Idle Free Banner

The Issue

As the winter months approach, vehicle idling increases as people become more concerned about maintaining the cabin temperature of their vehicle. However, students arriving and leaving school and/or participating in outdoor sports are subjected to the increased concentration of pollution resulting from vehicle exhaust.  Help out your fellow students by gifting your school community with your art. 

Project Overview

Get your friends and/or environment club together to create a banner that will be a reminder to the school community that your school is an Idle Free Zone.

Time Commitment

Individual:         10 hours - design and create
                            1 hour - organizing banner placement
                            1 hour - acquiring materials
                            1 to 2 hours - distributing backgrounder information

Group:                3 hours- (design and create)
                            1 hour -organizing banner placement

                            30 minutes- acquiring materials                            

                            ½ hour - distributing backgrounder information

Plan for Action

Creating a cool banner:

As a group or as an individual, design and build a banner that declares the school community an idle free zone.

To make an impact, be mindful of the following suggestions:

  • Large enough so that it takes about 4 people to hold it and roll it out
  • Colorful, vibrant, and eye catching
  • Clearly stating that your school is Idle Free, providing information about:
    • an event the presentation of this banner is tied to (example: Clean Air Day)
    • instructions about why and when to shut off vehicle engines
    • the benefits of shutting off your engine
  • Displayed in the concourse outside your school or in your schools entrance foyer.

Getting support from your school:

You can also help to educate School staff and parents by using the backgrounder supplied below.  Distribute the paper using the school mailing room, or include information in a school newsletter or e-newsletter.

Parent Advisory Councils often have their own means of communication and would be more than happy to distribute the information at a meeting or in a newsletter format.

Providing a backgrounder to the community can give people the information they need to help make your project a success. It can also come in handy when you approach staff about the best way to hang the banner.

Tool-kit

Register here to access the tool-kit

Download this idle-free backgrounder to distribute to the school community staff to promote the necessity of the banner.

Those Your U-Turn participants wishing to work together to create a banner can apply here to request supplies for the banner. An arrangement will be made to have these supplies available to you through the career department.