By Sassy Smallman

Kennebunk resident

On an average school day, 380 cars arrive in the five parking lots of MSAD 71 schools as parents drop their children off at school. That number is up over previous years and bus ridership is down, according to Tom Maines and Jennifer Niese, co-chairs of the Energy-Conservation Advisory Team (ECAT) for MSAD 71.

And, Maines says, that’s bad news – for our pocketbooks, for the health of our children, for the quality of the air we breathe.

Calculating just how far the average parents drive their children to a school is nearly impossible, Maines says.

“While we know the average school bus trip is about five miles, we’ll cut that in half for a variety of reasons: parents take more than one child to more than one school and they do errands on the way home,” Maine says. “Taking a very conservative number, we’ll say the average parent drives 2.5 miles to the school, returns home and does the trip again when school lets out. That means the parents are putting 10 miles a day on their cars for each of the 178 school days or 1,780 miles for the entire school year. Multiple that total by the 380 cars mentioned above and we come to an astonishing 676,400 miles driven per school year!”

And what are the costs of those 676,400 miles?

Niese, who has two children in Kennebunk schools, points out that more than money is at stake.

“First, let’s look at this from a dollars and cents standpoint. Let’s use the arbitrary but realistic mileage figure of 20 miles per gallon for every car pulling into our school parking lots. 676,400 miles at 20 mpg gives us a total of 33,820 gallons of gasoline purchased. At today’s prices of about $4 per gallon, that’s $135,250 of parental spending on transporting their children to and from school, an item already paid for by their taxes!”

But that’s only money.

“What do the 676,400 miles mean in terms of air pollution and its effect on our children’s health? The American Lung Association findings here should give us all pause: vehicle emissions can trigger asthma attacks and other heart and breathing problems. Children are more sensitive to pollution; they breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body weight. In Maine 13.2 percent of children suffer from asthma – that’s the highest rate in New England.”

Beyond money and health ramifications, Niese says, is the question: what do those 676,400 miles mean for the environment?

“For one thing, we know that the burning of fossil fuels affects the earth’s climate: every gallon of gas burned puts 20 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution into the air. According to the American Lung Association, transportation sources contribute more than half the total of man-made air pollution in the U.S. today.”

Maines, Operations Manager for MSAD 71, is seeking comments from parents who are reluctant to have their children ride the school bus. 

“We are looking for input here. What can we do to get parents to put their children on the school bus more often? I encourage parents to email their comments and concerns to me at ridethebus@msad71.net,” he  said.

Maines also points out that there will be a major change in traffic patterns for drivers entering Kennebunk High School this fall.

“Automobile traffic coming into the high school will be restricted to one way only for all personnel between 7 and 8 a.m. Cars will enter by the Superintendent’s Office and exit through the underpass. Drivers should keep in mind that the more private vehicles entering the schoolyard, the more unsafe it becomes.”

Maines and Niese are looking to expand membership in ECAT, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month at the bus barn on Route 1. Anyone interested in joining ECAT, please contact Jennifer Niese at turnstone@gwi.net. 

ECAT’s focus is threefold: To help the school district be more energy efficient and save money; to produce environmental benefits (such as reduced carbon dioxide emissions and improved air quality) to the students of MSAD 71, and to tap into existing energy efficiency resources. E-CAT meets the second Tuesday of every month at 3:30 p.m.