CFE agenda 021119 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Dear Parents & Guardians: We are pleased to announce a new initiative to improve the air quality around our schools in the coming school year. We are working with Orange County to address an issue that has been brought to us directly from the Board of Commissioners:vehicle idling at our schools. Vehicle idling creates air pollutants that can exist at harmful levels every day at pick-up and drop-off times when hundreds of cars and buses visit each of our schools.This air pollution impacts all of us, but children are particularly vulnerable.Although school bus idling has been reduced significantly by enacting and adhering to strict policies, idling by personal vehicles is still a problem that we are hoping to address. Luckily,vehicle technologies have improved to the point where if you have to idle for more than 10 seconds at a stop, it uses less fuel to turn the engine off and back on than to let it run'.Also you no longer need to idle your engine to warm it up in cold weather.Just accelerate gently for the first 30 seconds'. We appreciate that idling also allows you to heat and cool your vehicles, and on some extreme days this will be necessary. On many days however, if you dress warmly in the winter and coolly in the warmer months, cars can be comfortably turned off while waiting in line. We will be posting signs in English and Spanish at all pick-up and drop-off areas as a reminder to all drivers to turn off their engines when stopped for more than 10 seconds. Thank you for allowing us to explain this issue. We ask for your help in reducing the level of vehicle idling at our schools to provide our students with a healthier school environment. Sincerely, [ Insert School Principal or Other Official Name ] 'L.Gaines, E. Rask,and G. Keller, "Which Is Greener: Idle, or Stop and Restart?Comparing Fuel Use and Emissions for Short Passenger-Car Stops."Argonne National Laboratory. https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/which is greener.pdf '"Idling Reduction for Personal Vehicles." US Department of Energy https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/idling personal vehicles.pdf