Idle-Free School Campaign

As temperatures are getting colder this winter, emissions from car idling will be on the rise. Whether it’s ten minutes waiting to pick a child up after school or five minutes in a drive-thru line, it may not seem like a big deal to sit at a stand-still with a car on. Yet, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that six billion gallons of fuel are wasted by car idling each year! Car idling actually contributes to negative environment effects and puts toxic fumes into the air that are dangerous for humans to inhale. Excessive idling can also be damaging to a car engine.

There are a few misconceptions surrounding car idling that show it is not the best method to keep your vehicle healthy. Modern vehicles are actually designed to reach an optimum temperature by gently driving rather than idling. Also, restarting a car does not produce more pollution than keeping it on. In fact, car idling for more than 10 seconds emits more pollution than restarting a car. Any idling beyond 30 seconds may actually contribute to damaging the car engine. 

Often times, car idling is concentrated in school areas as cars wait to pick up or drop off children leading to a “pollution hot spot.” School air quality monitoring has shown that toxin levels are elevated during drop off and pick up times. This is particularly dangerous for children as their lungs are still developing, therefore they are more susceptible to pollutants in the air. 

Are you interested in lowering car emissions around your school after learning this information? Consider implementing a Idle-Free School Campaign! The EPA has a toolkit available providing a guide to implement a campaign at your school. The toolkit also provides resources to make this a student-run science or community involvement project, providing students with the opportunity to learn how to run a public service campaign. With this particular toolkit, students will also learn data analysis and public speaking skills. An Idle Free Campaign is also a part of the Green Schools Recognition Program, so don’t forget to submit your points. 

Updated December 5, 2019