About Us

Citizen's School Bus (CSB) is a public education and awareness organization dedicated to promoting the use of biodiesel fuel as the healthy alternative to petroleum diesel in school buses for the sake of children's health and wellbeing. Petroleum-based diesel emissions are classified as a toxic carcinogen, consisting of more than 40 cancer-causing chemicals. More 25 million school children are exposed to threatening levels of these emissions each school day. For little or no extra cost to school districts and fleet operators, each and every one of the more than 400,000 diesel school buses on the road today can switch to biodiesel tomorrow. It just requires public awareness of the health issues at hand and the initiative of parents and educators to address them.

CSB Mission

To broaden awareness for biodiesel pursuant to enabling educators, parents, and policy makers to take the necessary steps in solving this critical, school bus health issue.

CSB Featured News Story

Julia Roberts visits children with respiratory illnesses at UCLA Children's Hospital.

The May issue of ELLE magazine marks its first "Green Issue". It features Julia Roberts, who is using her star power to shine a light on the health risks posed by diesel school buses to the children who ride on them.

"I was having a conversation with some friends who were talking about diesel carcinogens and school buses — 'Man, can you imagine putting your kids on these school buses with these toxins?'" And I was like, 'What?' We all remember as kids being on school buses with that school bus smell — which is really toxic pollution that you're breathing."

Roberts summed up the issue this way: "I just feel that any parent who's informed cannot put their kid on a school bus without saying to their school district or their congressman, 'Hey, man, you gotta clean this up for us!' Because it's too easy not to fix."

In January, Roberts helped initiate legislation in California that will mandate the use of biodiesel in all diesel school buses. The school bus bill (SB 72) passed the Senate Education Committee in a 6-0 vote on March 28th. It has been referred to the Committee on Environmental Quality.