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Idle-Free Campaign for LenoxA Grassroots
Effort to Protect Our Health and
Environment

• Rick Gregg
• Lenox Environmental Committee
• Town Hall, Lenox, MA 01240
• 413-637-2950 (h)
• RHGregg_at_aol.com

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Agenda

• The Problem Idling Vehicles All Around
• Why People Idle
• How the Campaign Began
• Nature of the Idle-Free Campaign
• Campaign Messages
• Building Support for the Campaign
• Increasing Credibility Outside Sponsors
• Generating Media Coverage
• What Weve Done So Far
• Encountering Resistance
• Leverage for Creating Change
• Possible Future Steps

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The Problem Idling Vehicles All Around!

• Residential driveways
• Schools
• Churches
• Grocery and convenience stores
• Restaurants
• Gas stations
• Post Office
• Video Store
• Retreat centers
• Shops and businesses

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Why People Idle

• Comfort to stay warm in winter and cool in
  summer.
• Perceived need to warm up their vehicles for long
  periods of time in cold weather.
• Perceived right to do whatever they want with
  their vehicles.
• Habit Ive always done it this way.
• They have automatic vehicle starters.
• No awareness of consequences.

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How the Campaign Began

• Idling vehicles all around!
• Discovering the Law (January 2001)
• The Inspiration Natural Resources Canada and
  Mississauga, Canada
• Morris Elementary School (early 2001)
• Kripalu Center for Yoga Health (early 2001)
• Lenox endorsed Cities for Climate Protection
  (2002)
• Lenox Environmental Committee (January 2003)
• Meetings with Key People (Spring 2003)
• Proposal to the Selectmen (August 20, 2003)

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Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 90, Section
16A

• No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit
  the unnecessary operation of the engine of a
  motor vehicle while said vehicle is stopped for a
  foreseeable period of time in excess of five
  minutes. (Note there are three situations in
  which the law does not apply).
• Whoever violates any provision of this section
  shall be punished by a fine or not more than one
  hundred dollars for the first offense, nor
  more than five hundred dollars for each
  succeeding offense.
• Enacted in 1972.

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Lenox is an Idle-Free Town
Protect our health and environment. Please turn
off your engine when parked.
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Nature of the Idle-Free Campaign

• Goal promote cleaner and healthier air to
  benefit our citizens, visitors and the global
  environment by getting drivers to turn off their
  engines when parked or stopped.
• Campaign has two parts
• A broad-based public awareness campaign about the
  health, environmental, economic and vehicle-life
  span benefits of reducing unnecessary motor
  vehicle engine idling.
• Public education about and enforcement by the
  Lenox Police of the Massachusetts statute that
  limits engine idling to no more than five
  minutes, except under a few circumstances.

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Campaign Messages

• Idling Facts
• Fact 1 Too many of us leave our engines running
• Fact 2 Idling wastes fuel
• Fact 3 Idling contributes to global warming
• Fact 4 Emissions are toxic
• Fact 5 Excess idling is against the law

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Myths and Reality of Engine Idling

• Myth 1 The engine should be warmed up for a
  long time before driving.
• Reality Idling is not an effective way to warm
  up your engine, even in cold weather. The best
  way is to drive the vehicle. With todays
  engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of
  idling before driving away (slowly at first, to
  get the lubricants flowing).
• Myth 2 Idling doesnt hurt the engine.
• Reality Excessive idling can actually damage
  engine components, including cylinders, spark
  plugs and the exhaust system.

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Myths and Reality

• Myth 3 Shutting off and restarting your
  vehicle when its stopped is bad for the engine
  and uses more gasoline that if you leave it
  running.
• Reality Idling for more than 10 seconds uses
  more fuel than restarting the engine. Frequent
  restarting has little impact on engine components
  like the battery and starter motor.

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How You Can Reduce Harmful Engine Idling

• Reduce vehicle warm-up idling to 30 seconds,
  even in cold weather.
• Turn off your engine when youre parked or
  stopped for more than 10 seconds.
• Avoid using a remote vehicle starter, which
  encourages unnecessary idling.
• Spread the word to family and friends.

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Building Support for the Campaign

• Lenox Environmental Committee
• School Principals
• Morris Elementary School
• Lenox Memorial Middle and High School
• School Superintendent
• Board of Health
• Chamber of Commerce
• Selectmen
• Police
• Department of Public Works
• Business Owners
• Citizens
• Local Press

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Increasing Credibility Outside Sponsors





Berkshire County
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Generating Media Coverage

• Letters to the Editor of The Berkshire Eagle.
• Creating newsworthy stories over time.
• Cultivating reporters/ staying in conversation
• WAMC (NPR affiliate)
• The Berkshire Eagle
• The Advocate.

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What Weve Done So Far

• Received two 1,000 grants from New England
  Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF)
• Letters to the Editor
• Press Coverage
• Word of Mouth
• Flyers
• Schools
• Public places
• People on the streets
• Window Signs in Stores
• Metal Signs at Schools and Mass Audubon
• Police and DPW

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Encountering Resistance

• No, I will not turn off my engine.
• What I do is none of your business.
• Theres no law against idling.
• My car passed inspection, so theres nothing
  wrong with my emissions.
• Get away from me or Ill take you out.
• Im a police officer and I have more important
  things to do.

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Why People Resist

• Belief in the right to do whatever they want,
  even if it involves hurting other people.
• Ignorance or denial of the consequences of their
  behavior.
• Ignorance of, or disregard for, the anti-idling
  law.
• Embarrassment.

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Leverage for Creating Change

• Health, not environment
• Children and their health
• The lawand potential enforcement

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Possible Future Steps

• Fund-raising
• Letters to the editor and media coverage
• Newspaper ads
• Community outreach flyers, signs, presentations
• Broader education on the impact of air pollution
  on health and the environment, including in
  schools
• Regular assessment of the Campaigns impact, and
  sharing of results with Selectmen and community

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Lenox is an Idle-Free Town
Protect our health and environment. Please turn
off your engine when parked.