Every school day, parents and bus drivers idle their vehicles in school car parks across Australia and New Zealand, releasing dangerous emissions into the places where students study, play and breathe. In some cities and towns, there are areas where the air pollution is so bad that experts have compared it to smoking cigarettes.
Stand in any school car park at afternoon pick-up time and count the vehicles and buses with their engines idling. You’ll probably be surprised by the number!
Each of these vehicles is releasing a mix of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2) and other toxins that affect the health and wellbeing of students.
If you’re a school student, you have a really important role to play in raising awareness about the issue of dangerous vehicle emissions around your school.
The Idle Off Project has been designed for high school students and can be completed over a few weeks or a whole year. It’s completely up to your project group and teacher.
These project sheets are designed to be a guide only...so, please feel free to create and add your own ideas and extra activities to suit your project group!
Media releases, interviews and information about the Idle Off Project and anti-idling programs from around the world.
Do you have a great idea that you'd like to share with other students? Tell the IDLE OFF team about it! You can email us at hello@idleoff.com.au - please copy in your mum, dad or teacher, as well as your project group. We'd love to hear how your Idle Off project is going, or how successful you thought it was!
You can find the Idle Off Project on LinkedIn.
Emma is an electric vehicle charging, conversions & safety specialist, & the Project Director of EV FireSafe, a research & testing project looking at risks to emergency responders at EV traction battery fires. She is also a Climate Reality Project Leader with the global Al Gore-led group & drives an EV that is charged from her off-grid home solar system.
Clare is involved in both research and advocacy aimed at reducing the health impacts of air pollution. She's the author of a number of peer reviewed papers focused on air pollution and health in Australia, is a guest lecturer at the University of Melbourne in environmental science and population health and a regular speaker at environment and/or health related events. Clare is the co-chair of the Health Special Interest Group of the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand, and a member of the Public Health Association of Australia and the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.
Nathan is a long time car guy who has worked around the world with car and truck brands, including Tesla. Nathan now helps fleets and government transition to cleaner, greener vehicles as a Sustainable Transport Consultant with Mov3ment.
Chris is the President of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, that was formed in 1973 and is a rapidly growing community of EV owners and businesses focused on the uptake of low-or-zero emission vehicles. The AEVA is a not-for-profit organisation that manages a range of public events, educational sessions and branch meetings, with the aim of switching Australia's transport networks to electric drive.