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Background
The Maine Chapter Sierra Club, the Maine Council of
Churches, and Maine Lung Association,in partnership with the Department of
Environmental Protection have coordinating a
Clean Air Zone Community Pilot Program.
The program, designed to work initially with Freeport
citizens is reaching out to all Maine communities to: 1) replicate a
successful Canadian no-idling campaign that will substantially and
measurably reduce toxic bus and auto emissions in public areas, including
schools; 2) transition to cleaner fuels for school buses, public works
vehicles, and personal transportation; 3) provide an interactive and
hands-on education program on climate change and transportation energy for
Maine congregations, community organizations, and classrooms; and, 4) work
with community members to advocate at the local and state levels for
policies that insure improved air quality and healthier environments for
school children and citizens in Maine.
The Freeport No-Idling Pilot
The objective of the Freeport Pilot is to raise public
awareness of the health and environmental impacts from idling vehicles and
to foster stewardship behaviors among citizens. Using community based
social marketing concepts
developed by Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, the program
strives to change public behavior to improve air quality. Community-based
social marketing has been shown to be very effective in fostering
stewardship behavior.
The MEDEP, Maine
Council of Churches and Sierra Club invited the Freeport community to get
involved in promoting the
Clean Air Project..
The partners held an informational meeting in Freeport to present the
initiative, collect reactions and ideas from the community for developing
program tools. A working group of community members was formed to implement
the community based effort and recruit additional volunteers. The project
has great potential for success by being supported and implemented by the
community rather than a large-scale information campaign. Numerous studies
show that behavior change rarely occurs as a result of simply providing
information. Community-based social marketing research demonstrates that
stewardship behavior is most effectively achieved through initiatives
delivered at the community level which focus on removing barriers of a
desired behavior.
Bar Harbor was the first in the state to develop an no-idling policy, |
banning tour buses and RVs
from idling longer than five minutes. Portland has a no-idling rule for city
vehicles.
Facts About Idling
Vehicle emissions are the largest contributors to
outdoor air pollution. Idling a medium-duty gasoline vehicle for five
minutes each day can emit as much as 30 pounds of harmful pollutants and 300
pounds of carbon dioxide in a year. The EPA estimates that air toxins
emitted by vehicles account for half of all cancers attributed to outdoor
sources of air pollution. Mobile sources contribute more than 50% of
nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions in Maine. NOx in the presence of sunlight
and high temperatures reacts with volatile organic compounds to form harmful
ground-level ozone (smog). In general, children are more sensitive to air
pollution because they breathe 50% more air per pound of bodyweight than
adults. In Maine, 9.3% of children currently suffer from asthma, the highest
rate in New England according to a 2004 study report. Vehicle emissions can
trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory distress.
The Benefits of Taking Action to Reduce Idling
Breathe Easier. By turning off your vehicle's
engine when parked, you and others around you especially children and people
with respiratory problems ó won't have to breathe unhealthy exhaust fumes
from a vehicle that is going nowhere. Fumes can trigger asthma attacks and
cause respiratory illnesses. Exposure to most auto pollutants is higher
inside the vehicle than outside the vehicle. Toxic fumes from idling
vehicles that are drawn into buildings through the ventilation system cause
indoor air pollution.
Save Money. More than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than
restarting the engine. Idling a medium-duty vehicle for even 5 minutes a day
wastes more than 13 gallons of gas a year. Just by turning your key you can
save money.
Reduce Wear and Tear on Your Vehicle's Engine.
Excessive idling can damage engine components, including your vehicle's
cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust system. Only 30 seconds |
of warm-up time is needed on cold winter days
before driving away.
Once the vehicle is running, the best way to warm it up
is to drive it. Many components, including wheel bearings, tires and
suspension systems only warm up when a vehicle is moving.
Protect Our Climate and Air. An idling
vehicle emits 20 times more pollution than one traveling 32 miles per hour.
By turning off your engine, you can help stop global warming, acid rain, and
smog.
Myths About Idling
There are many myths that have people surrounding
idling. Most of these myths are really just that, Myths.
The car should be warm
prior to driving. In reality, idling is not an efficient way to warm
the vehicle—even in cold weather. The best way is to actually drive the car.
On the coldest of days, one should let the car run for no more than 30
seconds. However, until the temperature of the engine rises fully, it is
advisable to avoid high speeds and rapid accelerations.
Idling is good for the
engine.
No. Idling is terrible for the engine. In fact, it
damages important parts such as cylinders, spark plugs, and the exhaust
system. Because the engine is not at operating temperature, fuel combustion
is not complete and can contaminate engine oil.
Shutting off the engine
and then returning it on is bad for the engine. Even frequent
restarting has been shown to have little impact on engine components. The
added wear on engine components is roughly equal to 1/7 of what one may pay
in idling costs if the car kept running.
Learn More
Tools of Change: To get a
No-Idling Tool Kit or arrange for a Community Workshop,
contact the Maine Chapter Sierra Club office or Maine Council of Churches:
882-6848 or Maine DEP: Debbie.J.AvaloneKing@maine.gov
Clean Air Fleets: Vehicle
Idling Reduction Strategies, accessible at
www.cleanairfleets.org/idling.html.
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