Photo: Catherine Russell of Green-Schools Travel pictured with Chloe Lehane of St Mary's Secondary, Macroom, winner of Clean Air Week Banner Competition 2023

Clean Air Week for Schools — idling bans and active travel to school encouraged

The sixth annual celebration of Clean Air Week starts on Monday, the 25th of November for five days in schools across Ireland. Organised by An Taisce’s Green-Schools Travel programme, Clean Air Week calls on schools and communities to work together to improve and protect air quality by choosing active travel modes, implementing idling bans and promoting improved driver behaviour.  

Idling engines have significant impacts on air quality in our communities, particularly at schools where those most vulnerable to poor air quality – children – congregate. Green-Schools Travel Officers will be working with schools next week to share resources, activities, and promote measures focused on improving air quality.  

Recent studies* have shown the importance of cleaner air in Ireland. While generally of good quality, air pollution is a contributory factor in childhood illnesses, such as asthma, and is linked to over one thousand premature deaths each year.**  

No Idling Survey

Green-Schools Travel Officers recently conducted vehicle idling surveys (engines running while stationary) with over 100 schools. The aim was to capture the extent of idling outside schools and provide a snapshot of the issue in Ireland. Idling was recorded for all vehicle types, and ranged from one to 25 minutes.  

Idling is a habit few people take into consideration, and one which many believe is better for their car than turning off the engine. To bust the myths and provide information, Green-Schools have produced Idling FAQs, which can be found on the Green-Schools website.

This year, Green-Schools Travel have teamed up with GLOBE Ireland and expert speakers from NASA to deliver an engaging webinar for secondary school students on air quality. There are also two competitions running for primary and secondary school students to help them join in the initiative.

Allison Phillips is the Manager of the Green-Schools Travel programme:

“Clean Air Week is a call to action week aimed at raising awareness about air quality and the factors that can impact the air we breathe. The modes of Travel we use every day can affect air quality at home, school, and globally. This weeklong campaign is about encouraging behaviours of drivers that will make the front of school environment a healthy, clean and friendly one for children and young people. Theirs are the lungs we need to protect, and we can only do so by moving vehicle traffic from the front of school and sharing information on the damage caused by idling car, truck and bus engines.  

"We’re giving schools and communities the information and tools to promote actions to build awareness on the air quality and reduce air pollution and hope everyone can get involved next week for our sixth Clean Air Week celebration.”

Schools and communities can find the Green-Schools No Idling Toolkit, Air Quality Resource and Idling FAQ's on the Green-Schools website along with new in-class resources and templates to engage all ages to #BeatAirPollution.  

Cost of engine idling

While engine idling is damaging and unnecessary, especially to children’s health, it is also damaging to our pockets. Ten minutes of idling could take you 8 kilometres.  The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Energy Academy highlights that an idling engine will use between 0.5 to 2 litres of fuel in an hour. 
 
*Air Quality in Ireland 2022, EPA.
** Government of Ireland Clean Air Strategy, 2023.

About Green-Schools: 
Green-Schools is Ireland’s leading environmental management and education programme for schools.  Promoting long-term, whole-school action for the environment, Green-Schools is a student-led programme with involvement from the wider community. The programme is operated and co-ordinated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce (FEE member for Ireland). The Green-Schools Travel theme is funded by the Department of Transport and supported by the National Transport Authority.