About Adopt-A-School Bus
"A new study from Yale University indicates that a child riding inside of a diesel school bus may be exposed to five to 15 times more particulate soot than a child playing outdoors."
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists1
Many school buses are aging diesel-powered vehicles. These older school buses expose children, whether they are waiting at a bus stop or riding in the bus, to greater levels of
air pollution. Children tend to be more affected than others are because their lungs and immune system are more susceptible to pollution.2
There is an alternative to diesel buses. According to the Texas Adopt-A-School Bus website, in 130 school districts across 17 states, children ride "clean fuel" buses to school.3 The benefits of using "clean fuel" buses are cleaner air and cost efficiency.
The Adopt-A-School Bus Program has been brought to San Antonio to help local districts retrofit their aging diesel buses through the help of corporate sponsorship. Established as a nonprofit grant program, Adopt-A-School Bus is a cooperative partnership between the American Lung Association, EPA, state agencies, local elected officials, and corporate sponsors.
The primary goals of the program are:4
- To reduce school children's exposure to both pollution;
- To reduce particle pollution and nitrogen oxides emissions by targeting the oldest diesel buses in a school's bus fleet for priority replacement; and
- To educate school districts and corporations about the benefits of retrofitting and replacing older diesel buses with lower emissions "clean fuel" buses.
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REFERENCE
- "Pollution From School May be Hazardous to Your Health: Dirt Diesel School Buses" Union of Concerned Scientists. 2002.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/trucks_and_buses/page.cfm?pageID=242
- Natural Gas School Buses" The Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition. April 2003.
http://www.ngvc.org/ngv/ngvc.nsf/bytitle/CleanGreenSchoolBusNGVCFactSheet.html
- "Are YOU interested in making a difference in our children's health and the environment?" Adopt-A-SchoolBus.org 2002.
http://www.adopt-a-schoolbus.org/index2.htm
- "Adopt-A-School Bus Operating Principles," Adopt-A-School Bus Program Operating Principles and Guidelines.
DRAFT - 2003. Page 2.
