Did you know?
- An idling vehicle emits 20 times more pollution than one traveling at 30 miles per hour. Source NJDEP
- Only 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning the engine on and off.
- IDLING MORE THAN 3 MINUTES IS AGAINST THE LAW IN NJ!
- Vehicles that idle 10 minutes per day waste more than 29 gallons of fuel each year.
Do the math. At $3.50 per gallon, that’s over $101 wasted per year. Source EPA - Exposure to your vehicle’s exhaust is much higher inside your vehicle than outside and is especially true when the car is idling. So if you are sitting idling in your car in a line at your bank’s drive up teller or drive thru whatever, Turn It Off!
- Diesel exhaust is a likely human carcinogen, containing fine particles commonly called “soot”. NJDEP
- Exhaust emissions worsen asthma, bronchitis, and existing allergies. NJDEP
- Children breathe up to 50% more air per pound of body weight than adults, making them more susceptible to both acute and chronic respiratory problems like asthma. NJDEP
These are just a few of the very good reasons that the Ewing Green Team is challenging Ewing residents to turn off their cars with an anti-idling campaign to educate drivers, and particularly parents who unwittingly expose their children to the hazards of vehicle exhaust. Vehicle emissions are a major cause of air pollution, which contributes to increased rates of asthma, cancer, and other respiratory ailments. Kids are exposed to some of the most excessive exhaust fumes in their daily trips to and from school.
Check out our new video from our very own Good Choices Fairy, Chelsea Sandmeyer, to view our brief message to kids about the dangers of idling.
Our health and that of our families rests on all of our shoulders. Just by turning off the ignition, we can make a huge difference in the quality of air we breathe. So let us all take the pledge to turn our engines off. It’s the right thing to do.
Sustainable Ewing Green Team 