When grown-ups leave their car engines running while they are parked, bad gases rise into the sky and pollute the air. If cars are running when they are parked, this is called "idling." Here are some idling facts you will want to know...

Fact: Canadian motorists idle their vehicles an average of five to 10 minutes per day. A recent study suggests that in the peak of winter, Canadians voluntarily idle their vehicles for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day – equivalent to one vehicle idling for 144 years.

Fact: If every driver of a car or van in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would prevent more than 3,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a bad gas that pollutes the air and 3,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide is equal to the weight of 633 African elephants (the largest land animals in the world!). That's a lot of bad gases that drivers could keep out of the sky if they each stopped idling for five minutes a day!

Fact: If every driver of a car or van in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would save 1.6 million litres of fuel worth more than $1.2 million.

Fact: Idling for more than 10 seconds costs more than turning off your engine.

Fact: Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution – they breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per pound of body weight.

Tell your parents what you learned about idling and remind them not to idle their car engine when they are parked.

You can make a reminder for your parents by creating a little sign to hang on their rear-view mirror (the one on the front window of their car). Make it small so that it doesn't block their view (about the size of a five dollar bill folded in half). Cut out a square of red construction paper and put a pipe cleaner through the top of it. Then write the following message on the paper...

Turn Your Key, Be Idle-Free – and Think Of Me!

Ask your parents to tie your Anti-Idling sign to their car's rear-view mirror with the pipe cleaner. This will remind them not to idle.

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