Asthma, Air Pollution, Children -- ASTHMA FREE ZONES

WalkBikeBerks encourages parents and school staff to walk or bicycle to school to reduce emissions and improve health for themselves, their children, and the communities where they live. If you cannot walk or bicycle to school -- please remember to turn off your engines when waiting in school zones. Let's work together to create Idle Free / Asthma Free zones near schools and parks -- so that our children can breathe clean air.

The Links Between Asthma and Air Pollution

by Molly Marie Griffin
June 15, 2009
You can't catch your breath, your chest tightens, your airways constrict and suddenly you feel like you're drowning on land. Asthma, a chronic, genetic respiratory condition, currently affects more than 22 million people in the United States alone.... Click Here to Read the Full Article

The final paragraph of the article brings the whole issue into focus:

"Things aren't looking great for asthmatics today, but all is not lost. During the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, the city closed roads downtown to private cars and allowed only public transit for 17 days. During that time, ozone levels dropped 28 percent and there were 20 percent fewer hospitalizations due to asthma. If only big cities like this, which have much higher asthma rates, will follow Atlanta's example or make permanent changes, someday we might all be able to breathe a little easier."

Here is a fantastic example of a community working to reduce harmful auto emissions near schools and playgrounds: http://www.hastebc.org/school-anti-idling-sign-order-form