MNN - Mother Nature Network

How are your kids getting to school this year? That is the first question they ask at my daughter's school every year ... will my daughter be walking, driving, or riding the bus. Fortunately, I live within a 10-minute walk to my daughter's school ... so we opt for walking. But I have to admit, there are plenty of days when I'm in a rush or the weather is foul and we just hop in the car instead.

• Talk to your school administrators about the health and environmental implications of bus idling and propose a measure to ban it. Seventh-grader Adam Martin from Jericho, Vt. , appeared earlier this year before Vermont’s House Natural Resources Committee to urge lawmakers to ban bus idling. If he can do it, so can you!
• Check out the EPA's Clean School Bus program for information about banning bus idling and retrofiting or replacing older buses. Since 2003, 48,000 school buses across the nation have been retrofit with emissions-reduction technology. Retrofitting has reduced particulate matter (PM) by over 300 tons and reduced other air pollutants and emissions by over 4,000 tons. 
• Organize a Walk to School event for the next Walk To School Day on Oct. 7. Use the event as a stepping point for talking with school and community administrators about improving the safety of walking routes and getting kids involved in walking.
• Start a walking school bus program where a group of children walk to school with one or more adults each day or even just once a week. Check out WalkingSchoolBus.org to find out if there is a walkable route in your community.  

Photo: samlevin