Published in The BANAR November 2002
by Caroline Harris-McDonald
An environmental committee of the Blackburn Community Association is now up and running. A variety of activities are planned including:
- Environmental evenings focusing on such issues as energy efficiency. Hopefully scheduled for November so keep an eye out for notices
- Anti-idling campaign — see “Anti-idling — The Facts”
- Spring Clean Up (April 2003); 4. Session on ecology friendly lawn care (Spring 2003)
- Blackburn Garage Sale (May 2003);
- Fun Fair Environmental Booth, displaying and demonstrating such items as rain barrels, composters, and manual lawn mowers (June 2003).
We need volunteers for the planning and running of these events. If you are interested in helping out, want more information on the environmental committee and its activities, or have ideas or other issues in which our group could involve itself, please call me.
Anti-idling — The Facts
Fact: Canadian motorists idle their vehicles an average of five to 10 minutes per day. A recent study suggests that in the peak of winter, Canadians voluntarily idle their vehicles for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day – equivalent to one vehicle idling for 144 years.
Fact: If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would save 1.6 million litres of fuel worth more than $1.2 million.
Fact: If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would prevent more than 3,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Fact: Idling for more than 10 seconds costs more than turning off your engine.
Fact: A recent study in the City of Toronto found that more than a third (35-45%) of parents idle their vehicles while waiting to pick up their children.
Fact: Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution – they breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per pound of body weight.
Fact: Health Canada estimates that more than 5,000 Canadians die prematurely each year because of air pollution.
Fact: Service delivery vehicles spend 20-60% of their time idling, which costs fleet owners a lot of money and gets them nowhere.
Fact: Molson Canada, a participant in the Repair Our Air “fleet challenge,” estimates that it is saving $225,000 annually from its idling control program.
Fact: Stopping unnecessary vehicle idling is one relatively easy way to contribute to improved air quality and respiratory health in our communities.
How can you decrease unnecessary vehicle idling?
- Reduce “warm-up” idling to 30 seconds.
- Turn your engine off if parked for more than 10 seconds.
- Avoid using a remote car starter.
- Spread the word to family and friends.
“Anti-idling—The Facts” printed with permission from Brenda Sakauye, City of Mississauga