Healthy Buses = Healthy + Smart Kids: ROI of cleaning up diesel with Dr. Sara Adar

September is usually a time when kids board school buses to start a new school year. In 2020,  we are instead logging into Zoom calls, and  hunkered down in our homes avoiding a pandemic virus and wildfires. Sometimes it is hard to find hope, but there is hope in this episode today! I focus on a very hopeful topic- the massive benefit of cleaning up diesel. While trying to convey the importance of decreasing diesel exhaust, I frequently cite a particular study by my guest Professor Sara Adar. We talk about what happened when Washington State decided to invest money and policy into cleaning up the engines and fuel of school buses for young children.  I love this study, because it gives me hope. Dr. Adar and I also discussed studies in Georgia, where changes to cleaner buses led to better educational achievement in students. We also discussed the many studies that have shown additional healthy life expectancy from intelligent air pollution policy and investing in healthy air. It’s a win-win. Let’s clean up the air. 

Take Action- 

1- Find out the age of the school buses or other public diesel engines in your area. If they have not been retrofitted or do not have engines from after 2007, find out what your school district or municipality is planning to do and whether they have applied for DERA funding to help improve health and decrease absenteeism. Find out if your local area can obtain funding from the Volkswagen Settlement for cleaning up the fleet. 

2- Call or write your Members of Congress and tell them you support a Clean School Bus Act in the next Congress- it’s an investment in the futures of our kids and a future strong economy. 

3- Make sure your bus drivers have good health insurance and working conditions. 

4- Talk to your local town or city council, your state legislature, and your federal elected representatives about your concerns about air pollution and diesel, and share your thoughts about the economic benefits of healthy air.

TLDL (To Long Didn't Listen)- Diesel exhaust makes kids sick, and cleaning up diesel school buses decreases sick days and helps kids do better in school. Let's invest in our kids!

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Visit episode post for more information and references, or go to airhealthourhealth.org.

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