Idle Free New Jersey
Schools
Steps to Passing the Pledge in Your School:
- Find allies and champions that will help promote the "Idle Free Zone" resolution. This could include friends, neighbors, concerned parents/groups, teachers, school employees, administration and/or board.
- Gain support from schools superintendents, nurses, and parent and teacher organizations. Call them to set up a meeting and and suggest that the school consider signing the "Idle Free Zone" resolution and no-idling pledge.
- Bring copies of the Idle-Free Zone Resolution and school bus no-idling pledge to the meeting.
- Download no idling brochures and materials. Hand them out at the meeting.
- Schedule a vote on the "Idle Free Zone" resolution and pledge. Ask your school when the resolution and pledge can be scheduled for a vote at an upcoming school board meeting. Clarify what other steps need to be taken to get that to happen.
- Conduct a letter-writing campaign! Handwritten letters and/or emails to the school board and parent teacher association or a phone call blitz can get things moving!
- Turn your letter into a letter to the editor (LTE)! To find your local paper, visit the NJ Press Association Website. It contains contact information for daily newspapers and weeklies. It's important to submit your LTE to a statewide paper, as well as your local newspaper (weekly).
- Involve the kids! Teach the kids that "no idling" is just another way to make everyday Earth Day! Kids ask your parents to take the parents no-idling pledge to reduce exhaust emissions from their cars. If they take the pledge consider offering the parents a "no idling" pledge decal for their car.
In general, gasoline and diesel vehicle idling is restricted to no more than three consecutive minutes if the vehicle is not in motion. Ask your parents to turn off their engines when they come to pick up or drop you off from school.
- Have a school no idling awareness campaign for one week. Send "idle free" materials home and have children make signs for outdoors. Students can come up with slogans. Enlarge one of the "no idling" signs available on our "idle free" materials page. Laminate the sign and put on sandwich board in the parent pick up zone. Contact the media to cover the campaign.
- Order "No Idling" and "Idle Free Zone" signs for your school grounds. Order from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection at www.stopthesoot.org or call the Garden State Highway Products, Inc. at 1-800-338-5685. Ask for Joe McCracken and the Chatham No Idling sign.
- Urge your school to get involved with the NJ Pediatric Coalition (NJPAC). 104 schools in New Jersey have received the NJPAC award. To qualify for the award, schools must meet certain criteria including the NJ Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) No-Idling Pledge. For more information on NJDEP's No-Idling campaign visit www.stopthesoot.org. If your school is interested in receiving a NJPAC award, visit www.pacnj.org.
- Thank the school for passing the resolution and contact the media. Your letter should praise the school for its forward action to improve public health and air quality. Follow instructions on how to write a LTE in number 5 above.
- Ask the school to send home a flyer explaining the school's new "no idling" pledge and zone and how everyone can participate in making it a success.
Sample "No Idling" Flyer Side 1
Sample "No Idling" Flyer Side 2
