Service Club Leaders, Environmental Organizations, Science and Health Teachers, Parents AIR: The SEARCH FOR ONE CLEAN BREATH inspires viewers to protect this precious natural resource. Tony Award®-winning actor Joe Mantegna narrates this film biography of air - the invisible character essential to all life. With state-of-the art animation and live action, take a guided tour of the story of air. Meet renowned scientists and scholars worldwide who are discovering the mysteries of air. From the beginning of time to the present, this voyage will take you to an 18th century British laboratory, the island nation of Iceland, and to a deserted steel mill in the Utah desert.

This 41-minute film was created by Ventura County air Pollution control District, Ventura, California under cooperative agreement with The United States Environmental Protection Agency. Additional support was provided by Dubscape, Inc., Loma Linda University Medical Center, Media 360, and the Port of Long Beach, California.

The middle school and high school classroom guide for "Air - The Search for One Clean Breath," is now available online for free download at:

http://www.vcapcd.org/AirTheFilm/teacher.htm

Each of the nine lessons can be taught as a standalone lesson, altogether, and with the DVD. The lessons meet National Science Standards and have been tested in schools prior to this release.

You may check out this DVD by mail in either regular high definition or Blu-Ray Disc format from the DNR Air Quality Bureau for one week. Contact Mindy Kralicek, Air Quality Information Specialist, at (515) 281-7832 or Mindy.Kralicek@dnr.iowa.gov. Each of the Environmental Service Division Field Offices also has a copy to lend if you prefer to check this out locally. Go to http://www.iowadnr.gov/contact.html to see contact information for the field offices in the middle of the Web page.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is an important tool for letting children know when air quality in their area is unhealthy and how they, their families, and communities can protect their health. The AQI uses a color-coded scale and maps to provide daily air quality information. The AQI is available on the Internet at: www.airnow.gov. The Toolkit at the web link below provides teachers with easy-to-use and engaging lesson plans, additional activities, and other resources to teach students about the connections between air quality, health, weather, and other related science topics, as well as actions students can take to protect their health and reduce air pollution.

www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqi_toolkit.main

This web site uses online real time data to guide student discovery of the science behind the causes and effects of outdoor air pollution. They’ll visit live web cams in various National Parks to capture air quality data, learn how wind transports air pollution, and even compare small particle pollution sources in Iowa compared to other states. This excellent source for teaching air quality concepts is located at:

www.k12science.org/curriculum/airproj/

EPA is pleased to announce that the Climate Change Emission Calculator Kit (Climate CHECK) is now available. Climate CHECK is a free, user- friendly, Excel-based program designed to teach high-school students about the science, drivers, and impacts of climate change and provide them with the knowledge, tools, and resources to increase climate-change awareness and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at their school.

Climate Check:

• Educates high-school students about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions,
• Allows students to inventory their school’s greenhouse gas emissions using built-in calculators and school-specific “activity data,” and
• Provides resources to help students develop and implement a mitigation action plan.

To download Climate CHECK, go to: www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/school.html and click on the link under “2. High school students check your school's climate impact.”

School buses provide our nation’s children with safe, convenient transportation. Diesel exhaust from school buses, however, poses a health risk, particularly to children. Diesel exhaust contains small particles as well as smog-forming and toxic air pollutants. Exposure to diesel exhaust can cause lung damage and respiratory problems and can exacerbate asthma and existing allergies. Buses that idle outside schools can pollute the air inside the school building as well as outdoors. Fortunately, there are several steps that schools can take to reduce diesel exhaust from school buses.

Read more about it at the following web sites:

• Iowa DNR's Bus Emissions Education Program (BEEP)
• BEEP Grant Report

EPA announces release of The Magic School Bus Gets Cleaned Up

Written in partnership with Scholastic Inc., the Environmental Protection Agency has announced the publication of the children’s book The Magic School Bus Gets Cleaned Up. Ms. Frizzle’s class travel via their magical bus through a diesel engine to learn about pollution from school buses and what is being done to reduce diesel exhaust. The children learn about idle reduction and other ways the community can help reduce health risks from diesel exhaust. At the end of the book, the magic school bus is retrofitted with a diesel particulate filter.

The books are available free of charge to schools, libraries, non-profit organizations and organizations conducting diesel education and outreach campaigns. Quantities are limited. Visit www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus for ordering information.

Smog City is an interactive air pollution simulator that shows how your choices, environmental factors, and land use contribute to air pollution. In Smog City you're in control so your visit can be a healthy or unhealthy experience depending on the decisions you make. You'll see how ground-level ozone, the biggest part of summertime smog, increases or decreases when you spend a day in Smog City.

Teachers can obtain the whole cast of Rogues Gallery educational trading cards for classroom use. These fun cards show five of the most common pollutants. The reverse gives a description of each - the causes, sources and how kids and parents can reduce emissions. For samples or bulk copies, contact Mindy Kralicek at 515-281-7832 or Mindy.Kralicek@dnr.iowa.gov.

Download an Air Quality Coloring Book! (2,219KB PDF)