Freeport CAP Building Environmental Communities

1. Freeport CAPBuilding Environmental Communities Sponsors • Maine DEP • Maine Council of Churches • Maine Chapter - Sierra Club • Freeport Community - You

2. Freeport CAPBuilding Environmental Communities Goals • Introduce the project to a larger sector of the community • Receive input and feedback • Recruit volunteers - to be involved at various capacity as it fits your interest schedule

3. Freeport CAPBuilding Environmental Communities Clean Air • High smog levels cause 159,000 trips to the emergency room, 53,000 hospital admissions, and 6 million asthma attacks each summer • Maine has the highest rate of childhood asthma in New England and one of the highest in the country

4. Freeport CAPBuilding Environmental Communities Global Warming - Climate Change The world's leading scientists project that during our children's lifetimes, global warming will raise the average temperature of the planet by 2.7 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Freeport CAPBuilding Environmental Communities • Global Warming - Climate Change Why is the United States world’s largest global warming polluter. • Transportation. Cars, sport-utility vehicles and other light trucks emit 20 percent of the nation’s CO2 pollution. • Industry and Buildings • Dirty Power Plants

6. Freeport CAPBuilding Environmental Communities Global Warming - Climate Change • No global warming solution will succeed unless we can control emissions from cars • No-Idling can reduce emissions

7. Presentation Overview • Why idling is a problem • Myths about idling • Benefits of taking action • What we can do about idling

8. Why Idling Is a Problem Idling our vehicles: • produces unnecessary pollution that contributes to climate change, smog and health problems; • wastes fuel and costs us money; and • is not good for vehicle engines.

9. North Americans’ Idling Habits • Most idle 5–10 minutes a day. • Idling produces unnecessary emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). • Idling jeopardizes our health.

10. It can be done . . . with the turn of a key. • Idling a vehicle for 5 minutes a day uses an average of 13 gallons of gas a year. More than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine. • Idling a medium duty gasoline vehicle for just five minutes each day can emit as much as 300 pounds of harmful pollutants in a year (30 lbs. which include toxic air pollutants, 280 lbs. of greenhouse gases).

11. Idling Myth No. 1The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality • Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle. • Driving your vehicle is the best way to warm it up. • 30 seconds of warming up your vehicle on winter days is enough.

12. Idling Myth No. 2 Idling is good for your engine. Reality • Excessive idling can damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and the exhaust system.

13. Idling Myth No. 3 Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine and uses more gas. Reality • Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components. • More than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

14. Pollutants include all: HAPS, NOx, SOx, CO, Lead, VOC, PM10 Does not include emissions from Biogenic sources or any of the Greenhouse gasses (eg. CO2, Methane, etc.)

15. The Benefits of Taking Action Not idling will: • save you money; • let you breathe more easily; • help you spare our climate and air; • reduce engine wear and tear.

16. Summary • Unnecessary idling produces unnecessary pollution. • Idling wastes fuel and costs us money. • We can all easily do our share for clean air by turning it off. • We can stop idling and help, slow climate change and save energy and money.

17. So, What Can We Do? Voluntary Options As individuals • Adopt an anti-idling action plan Together • School-based campaigns • Work-based initiatives • Community awareness and outreach campaign Regulatory Options • Idling control by-laws

18. An Anti-Idling Personal Action Plan • Reduce “warm up” idling to 30 seconds. • If you are going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds, turn off your engine. • Do not use a remote car starter. • Spread the word to your family and friends.

19. School-Based Campaigns A recent “Turn it Off” project in the City of Toronto found that over a third (35–45 percent) of parents idle their vehicles while waiting to pick up their children.

20. School-Based Campaigns We can: • Offer local schools a transportation awareness workshop, and provide supporting educational materials. • spread the word through local community newsletters, flyers, information cards, Idle-Free Zone signs and decals for vehicle windows. • involve students: conduct surveys, make posters, distribute handouts and provide them with tools to teach others about it.

21. Community Awareness and Outreach Campaign • Distribute anti-idling signs, information cards/pledge cards and vehicle decals. • Distribute flyers and posters. • Develop a community Web page. • Prepare press releases and articles for the local newspaper. • Produce displays for local events. • Make a presentation to city council, the chamber of commerce or other community organizations.

22. Idling Control By-Laws • Does your municipality have an idling control by-law? • Would they consider adopting other creative non-regulatory measures – such as anti-idling policies for the municipal fleet – rather than make unnecessary idling against the law.

23. Some Sample No-Idling Graphics

24. More sample No-Idling Campaign Materials

25. Using social marketing to change behavior: • Research - conduct surveys, find out what others have done, local discussions/meetings. • Getting Commitment:: inform and get pledges - local newspapers, posters, post-cards, parade float, school transportation workshop, etc…... • Establishing NORMS: Community displays, peer leaders, news ads that feature neighbors commitment, neighbor to neighbor contact….? • Prompts/Reminder of Action: air fresheners, key chains, window decals, bumper stickers, etc…..? • Evaluate Results - post survey