Making Air Quality Practical, Relevant, and FUN for Youth Roberta Burnes Environmental Education Specialist Kentucky Division for Air Quality

Air quality is abstract Make it active Make it personal Engage the senses

How do consumer decisions impact air quality? 2006 Hummer H3 Midsize SUV MPG – City 16/Highway 20 Maximum Seating Chevrolet Corvette Convertible MPG – City 18/Highway 26 Maximum Seating Toyota Prius Compact Hybrid Sedan MPG – City 60/Highway 51 Maximum Seating - 5

Setting the Stage Students receive car cards with MPG data Each student gets three gas tokens Each gas token is worth one gallon of gas

Procedure Students line up Choose city or highway

Procedure Begin walking, counting steps One step=one mile

Procedure Refer to car cards for MPG Drop one gas token for every gallon of gas you use When you run out of gas, stop!

Procedure Some cars go farther than others on a gallon of gas! Maybe I should choose another vehicle ….

The carpool advantage Students choose who they want to carpool with Students “pool” their gas tokens No one runs out of gas!

Extensions: Hybrid cars Where’s the exhaust?

Extensions: GHG emissions Collecting tailpipe exhaust to test for CO2

Extensions: GHG emissions Car exhaust is release into solution of bromothymol blue Amount of color change indicates relative concentration of CO2

Conclusions Air quality impacts everything – people, plants, environment Look for ways to make it “touchy- feely” Have fun!

Contact Roberta Burnes Kentucky Division for Air Quality