We're an Idle Free Zoo
Reduce your carbon “paw print” and become a Polar Bear Pal by turning off your engine while waiting in your car for 30 seconds or more (except in traffic).Here are two things that you can do to idle less the easy way:
- Park your vehicle and go inside rather than waiting in the drive-thru line at restaurants and banks.
- Turn off your engine while waiting in loading/pick-up zones, such as when you are picking up your kids from school.
Idle Less for Wildlife
Carbon dioxide is emitted by vehicles and other machinery as fuel is burned. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, every gallon of gas you use produces about 19 pounds of carbon dioxide.
When there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere it acts like a blanket, trapping the sun’s heat. This extra heat can change a habitat so much that some of the plants and animals that depend on that habitat can no longer survive there.
It’s not just polar bears that are affected by these changes in seasonal temperature. In the Pacific Northwest, salmon, orcas, wolverines, western pond turtles, Oregon silverspot butterflies, Oregon spotted frogs and burrowing owls are also at risk.
Learn More
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Your Car and Clean Air: What YOU Can Do to Reduce PollutionAirwatch NW
Anti-Idling Program for Schools