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Tip of the Week

By Solvie Karlstrom | All Posts

Idle Waste

11:47 am - June 23, 2008

Photo: Idle Waste

Record high gas prices have slipped in recent days, but not by much. The average U.S. price for a gallon is still over four dollars, a dollar above prices this month last year, and drivers have responded accordingly. According to the Transportation Department, Americans drove 400 million fewer miles in April than they did in March, and 1.4 billion fewer miles than they did in April of 2007.

But getting behind the wheel can't always be avoided. When the car is the only reasonable way to get from a to b, you can save fuel by cutting back on idling. If you idle for more than thirty seconds, you are better off turning off the car and restarting it. Plus, the more gas burned, the more carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. So turn the ignition off at long stoplights and other lengthy hold-ups. And rather than using the drive-through, just park and go in.

See fueleconomy.gov for up-to-date gas prices by state, and How to Deal with Gasly Petroleum Prices for more tips on upping your vehicles fuel efficiency.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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Anti Idling Awareness
posted by air@greenventure.ca on 2008-06-25 13:42:41  

According to The Government of Canada (Natural Resources Canada) it takes less fuel to restart your vehicle then to let it idle for more than 10 seconds whereas your article indicates a 30 second threshold.

So for the sake of everyone - turn the key off.

help
posted by bibbysmith on 2008-06-29 07:54:40  

I walk around my town all the time and see people idling their car. Does anyone have a friendly but effective way off asking others to stop idling?

Good Advice?
posted by LilyoftheValley on 2008-06-29 20:50:04  

When I drove a Suzuki Samurai in the Vegas area I would cruise around in nuetral or turn the engine off for almost every downhill opportunity available. But is it legal to be parked in traffic?

re:help
posted by ariesz on 2008-06-30 03:24:29  

Habits, including those on how you drive, are personal. You cannot tell someone how to drive, rather educate them of the consequences of their habit. Mass education is the greatest tool (sheer numbers) - offending people by telling them to turn off their car will not help solve the problem.

Idle wast
posted by mdfiasco on 2008-07-01 11:29:55  

I starting shutting my car off at stoplights and coasting when possible over 4 months ago. I keep track of my exact fill-up amounts (in gallons) and my estimated driving style during that tanks use. My mileage has gone from 10-12 mpg to 30-35 mpg. My monthly fuel bill has gone from 400-500 down to 125-150.00 per month.

Idle wast
posted by sassyg23greengirl on 2008-07-25 10:33:49  

We turn our cars off especially when we are stuck waiting for the train to go by. If we didn't turn the car off it would be a big wast of gas.


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