CLEAN COMMUTE WEEK TOOLKIT

CLEAN COMMUTE WEEK TOOLKIT Welcome to Clean Commute Week! This toolkit includes: Activities for promoting Clean Commute Week at your school Free resources for International Walk to School Day Fun facts for morning announcements Student clean commute log Cut-out symbols for your Clean Commute Hall of Fame No Idling pledge cards Clean Commute Week challenge cards Clean Commute Week is a five-day event celebrating clean transportation: bus riding, biking, walking, carpooling and no idling. It s one of lots of programs and events designed to help Georgia schools reduce the number of cars in the school zone and improve air quality for everyone! Pick one or more modes to celebrate, or use this week to promote YOUR Clean Air Schools program! Celebrate with us in early October or March to coincide with the official Walk to School days, or use this week to promote your Clean Air Schools program any time of the year. If you re not a Clean Air School and would like to be, email us at Schools@. 2012 The Clean Air Campaign. All Rights Reserved. The Clean Air Campaign is a 501(c)3 Georgia non-profit organization. 55 Park Place, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30303 1-877-CLEANAIR

Why should we commute differently? What s in it for us? Clean commuting helps everyone in your school community. Parents save time, money and stress by pooling their efforts to get kids to school. Teachers and administrators have more kids getting to school on time. Students can spend time with friends and get active in the process. And EVERYONE can benefit from cleaner air, less traffic and better safety! Clean Commute Week Leverage Your School Media 1. Engage Media Center Students Tap students involved in the media center for ideas. Make a fun project out of Clean Commute Week. Spark their creativity and school spirit. 2. Promote Clean Commute Week Leading up to Clean Commute Week, use your media center to let students know what is coming. During the week, update students on what they can expect the next day. Consider having your students create a video to educate your school. 3. Provide Relevant Facts Share the facts with students about air pollution and how they can take action to reduce it. Tell them how and why each highlighted mode of clean transportation matters. We want to know how your school is celebrating Clean Commute Week! If you ve got something special planned, tell us about it at Schools@. We might even convince the BAIR to drop in! 4. Involve Clean Commute Week Participants and Winners Make winners visible by giving them a chance to participate in announcements they can announce the next day s winners or interview their classmates about the clean commuting experience. 5. Invite School Nurse to Speak Ask the school nurse to discuss the health effects of air pollution. 2

Fun Activities for Clean Commute Week Create a Clean Commute Hall of Fame Measure your school s clean commuting progress by hanging clean commute symbols in the hall for everyone to see! Pass out the clean commute symbols in this toolkit (bikes, cars, buses, shoes) to students during morning drop-off. Have all students write their names on the symbols and hang them down the hallway to create a Clean Commute Hall of Fame. (Have carpool buddies write their names on the same car symbol.) At week s end, celebrate your results! Report the number of clean commuters and clean commute modes during morning announcements. Hold a Clean Commute Challenge Using the Clean Commute Log flier in this toolkit, have students track their commutes every day. You can even get classes in on the act, having them log their commutes as a group and report their results. Announce school winners at the end of the week! Photos: Clean Air Schools Evansdale Elementary and Barnwell Elemenatary found colorful, creative ways to get their students engaged for clean air! Incentive Ideas for Winners 1. School Privileges Principal s assistant for the day. First person in line for lunch. Morning news anchor. What s special at your school? 2. School Events Offer free tickets to school events (plays, athletic events) as prizes. This will get Clean Commute Challenge winners supporting the school as well! 3. School Fundraiser Items Support school programs by purchasing fundraising items to give as challenge prizes. Collaborate with your PTA you may even be able to purchase items at wholesale prices! 4. Clean Air Schools Collateral Pass out Clean Air Schools items pencils, bus erasers, carpool bracelets, stickers to participating students. (Collateral available to all Clean Air School participants. Want to become a Clean Air School? E-mail us at Schools@) 5. Homemade Treats Kids love treats anytime! Fresh fruit. Cookies. Popsicles. Whatever strikes your fancy and works for you or your PTA room parents. 3

International Walk to School Day We re teaming up with Georgia Safe Routes to School to incorporate International Walk to School Day and Georgia Walk to School Day into our fall and spring Clean Commute Week celebrations! Walking is a fun, free, zero-pollution way to get to and from school. Get a group together and make your own walking school bus for the day! Or find your own imaginative way to get your students stepping out for clean, safe commuting! Check out these great Walk to School Day resources from Georgia Safe Routes to School: Pedestrian Safety Curriculum http://www.saferoutesga.org/content/safety-education-resources Tools for a Walk to School Event http://www.saferoutesga.org/content/tools-your-event Way to Plan and Promote Your Event http://www.saferoutesga.org/sites/default/files/ Resources/Way_To_Plan_and_Promote.pdf Way to Walk Safely http://www.saferoutesga.org/sites/default/files/ Resources/Way_To_Walk_Safely.pdf Way to Include Students When it s Too Far or Unsafe http://www.saferoutesga.org/sites/default/files/ Resources/GA_SRTS_Way_To_To_%20Far_Unsafe.pdf Air Quality Lesson Plans and Resources Air quality lesson plans make a great addition to Clean Commute Week activities. Need facts and ideas? Check out /schools for lesson plans and links to other organizations promoting health, sustainability and positive action. It s also a great place to find out how your school can become a Clean Air School! 4

WAY TO Walk and Bike to School Event Materials Free downloads for your walk or bike event from www.saferoutesga.org! Event Banners Print the event banner on multiple pages and tape it together for your walk or bike to school event! Have children hold it while walking, or hang the banner on your school s front entrance. Pennant Print out the pennant and attach it to a paint stirrer, stick, or bicycle flag pole. Participant and Thank You Certificates Give walk or bike to school day participants a pat on the back with the participant certificate! Give a thank you certificate to thank people for helping out! Customize it by typing in the PDF and adding an event photo. Walk or Bike to School Event Flyer Use the walk or bike to school event flyer to make sure everyone knows about your event. Enter event details by typing on the PDF. Walk or Bike to School Event Reminder Flyer Send parents the event reminder flyer a day or two before the event to help them plan ahead. Some may have to make special arrangements in order to participate. Do parents at your school use email? Consider sending an email reminder. Stickers Check with you School Outreach Coordinator for pre-printed stickers or download the template and print your own. Order round label sheets online and follow simple instructions to print stickers for each child that walks. Students at Woodstock Elementary in Woodstock, Georgia carry a Walk to School Day banner and stop to pose on Georgia Walk to School Day. GO HERE! www.saferoutesga.org/resources/downloads A Walking School Bus is the Georgia Safe Routes to School Walk to school pennant. Free Downloadable Materials Also Available Here! www.walktoschool.org (when you register for Walk to School Day). www.saferoutesinfo.org Got questions? Your School Outreach Coordinator is here to help. Georgia SRTS Resource Center 1-877-436-8927 info@saferoutesga.org WAY TO GO Find flyer templates, banners, and other downloads at: http://saferoutesga.org/resources/downloads Learn more at www.walktoschool.org and www.saferoutesga.org EVENTS

I m helping young lungs breathe easier I support the school s No-Idling Zone I turn off my engine to reduce idling I m helping young lungs breathe easier I support the school s No-Idling Zone I turn off my engine to reduce idling Parent / Driver Signature Parent / Driver Signature I m helping young lungs breathe easier I support the school s No-Idling Zone I turn off my engine to reduce idling I m helping young lungs breathe easier I support the school s No-Idling Zone I turn off my engine to reduce idling Parent / Driver Signature Parent / Driver Signature I m helping young lungs breathe easier I support the school s No-Idling Zone I turn off my engine to reduce idling I m helping young lungs breathe easier I support the school s No-Idling Zone I turn off my engine to reduce idling Parent / Driver Signature Parent / Driver Signature

Name: Name: Clean Air Schools Clean Commute Challenge www./schools I clean commute for cleaner air! Clean Air Schools Clean Commute Challenge www./schools I clean commute for cleaner air! Name: Name: Clean Air Schools Clean Commute Challenge www./schools I clean commute for cleaner air! Clean Air Schools Clean Commute Challenge www./schools I clean commute for cleaner air!

Fun Facts for Morning Announcements Bus Riding Did you know riding the school bus is one of the safest ways to get to school? To stay extra-safe, always stand at least five giant steps (10 feet) away from the bus when you re on the sidewalk. Also, never walk behind the bus when you re crossing the street. Walk in front so the driver can see you. Fun Fact: School buses keep an annual estimated 17.3 million cars off roads surrounding schools each morning. That ends up savings 2.3 billion gallons of fuel, 6 billion dollars and 44.6 billion pounds of CO2 nationwide! (Source: American School Bus Council) Biking Walking Walking is a small way to make a big difference in the air we breathe. It s one of the best ways to get active, and it s free! No special tools required! And in March, we have Georgia Walk to School Day, so kids from all over the state will be joining in to get to school on their own two feet. Fun Fact: In 1969, 50% of all kids in the U.S. walked to school. Today, less than 15% do. (Source: CDC) Riding your bike is a fun AND healthy way to get to school! Get a group of friends and ride together. And don t forget your helmet! Fun Fact: 40% of all car trips are less than 2 miles long. That s just a 15-minute bike ride. In addition, biking just one day a week for a year can save as much as 1200 vehicle miles and up to $567 in driving costs. (Source: Federal Highway Administration) Carpooling Fun Fact: The average American household uses almost 3 gallons of fuel a day enough to fill 21 bathtubs a year! How many bathtubs worth do you think your family could save by carpooling to school with other families? (Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Household Travel Survey 2001, and Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics 2001) Clean Commute Celebration Fun Fact: Each day, Georgians help to eliminate 1.4 million vehicle miles of travel by carpooling, teleworking, riding a bike, walking, riding the bus or riding public transportation to work and school. That s the same as circling the globe 56 times! These actions add up to keeping 700 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. Way to go, Georgia! (Source: Center for Transportation and the Environment study conducted on behalf of the Georgia Department of Transportation; National Aeronautics and Space Administration: global circumference at equator = 24,901 miles) 8

Clean Commute Log Check the appropriate box indicating how you traveled to school in the morning (AM) and afternoon (PM). How I got to and from school Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Walked Rode bike or scooter Rode school bus Rode in a car with students from another family AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM Student s name: Grade: Teacher: A friendly reminder: Please turn off your vehicle if stationary for more than 30 seconds in these No Idling Zones: Clean Commute Log Check the appropriate box indicating how you traveled to school in the morning (AM) and afternoon (PM). How I got to and from school Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Walked Rode bike or scooter Rode school bus Rode in a car with students from another family AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM Student s name: Grade: Teacher: A friendly reminder: Please turn off your vehicle if stationary for more than 30 seconds in these No Idling Zones:

10

11

12

13

clean commute week n a m e Thank you for participating in Clean Commute Week and taking action to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion! s i g n at u r e d at e