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Student's effort wins $64,000 EPA grant
(by Sue Hoffman - December 02, 2009)
Student's effort wins $64,000 EPA grant
By SUE HOFFMAN
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Education awarded the West Geauga School District a grant of $64,274 Monday. The award was part of the EPA's clean-diesel school-bus-retrofit grants program.
According to the EPA, the award is a result of the work of Clay McMullen, a 10th-grader at West Geauga High School. He had an internship last summer through the Army Educational Outreach Program with Ken Loparo, Nord professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Case Western Reserve University. As part of his work studying air particulates, Clay wrote the grant application on behalf of the school district.
Clay, who has received other grants for environmental projects, also testified before the West Geauga School Board before it enacted a no-idling policy in August. He pointed out that children breathe 50 percent more air per pound than adults, so the air quality on the school bus is very important.
"I am hopeful that the school district can create change in our township," Clay said. "Once people stop idling at school, they will stop in other places as well."
School Superintendent Anthony Podojil said he was pleased with the new grant. "It allows us to update our fleet. We're very appreciative of the work of our students who helped marshal this along," he said.
According to school officials, 11 vehicles are earmarked to be retrofitted. Many of the other buses in the district's 37-bus fleet already are fitted with appropriate filters, they said. The grant will be used to retrofit buses with three different types of particulate filters, depending on bus engine manufacturers and models, they said.
Ten buses will receive the new technology diesel multi-stage filters, which can reduce emission of such harmful gases as carbon monoxide and air particulates by 60 percent. Six of those buses also will be retrofitted with closed crankcase filters, which eliminate 100 percent of engine crankcase emissions and prevent engine particulates and gases from seeping into the interior of buses.
A diesel-oxidation catalyst filter will be installed on one bus to reduce particulate matter by up to 30 percent and carbon monoxide by 50 percent.
The EPA estimates that the retrofit project will result in an annual reduction of 36 pounds of fine particulates, or soot particles, 116 pounds of carbon monoxide and 5.8 pounds of hydrocarbons.
Dr. Loparo helped Clay formulate a plan to test air particulates around school buses. He tested the air in August and will test again after the filters are installed on the buses.
The district plans to complete installation of the filters by January.
Clay said he hopes his retesting of air quality will result in up to 20 percent reductions overall of the most harmful particulates.
Clay's work at the school district is continuing. With a group of fellow high school students, the new "West G is Idle Free" program is up and running. The students make signs, stencils and fliers to educate the school community about ways to achieve cleaner air by reducing idling.
Carolyn Watkins, director of the Ohio EPA's Office for Environmental Education, said, "We would like to commend the West Geauga Local Schools for your proactive efforts to protect the health of your students and staff and improve air quality in Geauga County."
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