A NOTE FROM THE EDGEWOOD SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE REGARDING IDLING 

 

Please no idling! Exhaust from idling vehicles can cause lung damage and respiratory problems. Exhaust also exacerbates asthma and existing allergies, and long-term exposure is thought to increase the risk of lung cancer. 

 

Children are especially vulnerable to idling because:

  • Children's lungs continue to develop as they grow, and they are most susceptible to harmful toxins released from vehicles during their school years.

  • Children breathe, on average, 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults.

  • Children are closer to the ground and, therefore, closer to tailpipes.

  • The World Health Organization found that particle pollution and ground-level ozone aggravated asthma in children and contributed to an increased risk of respiratory tract infection.

Idling vehicles also waste fuel and the emissions contribute to global warming. Some may think that turning your engine off and on again uses more gas than idling however:

  • Idling for 30 seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine, and idling for 10 minutes a day wastes an average of 24.6 gallons of gas per year.

  • Reducing or avoiding idling optimizes performance as well as extends vehicle life.

  • Idling is bad for the environment, bad for your budget and bad for our health.  In addition, as the signs state, it is also against the law to idle for more than 3 minutes if the temperature is 40 degrees or warmer.  

Let's work together to make Edgewood safer for our students and planet!

 

Thank you for your cooperation.  

Edgewood Sustainability Committee