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Ideas for Clean School Bus Earth Day Activities
Create an event at which recognition is given to a person, group of people or an organization that has been instrumental in the local Clean School Bus project. This person could be the project manager, the fleet manager, the facilities department of the School District, the Superintendent of one of his/her deputies or a local clean air organization. A Certificate of Recognition is available. EPA can assist with creating the certificate. (Send an email to cleanschoolbus@epa.gov. with the name of the person to be recognized and a brief description of the program and the actions/events for which the recognition will be made. The Certificate of Recognition will be printed by EPA, signed by an EPA representative and sent by Federal Express to you for presentation at your event. If you would like the certificate to also include a line for signature by your local signing official, please include that information. In order to ensure delivery, please include full address for Federal Express delivery including a contact name and a phone number.) Decide on a forum for presentation of the certificate. The forum could be something already planned, such as a school board meeting or city council meeting, or created specifically for the purpose of creating awareness of clean school buses and Earth Day, such as a press conference. Advise the media that the award will be made. Arrange for a photographer. Create a press release and send it to local media outlets. Invite as many local dignitaries and other interested parties as possible. Award the certificate and take pictures. Follow up with local media. Hold an Open House so that interested parties and the media can learn more about your project in conjunction with Earth Day. Establish a date, time and place that can accommodate a retrofitted school bus. Create an invitation list. Send invitation letters to neighboring school districts, city and county officials (health and environment departments, executive branch, commissioners, school board), local transit officials, asthma and clean air organizations and the local media, educators and students, and anyone else who could benefit from information about clean school buses. Hold the event, demonstrating retrofit technology, and then follow up with the local media.
Teach a Lesson at a Local School
Arrange to teach a lesson at a local school in conjunction with Earth Day. Plan a lesson that covers air pollution in general, the role of school buses in creating that pollution, and how reduced idling, replacements and retrofits can reduce emissions from school buses. Alternately, some districts have worked with their Environmental Education departments to create lessons that can be used throughout the year with different grade levels. Children can create posters or pictures on the topic of Clean School Buses. Some districts have displayed children's artwork on air pollution or created a calendar with it. Similar to the Open House, invite interested parties and the local media to an event that celebrates the "first" retrofitted bus, use of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel or arrival of replacement bus. Demonstrate how the emissions control technology works and its benefits. Follow up with local media.Participate in Local Earth Day event
Many communities and school districts are already planning local Earth Day events; find out if your community or school district is one of them. If so, contact organizers and ask if you can promote clean school bus emissions at the event. Staff a table with clean school bus "giveaways," demonstrate how the technology works or participate in some other way that highlights the benefits of clean school buses.Get a Local Proclamation about Clean School Buses
Using the sample proclamation template as a guide, draft a sample proclamation about the importance of reducing emissions from school buses for Earth Day. Ask a mayor, county commissioner or other local dignitary to issue it on April 22, Earth Day. Make sure the local media outlets receive a copy. Consider issuing an accompanying press release as well.Reduce Idling of School Buses for Earth Day
- Help a local school district draft and implement a "no-idling" policy for their school buses and other vehicles on school property.
- Ask bus drivers to pledge not to idle their school buses. Recognize drivers who do so.
- Arrange to speak to bus drivers on the importance of idling reduction in recognition of Earth Day.
Team Up with Asthma Advocates for Joint Asthma Awareness Day/Earth Day Event
May is Asthma Awareness Month. Diesel exhaust exacerbates asthma, so a clean school bus project could be highlighted for both Asthma Awareness Month and Earth Day. Many local asthma coalitions and organizations are planning Asthma Awareness Day events. Check with your local asthma coalition, local Health Department and American Lung Association chapter to see if a local asthma awareness event is in the works. If so, consider a joint event on both or either days to highlight awareness of the connection between diesel emissions and asthma.