Just One Thing: Stop Idling Cars

May 20, 2009 — -- Leaving a car idling may be one of the greatest eco-offenses a motorist can commit, but it's also one of the easiest to stop.

Not only does an idling car waste fuel and money, it also is a health hazard to kids.

And despite the commonly held theory that your car uses more gas when you turn it on and off as opposed to leaving it idle, you actually waste more energy leaving it on.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, idling for more than 10 seconds wastes more gas than stopping and restarting the engine.

In fact, according to the EDF, 10 minutes of idling uses as much fuel as traveling five miles and it releases a pound of carbon dioxide into the air.

The pollutants released into the air can be harmful to children and contribute to asthma.

Earlier this year, New York City made it illegal to idle for more than one minute. It's the toughest such law in the country.

In the city, idling cars and trucks produce 130,000 tons of heat-trapping carbon-dioxide each year and 940 tons of smog-forming nitrogen.

That's the equivalent of 9 million large trucks travelling 30 miles.

To counteract the carbon dioxide created by idling every year in New York City alone, you would have to plant an area the size of Manhattan in trees every year, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

For more information on combatting idling cars check out the links below.

The Benefits of Forging Idling
www.airwatchnorthwest.org
National Idle-Reduction Campaign
Environmental Defense Fund