Feb 2009 Editor's Letter
By: Jill Pinheiro

Do you encourage your students to ride the bus to and from school? School transportation has long been known to be the safest way for students to travel to school every day, but did you know that it's also an environmentally friendly method? In today's focus of going green, the school bus can assist with these efforts as well.

The American School Bus Council (ASBC) offers the top four reasons why "yellow" is the "green" way to get to school:

1. One school bus can carry up to 65 children. That's 65 parents who can keep their car in the garage and emissions out of the air.

2. School buses are getting "cleaner" every year. Today's school buses are 60 times cleaner than those manufactured in 1990.

3. "Old" buses are going green, too. Since 2003, more than 12,000 school buses have been retrofitted with emissions-reduction technology.

4. We're helping to reduce soot and smog. All newly constructed school buses are reducing soot and smog-causing emissions by 90 and 95 percent, respectively.

Additionally, the school bus saves gas, putting those valuable dollars back in parents' pockets. According to the ASBC, "As a result of the 480,000 school buses currently in operation, more than 2.3 billion gallons of fuel are spared each year, resulting in a net savings of more than $8 billion dollars in fuel costs."

The school bus offers a variety of advantages to both your students and their parents. And, to make sure that you have the best and safest vehicles for your students, check out this month's article detailing what you should consider when you're evaluating and selecting vehicles for your school.

I'm always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@cspmag.com.

God Bless,

Jill Pinheiro
Managing Editor