Being Idle Free is Easy
Just turn the key

History

Utah Clean Cities (UCC) launched the very first Idle Free campaign in 2006, with the help of a Department of Energy (DOE) Educational Grant, and in association with The National Energy Foundation (NEF), the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), and with support from the National School Board Association (NSBA).

The collaboration of these groups led to a successful new school bus driver idle reduction curriculum: Get on the Bus for Cleaner Air and Healthier Kids: An Education and Action Project, which was implemented in Cache Valley, Salt Lake City and Washington County School Districts in 2007.

The Idle Free message was so well-received, that by 2008, it was incorporated into the Bus Driver Training Curriculum across the state. In 2009, Idle Free expanded further when UCC led kick-off campaigns for 65 schools in Salt Lake City and Salt Lake. By 2010, the campaign blossomed into a statewide focus when Governor Gary R. Herbert declared the month of September as “Idle Free Awareness Month.”

Since 2010, over 35 mayors and 300 schools throughout Utah have joined the Idle Free effort. Overwhelming support from students, teachers, principals, school bus drivers, private businesses, local chambers of commerce, cities and the State of Utah have made the campaign an overwhelming success!

Today

Utah Clean Cities and its stakeholders have distributed over 20,000 Idle Free decals and more than 300 permanent outdoor Idle Free signs. UCC continues working with communities to encourage drivers to turn off their vehicles when idling for more than 10 seconds. In recent years, the Idle Free campaign has been incorporated and adapted by other organizations—including cities, schools, businesses and air quality organizations. UCC has also enjoyed working with groups outside the state, including other coalitions, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Argonne National Laboratory.

Future

The (clean) sky’s the limit! We hope you will find new and innovative ways to incorporate Idle Free campaign components into your organizations clean-air plan. Please contact us for more information, or to help support your Idle-Free events.