Solve the Car Idling Problem at Your School!
Because many parents drive their children to school, they often find themselves waiting in long drop off and pick up lines. This results in many cars sitting at a standstill with their engines running (idling) during student arrival and dismissal times. It’s not uncommon to see cars waiting in this line fifteen minutes or longer! Idling vehicles emit toxic air pollutants that may cause serious health effects. Children are especially sensitive to the damaging effects of air pollution because their lungs are still developing. They breathe faster and take in more air. If the air is polluted, they will take in more pollution as well.
The purpose of this Problem-Based Learning Project is to educate and empower you to find solutions to reduce car idling at your school. The classroom guide has been provided for educators to complete the investigation as a class project and the student guide has been provided to assist students with planning independent car idling projects or science fair projects.