Turn off your engines! Do it for your Mama!

What is it with people sitting in their cars with the engine running? And I’m not taking in winter months when it’s necessary to warm up a car. I see it constantly in drive-thru lines whether it’s to make a bank deposit or get a fast food burger.

Don’t they know? It’s a huge waste of gas and causes more pollution!

It also seems a form of socializing to chat out the car window. I get that. Those long goodbyes to the boyfriend. Maybe mom forgot to tell you about Aunt Melinda’s latest escapades. But for heaven’s sake, turn off the engine if the exchange is more than a minute!

But don’t take my word for it. The Car Talk guys Tom and Ray have the expertise to back it up. They say that idling is “...wasteful and selfish, and bad for the planet.” For those that think it takes more gas to turn a car on than to let it idle, according to the Car Talk guys, um, you’d be wrong. Sorry! According to Tom and Ray, this is a flat out  myth.

Below is a link to the full Car Talk transcript. There’s also some great information about how hybrid’s save fuel by automatically turning off the engine whenever the car comes to a complete stop. Yep, even at traffic lights!

Car talk link on idling

 Today is Earth Day so please give Mama Earth a little break!  Don’t idle your vehicle now or in the future.