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Drivers, Start Your Engines!. Making Air Quality Practical , Relevant, and FUN for Youth Roberta Burnes Environmental Education Specialist Kentucky Division for Air Quality. Air quality is abstract. Make it active Make it personal Engage the senses.
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Drivers, Start Your Engines! Making Air Quality Practical, Relevant, and FUN for Youth Roberta Burnes Environmental Education Specialist Kentucky Division for Air Quality
Air quality is abstract • Make it active • Make it personal • Engage the senses
How do consumer decisions impact air quality? 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible MPG – City 18/Highway 26 Maximum Seating - 2 2006 Hummer H3 Midsize SUV MPG – City 16/Highway 20 Maximum Seating - 5 2006 Toyota Prius Compact Hybrid Sedan MPG – City 60/Highway 51 Maximum Seating - 5
Setting the Stage • Students receive car cards with MPG data • Each student gets three gas tokens • Each gas token is worth one gallon of gas
Procedure • Students line up • Choose city or highway
Procedure • Begin walking, counting steps • One step=one mile
Procedure • Refer to car cards for MPG • Drop one gas token for every gallon of gas you use • When you run out of gas, stop!
Procedure • Some cars go farther than others on a gallon of gas! Maybe I should choose another vehicle ….
The carpool advantage • Students choose who they want to carpool with • Students “pool” their gas tokens • No one runs out of gas!
Extensions: Hybrid cars • Where’s the exhaust?
Extensions: GHG emissions • Collecting tailpipe exhaust to test for CO2
Extensions: GHG emissions • Car exhaust is release into solution of bromothymol blue • Amount of color change indicates relative concentration of CO2
Conclusions • Air quality impacts everything – people, plants, environment • Look for ways to make it “touchy-feely” • Have fun!
Contact Roberta Burnes Kentucky Division for Air Quality 800-928-0047 roberta.burnes@ky.gov