Clean Air Programs
As an extension of its multi-layered Idle Free Zone program,Auntie Litter, Inc. continues its mission to addressBirmingham’s poor air quality ratings by reaching out to schools within Jefferson and Shelby Counties. The campaign, “Be a Solution to the Pollution!” kicked off in 2009 with a massive distribution of activity pages for students. School Administrators received APCA bags, calendar magnets and Air Quality Index guides to help them understand air quality ratings. As the lead education organization for the Alabama Partners for Clean Air (APCA) since 1998, Auntie Litter aims to remind drivers to reduce harmful emissions by turning off engines while waiting for school to be dismissed.

A letter from Dr. Joseph B. Morton, the Alabama State Superintendent of Education, encouraged all school systems in the two-county area to participate in the Idle Free Zone program. To date, the school districts of Jefferson County, Shelby County, Bessemer, Birmingham, Leeds, Mountain Brook, Hoover, Tarrant, Midfield and Vestavia Hills have signed on to have signs installed near school carpool lanes that read, “Do Your Share for Cleaner Air, Turn the Key Be Idle Free.” Participating principals have also been working with Auntie Litter diligently to complete carpool surveys that will allow Auntie Litter and APCA to assess ways to help School Administrators address school traffic issues.