Toward an Idle-Free Zone

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Toward anIdle-Free Zone
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Taking Action to Reduce Vehicle Idling
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Presentation Overview

• Why idling is a problem
• Myths about idling
• Benefits of taking action
• What we can do about idling

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Why Idling Is a Problem

• Idling our vehicles
• produces unnecessary pollution that contributes
  to climate change, smog and health problems
• wastes fuel and costs us money and
• is not good for vehicle engines.

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Canadians Idling Habits

• Most idle 510 minutes a day.
• Idling produces unnecessary emissions of carbon
  dioxide (CO2).
• Idling jeopardizes our health.

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It can be done . . . with the turn of a key.

• If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada
  avoided idling for just five minutes, we would
• save 1.9 million litres of fuel
• save 1.3 million (at 0.70/litre) and
• prevent more than 4500 tonnes of CO2 from
  entering the atmosphere.

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Idling Myth No. 1The engine should be warmed up
before driving.

• Reality
• Idling is not an effective way to warm up your
  vehicle.
• Driving your vehicle is the best way to warm it
  up.
• 30 seconds of warming up your vehicle on winter
  days is enough.

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Idling Myth No. 2 Idling is good for your engine.

• Reality
• Excessive idling can damage your engine
  components, including cylinders, spark plugs and
  the exhaust system.

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• Idling Myth No. 3
• Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard
  on the engine and uses more gas.

• Reality
• Frequent restarting has little impact on engine
  components.
• More than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel
  than restarting the engine.

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The Benefits of Taking Action

• Not idling will
• save you money
• let you breathe more easily
• help you spare our climate and air and
• reduce engine wear and tear.

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What We Can Do!

• Voluntary Options
• As individuals
• Your personal five-step anti-idling action plan
• Together
• School-based campaigns
• Work-based initiatives
• Community awareness and outreach campaign
• Regulatory Options
• Idling control by-laws

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The Five-Step Anti-Idling Action Plan

• Reduce warm up idling to 30 seconds.
• If you are going to be stopped for more than 10
  seconds, turn off your engine.
• Do not use a remote car starter.
• In temperatures of 0?C or less, use a block
  heater to warm your engine before you start it.
• Spread the word to your family and friends.

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School-Based Campaigns
The recent Turn it Off project in the City of
Toronto found that over a third (3545 percent)
of parents idle their vehicles while waiting to
pick up their children.
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School-Based Campaigns

• We can
• use newsletters, information cards, anti-idling
  signs and stickers for vehicle windows.
• involve students make banners, develop a
  monitoring program and teach anti-idling in
  classes.

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Work-Based Initiatives

• As an individual, contact companies to suggest
  that their drivers turn off their engines when
  parked.
• As a fleet owner or manager, take steps to reduce
  idling in your own fleet, or join with other
  businesses and industries in a fleet challenge.

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Work-Based Initiatives

• Molson Canada, a participant in the Repair Our
  Air fleet challenge, estimates it is saving
  225,000 a year because of its idling control
  program.

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Community Awareness and Outreach Campaign

• Distribute anti-idling signs, information cards
  and vehicle stickers.
• Distribute flyers and posters.
• Develop a community Web page.
• Prepare press releases and articles for the
  local newspaper.
• Produce displays for local events.
• Make a presentation to city council, the chamber
  of commerce or other community organizations.

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Idling Control By-Laws

• Find out if your municipality has an idling
  control by-law or whether it is considering one.
• Some municipalities have adopted other creative
  non-regulatory measures such as anti-idling
  policies for transit fleets rather than make
  unnecessary idling against the law.

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The Idle-Free ZoneTool Kit

• The source for our anti-idling campaign
• Fact sheets and frequently asked questions
• Games and quizzes
• Calculators and worksheets
• Case studies and vignettes
• Web site links
• Graphics
• Campaign materials such as letters to the editor,
  posters, brochures, information cards, stickers,
  presentations, a personal five-step action plan
  and idling observation forms

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The Anti-Idling Tool KitReady-to-Use Graphics
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The Anti-Idling Tool Kit Campaign Materials
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Summary

• Unnecessary idling produces unnecessary
  pollution.
• Idling wastes fuel and costs us money.
• Idling is not good for our vehicles engines.
• We can stop idling and help spare our air, slow
  climate change and save energy and money.
• There are many voluntary and regulatory
  approaches we can take to stop idling.

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Its Up to Us!

• The first step is to take action to reduce your
  own vehicles idling.
• Next, we need to get out there and let people
  know its a problem and what can be done about it
  we need to shatter the myths about idling.
• Together, we can make a difference!

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For more information

• Visit the Idle-Free Zone http//oee.nrcan.gc.ca/i
  dling/idling.cfm

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