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Electric School Bus
Kids deserve safe and healthy rides to school

It’s a new year and a new opportunity to protect our kids from air pollution — especially with their still-developing lungs. Did you know that the air pollution inside a diesel bus can be 4-12 times higher than outside?(1)  Riding to school in a safe, healthy environment shouldn't be a privilege — all kids deserve to have clean air.

Tell your Washington state legislators: Transition our school bus fleets to pollution-free.

In Washington, fewer than 1% of our state's school bus fleet are electric, meaning most of our state's operating school buses are creating unhealthy air pollution.(2) Diesel exhaust has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including cancer, asthma, and bronchitis.(3) And of course, diesel exhaust is a climate pollutant that contributes to the climate crisis.

Fortunately, zero-emission school buses provide a cleaner, healthier way for kids to get to school. Washington legislators introduced a bill in the 2023 legislative session that would have transitioned Washington's school bus fleet to be zero emission, but it didn't advance.(4)

We have another chance in this 2024 legislative session to pass a policy that would require all school buses to be zero-emission by 2035 and fund this transition, but we need your support to make this happen.

Send a message to your state legislators urging them to champion 100% clean school buses for healthy kids.

 

Notes:

1. Science Direct, June 2011 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167629611000701#bib0190

2. Ashli Blow, "Seattle-Area Schools Slowly Electrify Bus Fleets," The Urbanist, September 23, 2023.
3. "Accelerating the Transition to Electric School Buses," Environment America, February 1, 2021.
4. "HB 1368 - 2023-24," Washington State Legislature, last accessed October 24, 2023.

Author Bio

Joelle Robinson
Joëlle Robinson

Field Director, Climate Solutions

Joëlle engages community members and diverse constituencies—faith, health, youth, parents, business—to make their voices heard for climate solutions. She led the team of organizers to ensure we stopped any coal export from the U.S. West Coast over the past decade. On offense, she co-led the Field team to help pass the 100% Clean Electricity (Clean Energy Transition Act in 2019) and in 2022 collaborated with the Field team to ensure that all new buildings (commercial and residential) will be built with heat pumps per the State Building Code Council. She continues to conspire for good with them on many other local and state initiatives.

Joëlle was the Regional Outreach Coordinator of National Wildlife Federation where she focused on mobilizing hunters, anglers and concerned citizens around solutions to global warming. Previous work with Climate Solutions includes the NW Climate Connections partnership, serving as the Field Assistant for the successful Clean Cars campaign, and Field Director of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which passed in April 2006.

She previously served on the boards of Earth Ministry, Solar Washington, and Sierra Club Executive Committee. She’s currently President of the board of her 3 year-old!

Joëlle is Northwest born and raised who loves to hike, dance, travel and explore the natural world.

Her favorite quote is “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —  Mary Oliver

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