Trumbull ‘Turns it Off’ When it Comes to Idling!
It’s Earth Week – an opportunity each year to reflect and learn more about the environment and challenges we face in our community and around the globe. All of us who use cars and other vehicles have the keys to a healthier planet right at our fingertips: Getting into the habit of turning your engine off when you’ll be idle for three minutes or more is an easy way to make a real impact! Here are just a few of the reasons why:
- It Saves Gas and Money: Americans waste 12 million gallons of fuel every day on unnecessary idling. That’s nearly $35 million up in smoke, daily. Over time, idling can cause your head gasket, spark plugs or cylinder rings to deteriorate, leading to higher maintenance costs. It puts more strain on the battery and your car burns oil, needlessly. Just ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it.
- It Leads to Better Health: Idling for just one minute produces more carbon monoxide than the smoke from three packs of cigarettes. Breathing in all those exhaust fumes has been linked to aggravated asthma, allergies, heart and lung disease, and cancer.
- It Helps the Planet: An idling vehicle releases 20 times more pollution than a car traveling at 30 miles per hour. For every 10 minutes your engine is off, you’ll keep one pound of carbon dioxide – a key contributor to global warming – from being released into the environment.
- It Sets the Right Example: Shutting off your engine when it’s not needed sets a great example for passengers and neighbors, as well as the future drivers in our families. We can all help educate each other on the waste and dangers of idling – and perhaps change some old habits for the better.
- It’s the Law, Actually: To reduce pollution and protect our health, Connecticut regulations adopted in 2004 prohibit unnecessary idling of engines for more than three minutes, with exceptions that include traffic conditions, mechanical issues and extreme temperatures.
Let’s all work together to keep our air clean, save money on fuel, and keep our vehicles operating at top efficiency – “Turn it Off,” Trumbull!
Sign the pledge to Turn it Off: https://iturnitoff.com/
Visit Sustainable Trumbull at: https://www.trumbull-ct.gov/888/Sustainable-Team
Sources and for more information, visit the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Air/Mobile-Sources/Anti-Idling/Anti-Idling---Home