 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You may not hear it every day, but you should. After all, your job's important, maybe the most important in the whole school district. Think about it. Every day, a community trusts you to keep its kids safe. And you work hard to do just that. Now there's one more thing you can do. What we're finding more and more is that exhaust fumes from all vehicles carry major health risks, especially for children. One way to reduce this is to minimize idling time around schoolyards. You may have heard something like this before, but dig a little deeper and you start to understand the why behind the what. Here's what happens. During idling, diesel exhaust accumulates on and around the bus. When idling occurs in the schoolyard, the exhaust can go all around the school, even inside. That can make respiratory conditions much worse, like asthma, bronchitis, lung disease, and infections. And it's especially tough on kids. Children are more susceptible because their respiratory systems are not fully developed. When you factor in body weight, they actually breathe 50% more air than adults do. Diesel exhaust may also aggravate heart disease and cause cancer, so not idling is a matter of good health for the kids and for you. Plus, idling causes more wear and tear on the engine and waste fuel and money. So here are a few tips to help you turn off the bus when you should and leave it idling when you have to. First, the easy part. In warmer weather, turn off your engine whenever you stop for any length of time, like when you're on break or waiting for afternoon dismissal. Of course, winter's a different story. How do you cut down idling when you've got an engine to keep warm, windows to defrost, even a radio to run? Try these ideas. First, turn your key to the accessories position to run the radio and other electrical components. It's also possible to change the circuitry in the bus so the overhead flashing lights will work with the engine off and the door open. As you would in warmer weather, turn off the bus during breaks and lags in scheduling. Of course, even with these tips, you'll find times when you really do have to keep idling. Even then, you can keep it to a minimum. In many instances, five minutes worth of idling will defrost the windows and warm the engine. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for cool down, usually three to five minutes. Now, you're not alone in all this. School districts can play a role by streamlining their dismissal procedures. Districts and bus companies can warm up the engines with block heaters on winter mornings. Also, many school districts and communities have no idling policies. Because of concerns from parents and school officials and drivers themselves, our district decided to institute a no idling policy. The drivers were very good about buying into the program and there wasn't any kind of a problem with them shutting down their buses because they're used to the cold, they're a little bit tough. The parents are very excited because the parents didn't want the kids smelling the fumes. The school is very happy about it because the school feels that they're not getting the fumes from the intake so the school is really excited about the buses not idling at all either. It's very easy to put into effect and the drivers bought into it and it didn't cost any money. It was just an easy thing to do. Some states have laws prohibiting idling on school grounds. It's important to follow these policies and laws. And the federal government is doing its part by setting emission standards to take effect in the next few years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus USA program is assisting school districts across the U.S. with school bus retrofit, replacement and idling reduction projects. Check the website at the end of this video for more information. So everybody can do something. It's an easy thing to institute. It's good for the drivers, it's good for the kids, it's good for the schools, it's a win-win situation. Here's your chance to do your part. If we all work together, we can make a healthier future for ourselves and our children. And for that, we'll all thank you.