A group of teenagers in Highland Park, Ill., is working to reduce school bus emissions through an innovative invention: GreenShields.

Jonny Cohen (pictured above), inventor and founder of GreenShields, began this project two years ago with the help of his sister and her friends, and he spearheads the group.

An avid love of science and a desire to improve air quality prompted Jonny to develop GreenShields. He describes GreenShields as retrofitting existing school buses with a Plexiglas shield that will reduce the drag of school buses and, therefore, lower their carbon dioxide emissions.

To hear Jonny talk about how GreenShields works and to view a demonstration of its effectiveness through the use of a homemade wind tunnel built by him and his sister, play the video below.

The group applied for and won a $25,000 grant through Pepsi's Refresh Project to help them get their project off the ground.

They reportedly plan to make a scale model of the shield and test it in a wind tunnel to confirm that the shield makes school buses more aerodynamic and energy efficient.

To this end, the money will be spent on computer-aided design and mechanical design services, rough model mock-ups, Plexiglas and fasteners, fabrication of a metal frame and final testing and modification work.

In working on the project, the group says their goal is to make a positive environmental impact with each bus and, ultimately, revolutionize school buses.  

Until next time,

Kelly Roher

Senior Editor