As I was surfing different living an organic, frugal and/or simple life sites, I stumbled on information about idle free zones at school. This is something that I haven't given much thought to until my kids became car riders. I thought I'd share some of what I learned here because it is important!
(This is from a fact/myth publication from AirQ at www.marc.org/airQ):
Idling on a warm day with the air conditioning on burns even more fuel than idling without AC. On an 88-degree day, your car probably uses about one-quarter gallon of fuel in 30 minutes — or about 75 cents at a fuel cost of $3 per gallon. If you were to idle for a total of 30 minutes every weekday for one year, you’d be spending nearly $200 on gasoline that’s not taking you anywhere. Gloves, warm/cold drinks and personal fans can all help make you comfortable without costing you money.
Vehicle emissions are a major contributor to air pollution, and idling can produce more pollution per minute than driving. Studies have linked various types of vehicle emissions to asthma symptoms, cardiopulmonary disease, lung cancer and other causes of death. Ground-level ozone, which is caused by a reaction between two exhaust byproducts, has been associated with eye, nose and throat irritation and, in higher concentrations, asthma, bronchitis, increased susceptibility to respiratory infections, and decreased lung function. Children are even more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because they breathe much more air per pound of body weight and their respiratory defenses are not fully developed.
Sign me up! I'll be turning off my engine when sitting in the car rider line... now I need to figure out how to sell my school district on this idea!!!!
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