Please don't leave car engines on while parked. Thank you! On a daily basis, Americans as a whole may be burning as much as 3.8 million gallons of gasoline from voluntary idling, which, in turn, results in producing about 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Annually, the cumulative effect is staggering, as we may be uselessly burning 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and emitting 13 million tons of carbon dioxide as a result. Voluntary idling is one of the many daily actions that seem negligible but that, when taken cumulatively, can have a large impact on total emissions of carbon dioxide and on the environment more generally. The pernicious impact of idling has long been recognized. Many countries have pursued anti-idling initiatives, including a nationwide campaign in Canada and regional campaigns in Japan and Great Britain. Domestically, at least 13 states have state-wide anti-idling laws, and scores of counties and cities have their own anti-idling rules.

Did you know… that these are easy ways that we can all eliminate voluntary idling:while waiting for a child to get into the car, in school pick-up and drop-off lanes, while talking on cell phones, and when warming up the car in the morning.

Did you know… that you can improve your child's environment by sponsoring an anti-idling campaign at your local school or school district? Visit https://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/personal/idling.cfm?attr=0