Reducing air pollution keeps Hoosiers, Earth healthy
Learn Green, Live Green focus for June: Breathe Easy
Did you know the average adult breathes approximately 3,400 gallons of air in one day? To ensure the air we breathe is clean, the Indiana Department of Education encourages Hoosiers to reduce harmful emissions through this month’s Learn Green, Live Green focus titled “Breathe Easy.”
“Breathing clean air keeps us healthy,” said Dr. Suellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “When Indianapolis was cited in a recent study as being the second-worst city in the United States for carbon emissions, we are reminded of how important it is to do our part. Little changes can make a huge impact in reducing air pollution, and we encourage all Hoosiers to be more conscious of their actions.”
What is air pollution?
When people think about air pollution, many picture smog-filled cities, but did you know that air pollution can also exist inside homes and other buildings, such as schools? In the United States, we spend about 80 to 90 percent of our time inside buildings, so our exposure to harmful indoor pollutants can be serious. Some of these indoor pollutants can be created by indoor activities such as smoking, cooking and cleaning.
Outside air pollution comes from many different sources. Common sources include emissions from cars, buses, trucks, factories, power plants, harmful aerosol spray cans and fires. Air pollution harms humans, but can also cause serious damage to trees, animals, lakes and crops and can cause harm to the ozone layer.
The effects of air pollution can be seen and felt. Pollution in the air can cause haze, reducing visibility in national parks and wilderness areas. There are both short-term and long-term effects from air pollution on the environment. Acid rain, global warming, smog and the depletion of the ozone layer are just a few of the most alarming results of pollution. Air pollution also poses a significant human health risk, causing serious respiratory and other illnesses.
Hamilton Southeastern policy helps reduce harmful emissions
Two years ago, Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Fishers adopted a no idling policy. When bus drivers are waiting to pick up and drop off students, the engines are turned off. Not only does this policy reduce harmful emissions, but saves the corporation an estimated $22,000 in fuel costs annually. “We don’t want to add to pollution,” said Jim White, transportation director. “We have 210 buses in the fleet and that adds up, not only in dollars to keep them running, but in air pollution as well.”
To learn more about Hamilton Southeastern Schools’ no idling policy and what schools across the state are doing to “go green,” visit www.doe.in.gov/green and click on Spotlight.
What can we do?
The effects of air pollution have serious implications for our health and well-being as well as for the whole environment. Ozone levels are expected to peak this year from June 16-30. To combat this, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is hosting a two-week Ozone Knockout to reduce air pollution and encourage Hoosiers to be especially conscious of their driving habits and energy usage during this time. To learn more about the Ozone Knockout, visit www.idem.IN.gov. To learn how to do your part in reducing harmful emissions on a daily basis, visit www.doe.in.gov/green and click on the Tips link.
Keep up the “green” work
Although this month’s focus is Breathe Easy, we encourage Hoosiers to keep up with all the other Learn Green, Live Green initiatives such as recycling, reducing waste, using renewable resources, choosing more environmentally-friendly transportation and learning more about beneficial organisms. For more information on our past initiatives, visit www.doe.in.gov/green and click through the different months on each of the tabs or go to the Recycle Bin. Don’t forget to check out what schools across the state are doing to “go green” by clicking on the Spotlights page.
Learn Green, Live Green
Learn Green, Live Green is a year-long initiative, launched in January, that is designed to help educators, students, parents and community members discover practical, cost-effective ways to model environmentally-responsible behavior both inside and outside of the classroom. The Learn Green, Live Green concept fits naturally with Indiana’s academic standards, local school curricula and student learning goals at each grade level. Local participation is completely voluntary. Each month in 2008, the Indiana Department of Education spotlights a different aspect of the issue through an interactive Web site, www.doe.in.gov/green, while offering a variety of related resources for schools and communities.