The dictionary defines the word idle as
something “not in use or operation”, “not working or active”. The book of
Proverbs 18:9 states, “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who
destroys.” Together, both this
definition and quotation perfectly describe the effects that the idling of a
car has on the atmosphere. Did you know
that idling your car, even for a few minutes, is destructive to your
environment, the very air you breathe, and ultimately to your health? Idling is a costly and wasteful habit
too. It has been determined that more
gas is lost in the idling of a car (approximately two-tenths of a gallon per
half hour) than in restarting its engine. Over 27 gallons of gas are lost
annually, by idling a car, for as little as even ten minutes each day. Additionally, the wear on the engine with
each restart costs approximately $10 annually, while wear from an idling engine
can cost hundreds of dollars each year, due to the damage it causes to exhaust
systems, spark plugs, cylinders and other parts of the car’s engine. Although a car can ultimately be replaced,
your health and atmosphere cannot.
The engines of cars are created to work
more effectively to combust fuel at high temperatures. However, when idle, the car engine works at a
low temperature. This causes fuel
entering the car’s catalytic converter to undergo incomplete combustion, thereby,
permitting the emission of harmful complex chemical components such a nitrogen
oxide, benzene, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, to name a few, into the
air. When people breathe this toxic air,
they suffer damaging effects to their bodies (cancer), particularly the lungs
(asthma), heart and blood vessels (high blood pressure and decreased oxygen
flow to heart and other tissue). This is
particularly troubling for children who breathe in more air per pound of their
body weight, as compared to adults.
So what can you do to prevent your car
from being “idle”? First and foremost,
if your car will remain still (while the engine is on) for more than half a
minute, turn off your engine. Worried
about a cold car when temperatures are colder?
No worries. Cars with electronic
engines are engineered to warm even more quickly when a car is being driven,
compared to when it is standing still, especially if increased speed and quick acceleration is
avoided during the first three to five miles in which the car is first driven. If waiting to pick up a passenger, use a
blanket to stay warm or get out of the car and go indoors to wait. Waiting in a running car can increase the
risk of you yourself breathing in toxic fumes that can leak into your car’s
interior. As an added bonus, for every
ten minutes the car engine is not idle, ten pounds of carbon dioxide will be
prevented from polluting the air.
Prevent being “slack in [your] work” to
preserve your environment, fossil fuel resources, and money. Do not let yourself become the “brother to
him (fuel/carbon emissions) who destroys” the health of you and your children.
You will reap what you sow both now and for generations to come.
http://www.nutramed.com/environment/carschemicals.htm
Join your fellow parishioners as we build a Sustainability Project here at St.
Francis.
Contact Scott Wright
(734-821-2121).
