Climate Action Month Meath runs until Thursday 23rd October
Children in Trim are hoping that the air quality outside their schools will be improving shortly, as a result of a new initiative introduced by Trim Climate Action & Trim Tidy Towns.
'No Idling' signs have been erected outside a number of schools in the town in a bid to reduce the air pollution caused by drivers that choose to leave their engines running while waiting to collect students.
"Exhaust emissions contain carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming. They also contain carbon monoxide & particulate matter, both of which are harmful to human health & contribute to respiratory problems. So, it is really a no brainer to reduce these emissions whenever we can", according to Lill Coyne, a member of Trim Climate Action, and the person who came up with the idea.
Trim Tidy Towns were keen to support the idea & designed the sign. St Patrick's Church carpark on Patrick Street, is used by parents of both St Michael's & St Mary's National Schools. It is a part of the town that has been noted as being the most polluted by vehicle exhaust emissions. These schools were approached & immediately agreed that there was a need for the signage, so Trim Tidy Towns erected four signs to cover the large carpark. It's now hoped that all schools in Trim will agree to erection of similar signage around their school entrances. The initiative is also supported by the 'Green Team' in Prosper Meath.
Lill Coyne said "It is great to see the signs going up. We really hope that this will improve air quality in these locations. An even better way to improve air quality, of course, is to leave the car at home. Research shows that almost a third of car journeys are under 2km. We hope that schools will introduce 'Car-Free Days' to encourage parents & children to walk or cycle to school. It doesn't rain that often! We intend to talk to the Council about installing a network of cycle lanes in the town so that kids can cycle to school safely. It's better for our health & the health of the planet".
Meath County Council's Climate Action Department funded the new signage as part of the Council's 'Climate Action Month'. Climate Action Month Meath runs until Thursday 23rd October.
A comprehensive range of events includes energy information clinics, Eco Chic clothes swaps, toy libraries, green business networking events, beach cleans, and a cooking course with Catherine Fulvio designed to help eliminate food waste, in addition to many other events. The aim of the initiative is to show that we can all do something to contribute to climate action.