Vanderbilt University Professor Wants To Stop "American Idle"
The headline on a story in a recent Vanderbilt University publication is an eye-catcher: "The Campaign To End American Idle."
It's not a typographical error. The story describes how American motorists waste energy and create additional tailpipe emissions by allowing their cars to idle rather than shutting their engines down.
A nationwide survey of 1,300 drivers conducted recently by the Vanderbilt University Climate Change Research Network suggests that passenger cars with engines idling could account for 1.6 percent of the nation's overall mobile and stationary pollution.
About half of that occurs at red lights and during traffic jams. But, Mike Vandenbergh (shown above), a Vanderbilt law professor and a co-author of the study, links the other half to motorists who are waiting to pick up their children at school, talking on cell phones or waiting to pick up a burger in a fast-food drive-through lane.
Eliminating that unnecessary idling time could save almost $6 billion in fuel a year based on 2008 prices, said Vandenbergh, who is director of the research network.
"Drivers who idle their cars and light trucks in driveways, school pick-up lines, to warm up a car or while waiting in fast-food or bank drive-through lines account for 17 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year," according to Vandenbergh. "As a basis for comparison, industrial aluminum production currently accounts for 13.7 billion pounds of carbon emissions and petrochemical production for 3.3 billion pounds.
"We tend, in the policy arena, to look for areas or actions that have the greatest emissions," Vandenbergh said. "By doing that, we focus on some of the very hardest behaviors to change," such as the never-ending attempt to get more people to use public transportation.
Prior to teaching at Vanderbilt, Vandenbergh was an environmental attorney in Washington, D.C. From 1993 to 1995 he was chief of staff at the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Greg Johnson, Contributor
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- Greg Johnson May 14, 2009, 12:22 PM
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- Emissions, Vanderbilt University Climate Change Research Network
Having lived in Alaska for 3-years, it is necessary to let your vehicle idle for 15-30 minutes every morning during the winter. And I know this practice is not unique to the state of Alaska.
And if I want to PAY for the fuel to let my vehicle idle all day long, that's my business and only mine.
The comment above about idling for 15-30 minutes in Alaska is absurd. The majority of the US population lives in climates where idling is not necessary, including the colder climates. I grew up in Canada and recently lived in NH and Iowa, so I know what cold is. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the majority of Alaskans live in the milder, southern coastal areas of the state, which aren't even as cold as some states in the lower 48. The fact is, modern cars do not require a warm-up period before driving under almost all conditions, if driven gently for the first few miles. Maybe the commenter above hasn't heard of a block heater, or may just be one of the very few people that live in an extreme climate area, and chooses to ignore the rest of the country. Besides, the article doesn't even mention idling on start up. It mentions idling while waiting at traffic signals, or other cases not involving warm-up. Reducing idling would save significant energy with almost little effort and no cost. However, the most effective solution to reducing our energy usage is to raise the price of energy. The waste (i.e. unnecessary energy usage) that goes on in this county boggles my mind. If we tax (dirty) energy as much as we should, you'll see how much less energy people are capable of using. They waste because they can. It's human nature.
I lived in Fairbanks, which is the second most populous city in the state. Every winter brings temperatures of at least -50 and the most extreme weather I experienced was -62. My vehicle was winterized but at those temperatures, nothing "wants" to work; Flat spots in tires, blurred digital readouts of the center stack and instrument cluster, doors not wanting to open/close and the drivetrain felt as though it was caught in a spider's deadly web. I understand the lower 48 does not see such severe temperatures but that is beside the point.
My issue is w/ "big government" intervention in the form of additional laws, regulations and rules in an attempt to gain more authority and control of our lives. I recycle and conserve energy through all reasonable means (Turning lights, TV, radio and etc. OFF when not in use/needed). I believe the government would be more successful in they're efforts to persuade American's to go "green" if they promoted it from the standpoint of saving money while helping clean-up and preserve the environment. Plus, allowing the free market to determine what technologies are most feasible through consumer demand. Don't force our automakers to produce dangerous, small, uncomfortable and underpowered vehicles that people don't truly want to drive. Okay, I admit they do but only when the price of gasoline is $3.50 per gallon and above. I'm sure someone in Washington is making an effort to manipulate gasoline prices to further their agenda though. ;)
And more taxes is not the right answer. Especially, given our current economic situation but that appears to be Washington's answer to everything these days; Tax, tax, tax!!! Are we forgetting what it means to be a FREE country? People who waste are paying for it through the purchase of more gasoline, electricity, etc..
And when we're all driving electric vehicles, I'm sure the environmental groups will have something to say about the "excessive" electricity we are producing and the environmental affects of such production. Not to mention the ridiculous cost of electricity and if you don't believe that, it will happen through supply and demand. I forsee a $1,000 PG&E bill in my future....haha.
/End Rant