New Jersey Environmental Federation is urging towns to take the "Kids Clean Air Zones" pledge to adopt various policies that will clean up the air around neighborhoods and parks.

View the latest report: No Escape from Diesel Exhaust from the Clean Air Task Force.

View NJEF's press release, National Report Reveals No Escape for Commuters from Diesel Danger

New Jersey's Big Dirty Secret

According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) data, New Jersey faces the nation's 2nd greatest cancer risk from diesel soot. The Garden state is also considered the 4th worst in the nation for other non-cancer impacts. Up to 25% of NJ's school age children are asthmatic-the leading cause of school absenteeism and increased visits to the emergency room on hot summer days (for more local impacts,viewour county by county chart and for an explanation of this chart, view our footnotes).

The health impacts of diesel pollution in NJ illustrate the need to clean up the air around our neighborhoods and parks for the sake of our kids.

NJEF played an instrumental role in passage of ballot question #2 and the 2005 NJ diesel law factsheet (S1759/A3182). Ballot question #2 will provide funding for the diesel law by dedicating a portion of the existing corporate business tax to pay for the retrofitting of all public diesel-powered vehicles both on and off the road (school buses, garbage trucks, NJ transit and commuter buses) with emission filters and controls.

The passage of the diesel law set us on a positive course to reduce diesel pollution, but doesn't go far enough. NJEF needs your help to urge your legislators, schools, and towns to take the "Kids Clean Air Zones" pledge to pass the following:

Diesel Reduction Policies, Resolutions, and Executive Order

• The Diesel Emissions Reduction Resolution will implement programs that will improve air quality, decrease the number of asthma and lung cancers, as well as increase the quality of life for current and future residents.
• The Diesel No Idling Pledge will encourage schools and parents to turn off engines while waiting to load and to unload students; use newest buses for the longest routes; maintain buses to eliminate any visible exhaust; and complete school-bus driver training on eliminating idling. In general, gasoline and diesel vehicle idling is restricted to no more than three consecutive minutes if the vehicle is not in motion. Read the N.J. Idling Requirements for Diesel-Powered Motor Vehicles.
• A statewide executive order (EO) on diesel will go beyond the 2005 NJ diesel law by requiring: private diesel powered vehicles and equipment utilized in public contracts be retrofitted with emission reduction devises; installation of community-based monitoring in "diesel hot spots"; action taken on diesel hot spots such as the state's urban centers, transportation corridors, and ports; and rejection of projects that cumulatively or disproportionately impact lower income or minority communities.

Take Action

Steps to Passing Kids Clean Air Zones In Your Town or School:

1. Find allies and champions that will help promote the "Kids Clean Air Zone" pledge. This could include friends, neighbors, concerned parents/groups, neighborhood associations, environmental commissions, town managers, and parks department representatives.
2. Gain support from elected officials, mayor and your environmental commission. Call them and/or attend one of the regular public meetings and give a five minute "pitch" during the "public comment" period (usually at the end of the meeting, but sometimes at the beginning) and suggest that they pass the policies. Schools can also take the diesel no-idling pledge. Bring copies of the diesel emissions reduction resolution and diesel no-idling pledge to the meeting.
3. Schedule a vote on the diesel resolution and no-idling pledge! Ask your town or school when the resolution or pledge can be scheduled for a vote. Clarify what other steps need to be taken to get that to happen.
4. Conduct a letter-writing campaign!
   Handwritten letters and/or emails to the mayor and council and environmental commission or a phone call blitz can get things moving! View our sample letter.
5. Turn your action 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). View our Sample Action Letter.
6. Ask Governor Corzine to expedite an executive order that will help reduce diesel air pollution, especially in "toxic hot spots."
7. Kids! Ask your parents to take the no-idling pledge to reduce exhaust emissions from their cars. 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.
8. Thank the town for passing the resolution and contact the media. Your letter should praise the town government and/or school for its forward action to improve public health and air quality. Follow instructions on how to write a LTE in number 5 above.

NJEF hopes that individuals, schools, and municipalities will take the time to review the Kids Clean Air Zones materials (in sidebar top right) and consider taking steps to make your town a "Kids Clean Air Zones" today. For more information, contact Jenny Vickers at 732-280-8988.