Idling Gets You Nowhere
Aldergrove Star
It is said that patience is a virtue, and at some point in life we all have to wait for something.
But while people wait patiently – whether at a border crossing, a drive-through ATM, for their spouse to emerge from the store, or for a train to pass – the Township of Langley hopes that that they will keep the wellbeing of the environment in mind.
Idling Gets You Nowhere, a campaign aimed at getting drivers to shut off their engines when their vehicles are not in use, will be officially launched at the Willowbrook Save-On Foods at 20255 – 64 Avenue, on Tuesday, July 14. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the public is invited to stop by and enjoy a free barbecue lunch, enter to win prizes, learn about the need to reduce emissions, and take a pledge to reduce unnecessary idling.
“We hope that changing people’s behaviour with respect to idling will encourage them to adopt more efficient driving habits overall,” said Township of Langley Mayor Rick Green. “The official kick-off of Idling Gets You Nowhere is a fun way to educate and inform the public, and we hope people will share this anti-idling message with their friends and families.”
The campaign is a follow-up to a pilot project that the Township conducted last year, where Anti-Idling Ambassadors asked drivers who were waiting at railway crossings to shut off their engines.
This year, from July 14 to August 28, that message will be expanded to include people parked at the Canada/US border crossing, in parks and at recreation centres, car washes, and grocery stores. Anti-Idling Ambassadors will approach drivers waiting in their cars and provide them with information and promotional material to encourage anti-idling. The Ambassadors – local university students who are taking environment-related programs – will try to collect 800 anti-idling pledges during the campaign.
“The 2008 pilot project decreased idling at select Township rail crossings by 40%,” said Township of Langley Environmental Coordinator Ryan Schmidt. “We are hoping to achieve similar success with this year’s expanded campaign.”
According to Schmidt, in 2007, transportation-related emissions in the Township reached nearly 400,000 tonnes, more than half of the community’s total greenhouse gas emissions. “Unnecessary idling contributes to this total needlessly, but it is something we can easily reduce, with a little thought and effort,” Schmidt said. He added that keeping tires properly inflated and avoiding jackrabbit starts will also help save gas and the environment.
Idling Gets You Nowhere supports the Township of Langley’s commitment to sustainability, and its goal to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions. The campaign is presented with the support of the Government of Canada’s ecoENERGY for personal vehicles program and 93.7 JRfm.
