Office of Sustainabili

ty

Anti-idling Guideline

Presentation

2010

Idling

…is when an engine is running while a vehicle is stationary or a piece of equipment is not performing work.

Please take a couple of

minutes to complete our

survey!!!

Idling Gets You Nowhere … and it can be costly. Excessive idling

wastes a significant amount of fuel and money and generates needless greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

If drivers of light-duty vehicles avoided idling by just three minutes a day, over the year Canadians would collectively save 630 million litres of fuel and 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Objectives

The anti-idling guideline aims to support the University Sustainability goal to reduce resource consumption and emissions released through the reduction of unnecessary idling.

Vehicle emissions produce pollutants that contribute to climate change, smog and acid rain affecting the health of people, infrastructure, and the ecology.

The New Guideline Vehicles shall never be left idling when

unattended.

Engine warm up periods should not exceed one minute (provided air pressure for air brake systems are fully charged and all safety provisions are in place).

Light–duty vehicles (passenger size) shall be shut down whenever idling periods are expected to exceed one minute.

Heavy-duty vehicles (such as buses and cargo trucks) shall be shut down whenever idling periods are expected to exceed three minutes.

Exceptions The exceptions to this guideline have been

identified for the following circumstances:

• Police, fire or ambulance vehicles

• Armoured vehicles

• Vehicles with heating or refrigeration systems powered by the engine

• Under extreme weather conditions or any other time when the health and safety of the employee or others may be jeopardized

• Stop and go traffic

Air Quality Resources

Resources

During summer 2009, the Office of Sustainability undertook an idling research project and met with a number of organization that work on idling and air quality issues.

• DriveWiser a program of Clean Nova Scotia, focuses on motor vehicle fuel efficiency program including idle free programs.

• Ecology Action Center is focusing on reducing idling in small communities around the province.

• The Children’s Clean Air Network – a local community group dedicated to reducing the health impacts of idling on children.

• Natural Resources Canada – provides information on greening fleet and idling including free stickers, posters, and videos

• Dalhousie Atlantic Aerosol Research Centre – Dr. Mark Gibson

Air Quality Information

• Provincial/Federal and University air stations are located on the Dunn building and on Terminal Road.

• Air Quality information is available through the Air Quality Health Index and locally through smog bulletins.

Health & Environment

Not only can you save money and fuel, but you can also help reduce greenhouse gases as well as toxic air pollutants that we all breath.

Save Lives

Poor air quality can affect our health, lead to increased health care costs and also affect natural resources.

Children breath 50% more air than adults which puts them in a more susceptible position, leading to a dramatic increase in childhood asthma.

Save Money

$289,300 in fuel costs (assuming a fuel cost of $1.00/L and observed idling rates) could be saved every year if the Dalhousie Community turned the key off - $17 per person.

A combined total of 7.2 million minutes of idle time results from the Dalhousie community each year – equal to one vehicle idling for 1313 years.

Save the Planet

Keep in mind that every litre of gasoline you burn produces about 2.3 kilograms of CO2.

If Dalhousie motorists avoided idling every day of the year, CO2 emissions could be reduced by 588.5 tonnes annually, which would fill 588 two-storey houses.

This would be equivalent to taking 134 cars off of the road for the entire year.

Mountain Idle Video

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/business/documents/idling-newsletters/video/Mountain-Idle-01.wmv

Optional Quiz - Answers

Children breath in 50% more air than adults.

The combined total of idling at Dalhousie is equal to one vehicle idling for 13 years.

every litre of gasoline you burn produces about 2.3 kilograms of CO2.

One tonne of CO2 is enough to fill a two-storey house.

Thank you for your time!

You Hold The Key; Be Idle-Free