Because we all breathe the same air, and share in the responsibility to safeguard it from the harmful pollutants emitted by our homes, businesses and vehicles, Canyons District has declared all of its school campuses idle-free zones.
With inversion season upon us, we’re re-issuing our Clean Air Challenge and inviting families to join us in combining car trips to conserve gas, walking and biking to school instead of driving, and reducing schoolyard idling during morning drop-offs and afternoon pickups.
On Earth Day, 2016, Canyons became the first school district in Utah to go idle free at all of its schools. The campaign kicked off early in the morning at Ridgecrest elementary school where students greeted drivers with placards, informational pamphlets and window clings to place in vehicles. Signs were placed at all of Canyons’ schools and “no idling” pledges were sent home with students, encouraging parents to voluntarily pledge to turn their key and be idle free.
The idea originated with a parent who dropped by Superintendent Dr. Jim Briscoe’s office just over a month ago to share her frustration at seeing exhaust billowing into the air at her child’s school’s parking lot. Briscoe took her concerns to the Board of Education, and within a matter of weeks, the district’s “no idling” campaign was born.
“Besides educating students, I feel we have some responsibility for their health, and their future health,” says Briscoe, noting that projections show school enrollment doubling over the next 30 years.
