Fairborn commencement
Badin graduation
Division I regional track finals
Happy Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day!
Today is the 38th annual celebration of the planet we call home, and a day to step back and think about things we can do to preserve and restore our natural resources…
So that’s the official line on Earth Day, but I want to know: what do YOU think about Earth Day?
Is it a time to reflect on accomplishments?
A time to call for more action?
Or something in-between?
Send a post, let us know, then go outside and do something good for the planet.
Home > Blogs > Living Green > Archives > 2008 > August > 15 > Entry
Don’t be idle, part III
This blog has a great community of readers.
Yesterday’s post was only up for a few hours when a reader wrote in with this link. It’s a study on the gas savings of turning the car on and off vs. just letting it idle. It makes some interesting points, based on the authors’ tests, and gives me a different perspective on the “off at stop lights” idea.
The conclusion I’ve drawn, based on the article, my usual commute and my car, is that while shutting down my car at every light probably won’t save me enough to justify the extra wear on the battery and alternator, there are a few stoplights I catch most days that have wait times long enough to justify turning the engine off.
The article didn’t touch on emissions, though; good evidence that short idling produces excessive emissions could justify the wear on alternator and battery for some people, I suspect.
When it comes time to warm up the car this winter I plan to just bundle up in the hopes that avoiding that type of excess idling will equal real fuel savings. And don’t suspect to see me leaving the car running while waiting for someone or while parked at an ATM - those are times when I think it’s worth it to shut down.
Read the report, then share your thoughts. Are there times you can cut excess idling out of your drive? Do you drive a hybrid that has an auto-cutoff feature? Share your thoughts and comments here.
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