Green Brook Schools to Parents: Turn Off Your Car

have launched an effort to reduce auto emissions by turning off vehicles while waiting to pick up children at schools. The district sent the following email to parents Sunday to launch the effort: 

Good afternoon. I am sending you this email to ask for your participation in our school district’s Anti (Automobile) Idling Initiative. One of the goals that our district Green Classroom Committee targeted for this year was to reduce the amount of energy that we produce as a school community that will result in the burning of fossil fuels and ultimately the emission of carcinogens and carbon monoxide and dioxide into our atmosphere.  

According to some of the latest research, not only does air pollution from fossil fuel emissions exacerbate medical conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and allergies; it may also increase your risk of a heart attack by 5 percent and stroke by 34 percent. Furthermore, the research also notes that children are more susceptible to chronic and acute respiratory problems due to air pollution because they breathe up to 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults.

Unfortunately, according to the latest statistics from CLR Research, the Carbon Monoxide Index level in Green Brook, is 12 percent over the national average and 6 percent over the New Jersey average.

Therefore, please take three minutes of your time this week (May 20 – May 25) to make a pledge to stop and to promote the stop of the unnecessary idling of automobiles by going to the web address below, which is also posted on our website (www.gbtps.org). As an incentive, we will be publicly recognizing the grade level with the most parent and staff pledges.

Thank you for your help in keeping the green in Green Brook.