UPS Grant Will Help Georgia "No-Idling Campaign" Go National

Program to Reduce Pollution, Improve Children’s Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Earth Day Network, The Clean Air Campaign and UPS today announced the launch of a nationwide No-Idling Campaign. The program, designed for schools from grades K-through-12, is aimed at reducing harmful vehicle emissions around children and protecting the environment by eliminating unnecessary vehicle idling at schools across the country.

Made possible by a combined $350,000 grant from The UPS Foundation, Earth Day Network has partnered with The Clean Air Campaign, a Georgia non-profit, to take its program’s statewide success to a national level. This school year alone, The Clean Air Campaign’s No-Idling initiative has impacted more than 220,000 students, faculty, parents and members of the community. This campaign provides turnkey solutions through toolkits for administrators and teachers and collateral and educational materials for bus drivers and parent drivers.

"Turning off your engine while waiting to pick up your child is such a simple step to help everyone breathe cleaner air, save money on gas and reduce emissions all at the same time" said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. "Vehicle idling wastes fuel and money. In fact, idling for 30 seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine, and idling for 10 minutes a day wastes an average of 24.6 gallons of gas per year"

Providing a healthier environment for children is a top priority of the No-Idling Campaign. "Children are more negatively affected by car exhaust than adults because they are closer to the ground and their lungs are still developing, but drivers just don’t think about it" added Kevin Green, executive director of The Clean Air Campaign. "In fact, particle pollution and ground level ozone and can aggravate asthma and contribute to increased upper-respiratory infections"

The No-Idling Campaign not only targets drivers but also engages children, helping to instill a sense of environmental responsibility in the next generation. Program materials for educators such as signage for car pool lines, classroom curriculum, pledge cards and fliers will be available for download at the Earth Day Network web site.

"Environmental sustainability is one of The UPS Foundation’s newest focus areas" said Lisa Hamilton, president of The UPS Foundation. "So we are thrilled to be able to expand on the tremendous success of The Clean Air Campaign in Georgia. By also partnering with The Earth Day Network, we look forward to protecting young lungs and improving the environment across the country"

About Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network, www.earthday.net, grew out of the original Earth Day in 1970. The non-profit organization seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable planet. It pursues these goals through education, politics, and consumer activism. Earth Day Network has a global reach with a network of more than 17,000 partners and organizations in 174 countries. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world.

About Clean Air Campaign
The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit organization that works with Georgia’s employers, commuters and schools to encourage actions that result in less traffic congestion and better air quality. The Campaign works with more than 1,600 employers to create custom commute options programs and annually helps thousands of commuters find commute alternatives that work for them, providing financial incentives to get them started. The Clean Air Campaign also protects public health by issuing Smog Alerts and empowers students, parents and teachers to play a positive role in reducing traffic and cleaning the air through a multi-faceted Clean Air Schools program reaching elementary, middle and high schools.

About The UPS Foundation
Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation’s major areas of focus include community safety, non-profit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact. In 2007, The UPS Foundation donated more than $46 million to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS’s community involvement.

For additional information on the No Idling Campaign, visit www.earthday.net/noidling.