said. "One hour of idling uses one gallon of fuel. It costs our community money that has little positive effect. Idling produces wear on engines. Current engine technology does not require warming up to run efficiently. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that cars idle for no longer than 30 seconds unless weather conditions warrant otherwise. Running a car for 30 seconds uses more gas than it takes to restart an engine."
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