I am so tired of seeing cars – and large pick up trucks – idling at my local store., and everywhere else for that matter! I just want to reach into someone’s car and shut it off. Not that I would, but I want to. Maybe I’ll make up little “no idling” cards to put on people’s windshields – just to be a pain in the butt!
Now, do I pretend to think that appealing to the crunchier side of a guy driving 1 ton truck is going to work? Of course not – but how about letting them know that they are getting 0 miles to the gallon? Or that modern engines don’t need to be warmed up for more than 30 seconds or so before driving in the winter. Less idling = less money in fuel costs.
But what if I want my A/C to stay on? Get over it and roll down a window. According to National Geographic’s The Green Guide: “Idling for more than thirty seconds burns more gas than it takes to restart the engine or than if the car were moving, and thus produces more toxic emissions”
Also – encourage your local schools to institute”no idling zones” at pick up and drop off – and to tell their school bus drivers to wait until the kids are in the bus before starting them up!
1 response so far ↓
Jake // August 7, 2007 at 5:05 am
The Canadian gov says 10 seconds. But, either way, it has tempted me to shut off the engine at red lights.