NO IDLING Zones at Lakeway!

Idling -- or leaving your engine running while you wait -- is being taken seriously at Lakeway. The exhaust from vehicles enters the school and is not healthy. The Healthy Schools Committee is asking visitors to turn off their engines at drop-off and pick-up points if you are waiting for your child for more than 10 seconds. Think that's too little?

Did you know?

• Idling your vehicle for more than just 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine.
• Idling your vehicle for just 10 minutes uses as much fuel as it takes to travel 5 miles.
• Idling your vehicle for 10 minutes a day uses more than 27 gallons of fuel a year.

For the health of our children and staff, here are the facts:

• IDLING CAUSES RESPIRATORY ILLNESS. Emissions contain Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Benzene and several other toxic chemicals that impair our lungs and heart. Prolonged exposure may be fatal. Children, the elderly, and individuals with asthma are especially at high-risk.†
• IDLING WASTES FUEL. Got gas? It's going right out your exhaust pipe if you're leaving your engine running. Conserve your hard-earned dollars and conserve gas.
• IDLING DAMAGES YOUR ENGINE. An idling engine results in incomplete fuel combustion. Fuel residues can condense on cylinder walls, contaminate oil, damage engine components, and deposit on spark plugs. You're consuming 4 to 5% MORE gas by idling. Excessive idling can also cause water to condense in the vehicle's exhaust, which can lead to corrosion and reduce the life of the exhaust system. However, frequent restarting has little impact on engine components such as the starter motor and the battery.

For more information, visit the Dept. of Environmental Services' website. Do your part. Reducing exhaust pollution is a great step towards keeping our kids healthy.

† American Lung Association
* Natural Resources Canada & Vermont Agency of Natural Resources