8th Graders Aren't Idle

by Sasha Friedrich Do you know what comes out of your car’s tail pipe? Hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates and sulfur dioxide, are the nasty pollutants that are emitted every time you turn on your car (Alpha Online). Each of us humans take 20,000 breaths each day and the average American breathes 3,400 gallons of air each day (American Lung Association). Unfortunately for us, when we breathe, we also breathe in the pollutants. These contaminants cause many health problems including a variety of respiratory problems, worsened asthma, and multiple heart problems, and can effect the environment by contributing to the greenhouse effect, and causing acid rain which acidifies soil and bodies of water. This imbalance in the ecosystem produced by irregular amounts of acid causes fish and other animals to die, as well as trees and other plants (Grinning Planet).
The 8th grade students have been monitoring cars when parents drop off and pick up their students from school. They keep track of how many cars are idling and for how long. An idling vehicle is one whose engine is running when it is parked or not in use. If your car is idling for 30 seconds, you should turn it off! Drivers who shut off their engines, rather than idling for 30 seconds, benefit from both fuel savings and improved air quality (U.S. EPA, Natural Resources Canada and Programs Europe). Frequent restarting has little impact on your engine, but excessive idling can damage it because it isn’t working at peak operating temperature. Fuel doesn’t undergo complete combustion, which leaves spark plugs dirty and contaminates engine oil (Oregon’s Clean Air Action Day fact sheet).
Idling for one hour can burn nearly a gallon of gasoline and, idling obviously, gets zero miles to the gallon (Hamilton Country Environmental Services). If one driver of a light-duty vehicle avoided idling for five minutes a day, this would save $42.27 annually (Town of Ajax by the Lake).
Instead of idling when waiting to drop off and pick up their kids, parents should turn off their car after each time they move through the line (especially if their car has been running for more than 30 seconds). Please be aware of idling habits and try to reduce them as much as possible! Remember, this is not an aimless goal, and if we work together, we can make our air better!