March 2006 E-news

No-Idling Article by Keshia Laffin

Did you know that by simply turning off your vehicle if you are sitting would save you money and our environment? If every Canadian avoided idling their vehicle for just five minutes each day of the year, we could prevent more than two million tones of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. That’s the equivalent of taking over 350 000 cars off the road.

In the winter, the average person thinks that they need to “warm-up” their vehicle before they can drive it. This is the most commonly held myths in Canada. Due to the technologies in today’s electronic engines, you need no more than thirty seconds before you can start to drive. In fact, excessive idling can damage the engine. Besides, what the average person doesn’t think about is that idling only warms the engine – not the wheel bearings, steering, transmission and tires. These parts also need to be warmed, and that’s not going to happen if you are sitting and idling. Like most people, you might think that turning your engine off and on might harm it. The fact is, studies show that frequent restarting has little impact on your engine.

So, why should you turn off your engine? Believe it or not, about ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting your engine. The average person idles their car for ten minutes a day. That uses an average of one hundred litres of gas a year. Do the math! With gas at $1.00 a litre, a driver could save one hundred dollars a year by just turning off the engine and not idling.

As a side note, I am very proud to announce that after a lot of hard work by the Horton environmental club, Horton High School is now an idle-free zone. Horton is the only school in Nova Scotia. We are now informing other schools on how to start an idle-free campaign at their school.

You can save fuel, money and contribute to a healthier environment by turning off your engine. As a rule of thumb, if you’re going to stop for ten seconds or more – except in traffic – turn the engine off.

To read more about Keshia and her environmental work, check out her bio here.

The Sacred Balance - a Visual Celebration of Our Place in Nature by Dr. David Suzuki. Book Review by Liz Kreitner (Youth Steering Committee Member)

The Sacred Balance - a Visual Celebration of Our Place in Nature is an inspirational book. The stunning and unique photographs complement the inspirational message David Suzuki sends. He really makes you think and analyze how you fit into the world. What I really liked about it was the way that he presented the interconnections between us and everyone and everything else. He talks about how we are connected to each of the elements of the earth (water, air, fire, and earth), how our sprits are connected the Earth and the way that love connects the world. All along the way photographs complement and reinforce the message. I thought it was neat how they all are really unique photos. You rarely saw something "regular" but instead you saw everything from interesting angles, magnifications, or perspectives. Something else that is awesome about this book is how wonderfully it balances the negative and the positive attitude. This book truly is a celebration of Earth and all the interconnections that unite us all, but it also shows the implications that dishonouring those connections has. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read something unique and thought provoking.

To learn more about his book, go to Dr. Suzuki's website.