i had a ceu class with that majickal professor today, and she asked me an interesting question at lunch. i could not help much with her dilemma, and so i pose the question to everyone out there, and if you are unaware of an answer, maybe you can pass this on as well.
anyhow, i guess she had been up at university circle, and outside of severance hall or the art museum, i dont remember which, thirty school bus drivers were patiently waiting for their charges, each in their own idling bus.
now, i would not have personally noticed this, the idea of it is so commonplace, i see it all the time (which now that i DO think about it is horrible as well), but jackie's point was that the pollution released by the buses and the gas wasted during these hours of waiting was avoidable and changable.
the question, then, is, who can she talk to about this. i guess she had read an article about something similar to this issue over the weekend in the pee dee (as hess says) and she considered contacting the author, but she didnt remember who it was
i believe each school system owns their own buses, and i am unsure who she could talk to in order to change this behavior and get the drivers to shut the buses off and i figured that since this was a space to say things when unsure of who to say them to, i would post this up and see what i got in return, even if it's just more questions
song of the day: jelly roll- charles mingus
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Shalom Molly,
Idling vehicles are a huge problem environmentally.
For school buses there are several possible reasons, not the least of which is the bus driver wants to stay warm while he's watching the kids.
Security is also a concern. Buses are expensive and drivers don't want to leave them where they might be broken into if students have left valuables on board.
Bus drivers are also typically unionized so school boards are hampered in what they can do.
Having said all that, the fuel issue and the load on the budget from burning fuel in this way is a real issue.
This problem could be addresses at the state level with legislation, but the better way would be to approach the superintendents of each school district and request a copy of the district's policy on the matter.
If the policy doesn't address this issue, then parents need to take ownership and advocate for a change. The more local/personal the advocacy for change, the more effective it is.
B'shalom,
Jeff
Post a Comment