UCAIR Idle Free Education
The True Costs of Idling
Every minute your engine idles, our kids pay the price. Vehicle emissions from idling are a significant threat to air quality and the health of our community, especially for children whose developing lungs are vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution.
UCAIR’s Idle Free Education program, sponsored by Enbridge, is dedicated to raising awareness about the harmful effects of vehicle idling on air quality and encouraging behavioral change to protect the health of Utah’s youth.
How is UCAIR Addressing Idling?
This fall, UCAIR is launching a citizen science project across K-12 schools in Utah to engage parents, teachers, students, and school staff in understanding and reducing vehicle idling in school carlines and parking lots. By participating in this project, community members will actively contribute to improving the air quality around our schools and safeguarding the health of our children.
Measuring the Impact of Idle Free Education
A recent University of Utah study shows that Idle Free education at a Utah elementary school reduced the number of idling vehicles and overall idling time. The number of idling cars decreased by 17% after the campaign, and total idling time decreased by 37%. We expect similar significant outcomes from our program.
How the Program Works
The program will involve a series of observation periods, where volunteers, including school staff, parents, and students, will monitor and count the number of idling vehicles during school pick-up times. These observations will take place before and after the launch of an idle-free educational campaign at participating schools. The data collected will help measure the effectiveness of these campaigns in reducing idling.
Get Involved
Join us in making a difference! Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or school staff member, your participation in the Idle Free Education program can have a lasting impact on your school environment and the wider community. Together, we can reduce vehicle idling, improve air quality, and protect the health of Utah’s youth.
We are currently seeking interested schools to participate from the following zip codes:
- 84116
- 84104
- 84120
- 84119
- 84129
- 84123
- 84128
This program is made possible by our partners at Enbridge, a first-choice energy delivery company.
Informational Zoom Call
Coming soon!
