Valley Green Tips: The truth about idling

Weather extremes cause humans to behave differently in both cold and hot weather. We layer clothing and avoid going outdoors on cold winter days. Conversely, we shed clothes to take a dip in the Saco River when the temperature reaches 90. Certainly, the search for the ideal temperature or “coziness factor” is human nature, but idling cars to cool or warm the car has big economic, environmental and human health costs.

When idling, your car gets exactly zero miles per gallon, and with today’s gasoline prices, that doesn’t make good economic sense. Worse, idling increases particle pollution, the smoky part of that stream of exhaust that, according to the American Lung Association, can increase the risk of heart disease, lung cancer and asthma. And sadly, idling cars often “congregate” in areas where adults — and children — shop, bank or wait to be picked up at school.

Particle pollution also reduces visibility in the mountains, increases acidity of lakes and streams, reduces levels of nutrients in soils and causes many other environmental problems, according to the EPA.

Tips: Please don't let your car idle.

If you’re going to be idling more than 30 seconds at a drive-through service window or to make a quick dash to grab a newspaper, you should turn off your car. Following this 30-second rule, you will not use more gas to turn off and restart your vehicle and you will save on harmful emissions.

Additionally, it should be noted that modern car engines do not need to be warmed up before driving in cold weather. Rather, idling can actually deter an engine’s peak performance.

More information and resources can be found at www.cleanaircampaign.org/Air-We-Breathe/The-Truth-About-Idling.

Valley Green Tips is brought to you by the Mount Washington Valley Green Team, a non-profit group dedicated to greening the valley through programs including Valley Community Gardens, MWV Friends of Recycling and MWV Climate Challenge. For more information, visit www.mwvgreenteam.org where you can become a member and share your own green tips.