Wellesley Middle School students, along with the Wellesley Middle School Green Team, Wellesley Green Schools, and the Natural Resources Commission, offered thank you gifts of daffodils to pick-up line drivers despite inclement weather conditions, for not idling.
March 21 ushered in a new tradition: “Turn Off Your Key and Make Wellesley Middle School Idle Free Celebration,” according to students. Balloons decorated the new, “no idling” signs that were installed by the Public Works Department along Kingsbury Street and Wellesley Police Officer Evan Rosenberg ensured the safety of the event while thanking folks for not idling.
“We wanted to find a positive way to encourage people not to idle,” according to Sue Morris, one of the Chairs of Wellesley Green Schools, adding that with the assistance of the administration and teachers such as Catherine Longley-Cook and Matthew Clarke, enthusiastic students were able to share flowers and a note saying ‘spring flowers thrive in clean air… thanks for not idling your car’.
Kingsbury Street was not only lined with positive students with arms ladled in flowers but also with inspirational signs that read: “avoid a costly ticket- five minutes is the legal limit (per Massachusetts law) to idle a car and fines are $100 for the first offense and $500 for the second offense; breathe healthier air- more than 40 hazardous air pollutants and carcinogens are emitted from engine exhaust;
save gas- two minutes of idling uses as much fuel as traveling one mile; let kids walk- three pounds of pollution per month are generated by every vehicle dropping off and picking up kids at one school; help kids with asthma- children's asthma symptoms increase dramatically as a result of car exhaust,
live longer- exposure to car exhaust can increase the chances of getting heart & lung disease as well as cancer; help stop climate change- car emissions contribute to global warming; and turn off your key… make WMS Wellesley Idle-Free.
For more information on this or other similar initiatives, email info@sustainableWellesley.com.
Rama K. Ramaswamy writes for Hometown Weekly. She can be reached at news@hometownweekly.net.
