Healthy Schools
OEC provides tools and resources for teachers and parents to engage students in environmental learning and action.
Working with Schools to Protect Kids Health
This redesigned "It's Not Cool to Idle at School!" toolkit is an exciting way to engage students to improve air quality in and around your school and to help reduce fuel consumption. Designed for 5th-8th grade students, the project uses a multi-disciplinary approach to reduce pollution and raise awareness of important health and environmental issues.
The new kit includes educational materials, such as a pollutant calculation sheet, a handy fact sheet about idling, and rear view mirror hanging pledge medallions to remind parents and bus drivers that: It's Not Cool to Idle at School! To obtain a copy of the kit follow these instructions:
Oregon residents:
Out of state residents:
- Click here to order the kits. To offset the mailing costs, OEC must charge $10 shipping and handling to mail the kits out of state. The kit itself is free.
Why worry about idling around your school?
Each day, Americans waste approximately 3.8 million gallons of gasoline by voluntarily idling their cars. For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile.
Children are more vulnerable to air pollution because their lungs
are still developing and they breathe 50 percent more air per pound of 
body
weight than do adults. Student in the United States increasingly suffer
from asthma. Poor air quality increases asthma symptoms, and
consequently, increases health risks associate with an attack.
Asthma is reaching epidemic proportions in Oregon. More than 282,000 Oregon residents have been diagnosed. An estimated, 73,000 Oregon children under the age of 18 were reported to have asthma. So, remember, ask parents to take the pledge to not idle their vehicles more than 10 seconds, and help reduce air pollution around your school!
In addition to the health impacts idling wastes fuel and increases the emission of greenhouse gases.
This project was made possible through grant funds provided by the Spirit Mountain Community Fund and the Kellogg Foundation. We would like to thank everyone involved in helping us provide schools with the tools to make the air cleaner with every turn of the key.
Improving Air Quality
The Oregon Environmental Council and Portland Public Schools partner to improve air quality! By replacing a dirty heating system, OEC and PPS continue working to improve student health and ambient air quality. Click here to learn more.
Check out additional programs OEC is using to keep Oregon's environment healthy! Also check out the Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative is a comprehensive resource for parents, teachers and students interested in promoting sustainable practices at their school.
