1. Idle Reduction Programs and Gas Cap Checks at Your School! June 15 th 2012

2. PARTNERSHIPS … Working together to keep our air clean!

3. What are we going to talk about today?  What’s the problem? (Morning Session)  Why do we care about air quality?  Idle Reduction Programs  Gas Cap Check Program

4. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

5. Where do pollutants come from?  Sources of Pollutants  Point ( e.g., electric utilities, refineries, “smokestack” industries, etc.)  Area (e.g., dry cleaners, paints, solvents, etc.)  Mobile (e.g., cars, trucks, construction equipment, etc.) On-Road (Cars, trucks, buses) Non-Road (Airplanes, trains, construction equipment)  Biogenic (e.g., trees, vegetation, soils) Issues such as idling and leaking gas caps cause emission related pollution making vehicles the number one contributor to ground level ozone.

6. On-road vehicles 48% Off-road vehicles 17% Electric Power Plants 16% Other Point Sources 8% Area Sources 11% Light-Duty Vehicles 46% Heavy-Duty Vehicles 54% 2009 Data Air Pollution 101 Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

7. Why do we care?

8. IDLE REDUCTION PROGRAMS Reduce pollution at your school

9. Idle Reduction  What is idling?  Why should we have a idle reduction program at your school?  3,000 signs posted across the State. Many schools have actively reduced idling through programs.

11. Goals of an Idle Reduction Campaign  I. Reduce total vehicle idling time during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up of students.  II. Raise awareness about the health risks and costs of vehicle idling for students and drivers.  III. Promote behavioral changes

12. No Idling Schools

14. Steps of an Idle Reduction Campaign  I. Design the Program.  Time period, budget, etc.  II. Gather Materials.  Flyers, window stickers, stopwatches, counters, clipboards  III. Undercover data collection  IV. Media Blitz  Posters, plays, videos, newsletters, email, websites  Data Collection during project  Present Data

15. Keys to Success  Follow all the steps of the toolkit (they are in there for a reason!)  Customize for your school.  Get support from other teachers, parent organizations, and administrative staff  Have fun and let it be a student centered project!

18.  No Idling Toolkit – Checklist  http://www.campaignforcleanair.org

19. Gas Cap Checks

20. Purpose Public awareness of how a faulty gas cap and under inflated tires contribute to poor gas mileage and emission related pollution. Public awareness of health effects related to emission pollution Provide money-saving tips related to a properly maintained vehicle Provide resources for information on emissions pollution and air quality.

21. Gas Cap Checks  Up to 30 gallons of gasoline can escape from a leaking gas cap.  30 gallons of fuel become 200 pounds of emissions that directly affect your local air quality.  Low tire pressure can also affect a vehicle’s fuel economy. Gas mileage can decrease 4% for every missing pound of pressure.

22. Gas Cap Checks

23.  Gas Cap Check Toolkit – Checklist  http://www.campaignforcleanair.org

24. John E. Wear, WPCOG (828) 485-4283 john.wear@wpcog.org Tony Gallegos, WPCOG (828) 485-4248 tony.gallegos@wpcog.org Jonathan Navarro, DAQ Environmental Senior Specialist Milli Hayman, DAQ Environmental Specialist II CONTACT INFO airawareness@ncdenr.gov 1-800-RU4NCAIR www.NCAIR.org CONTACT INFO airawareness@ncdenr.gov 1-800-RU4NCAIR www.NCAIR.org 6th Annual Unifour Air Quality Conference