IDLE-FREE for our kids™ Canada’s Leading IDLE-FREE Campaign

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

February 2016

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Key messages and FAQ – IDLE-FREE for our kids™ What do you mean by going ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’?

• When you’re parked, not in traffic and it makes sense, turn the engine off. • For any stop longer than a minute, not in traffic and when safe to do so. • Avoid long warm-ups or long waits with the engine running.

The benefits of ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’

• Save fuel • Protect your vehicle • Clear the air

Clear the air – from excess emissions Clear the air – on ‘IDLING myths’ Why is this important for ‘our kids’? Kids / tiny lungs are at-risk from poor air quality and climate change (impact on future generations). How much money can you save? A lot. The number we use is 10 minutes a day. It’s an anchor that people can relate to. Going ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’ 10 minutes a day and you can save $200* a year. *Based on a pump price of $1.00/litre, the average vehicle consumes 3.5 litres of fuel per hour at idle, each litre creating about 2.4 kg of CO2. This assumes a broad-average vehicle type; vehicle age between 1 and 10 years, average engine size of between 4 and 8 cylinders. Newer vehicles burn less, older vehicles burn more.

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Saving emissions: As clean as today’s vehicles are, most still use gasoline. Gasoline is 86% carbon, which creates CO2 – greenhouse gas. One litre of gasoline puts out about three times its weight in CO2.* 10 minutes of IDLE-FREE time a day can save between ¼ and ½ ton of CO2 per year. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands of vehicles - the numbers really add up. *How Gasoline Becomes CO2 http://www.slate.com/id/2152685/ Air quality: As clean as today’s vehicles are, there are a lot of older vehicles on the road. Almost all cars and trucks have emissions – which should be avoided by tiny lungs. The Nova Scotia Lung Association says that vehicle emissions around schools, hockey rinks, etcetera, are a contributing factor to poor air quality. Today, 1 in 5 kids have asthma in Nova Scotia. Aggravated asthma is the number one reason kids miss school (see asthma facts attached from The Lung Association of Nova Scotia). WHAT ARE THE IDLING MYTHS? MYTH: It takes a long time to warm up your vehicle. FACT: Engines get hot in 30 – 60 seconds. Driving is the best way to warm up the entire vehicle. MYTH: Idling is good for your vehicle. FACT: Excessive idling burns gas poorly and can harm the engine & exhaust. MYTH: Re-starting is hard on your starter. FACT: Today's electronic starters can be turned on and off with little wear.

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TALK TO YOUR SERVICE TECH. GET THE FACTS ON IDLE-MYTHS. A SAMPLING OF WHAT THE AUTO INDUSTRY SAYS: GM 12 Steps to Greener Driving 5. Avoid Idling: A car gets 0 mpg when the engine is idling: While it does take a small amount of fuel to restart a vehicle, 15 minutes in the drive-through can burn through a quarter of a gallon of fuel. So that dollar menu is more like a $2 menu. You're burning fuel while idling - up to a 3.79 litres every hour. http://media.gm.com/content/product/public/us/en/FuelEfficiency/tips.html FORD Don't idle for more than 30 seconds. Today's engines don't need to be warmed up. Prolonged idling creates excess emissions and wastes fuel. Start the car and immediately drive away. Turn off the engine while waiting. http://support.ford.com/maintenance/fuel-saving-tips See the letter attached from Ford of Canada (appendix). WHEELS.CA Warm-up debate gets pretty heated, but it's based on old facts Published December 2, 2013 http://www.wheels.ca/news/should-you-warm-up-your-car-before-driving-it/

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IDLING STATS & CALCULATORS FROM GOVERNMENT & RESEARCH Natural Resources Canada For every litre of gasoline used, a vehicle produces about 2.3 kilograms of CO2, the principle GHG linked to climate change. Emission impacts resulting from vehicle idling http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/communities-infrastructure/transportation/cars-light-trucks/idling/4415 AutoLogic.ca The harmful effects of idling It wastes fuel: An idling gas engine burns about 3.5 litres an hour. And every litre of gas used produces 2.4 kilograms of CO2. Idling for 10 minutes a day can produce about a quarter tonne of CO2 emissions a year. http://autologic.ca/autologic/CarCare/Economy02.htm EPA (U.S.) A typical heavy-duty truck or bus can burn approximately one gallon of diesel fuel for each hour it idles, generating significant amounts of pollution, wasting fuel, and causing excessive engine wear. http://www3.epa.gov/region1/eco/diesel/idling.html#idling Argonne National Laboratory (U.S.) http://www.anl.gov/energy-systems/project/idle-reduction-research Vehicle Idle Reduction Savings Worksheet This worksheet can help fleet managers and vehicle owners calculate potential savings from reducing their vehicle idling time. It is provided in both Excel and PDF formats. http://www.anl.gov/energy-systems/downloads/vehicle-idle-reduction-savings-worksheet

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WHAT ABOUT DRIVE-THRUS? ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’ isn’t anti-drive-thru; we’re pro-common sense. Many of those who support ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’ use drive-thrus – with their kids. We leave it to each individual driver’s common sense and knowledge of their vehicle in terms of where and when to shut off the ignition. ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’ – when it can ‘make sense’

• Avoiding long warm-ups; 1 minute is best (if free of windshield ice and snow). • Run the radio on accessory while on break in the car or waiting for someone. • Roll windows down for a natural cross-breeze vs. running AC and IDLING with

the windows up. • Avoid IDLING for heat on break or when waiting for someone (existing heat in the

vehicle cabin can last approx. 15 minutes after driving and parking). • Consider avoiding the drive through during long-lines. Walk in for a large order. • After appreciating how small the sacrifice is and how large the savings can be,

promote the ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’ habit to family, friends and colleagues. Why has ‘IDLE-FREE for our kids’ attracted the support of car dealers, major businesses, media outlets and sponsors? We make it simple, and ‘our kids’ make it stick. We’re all-inclusive – our goal is to not turn anyone off. We’ve proven that practical, positive messaging coupled with the emotional appeal of kids makes it easy to say yes – and hard to say no. Ten years of R&D has clearly revealed the TWO reasons 80% of us IDLE when we’re parked:

• We’re not thinking about it. • We believe in (1970s) myths related to old car technology

When it comes to IDLE-time, we don’t get stuck on information about temperature conditions or technical specs.

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We leave it up to individual drivers with one simple message: ‘When you’re parked and it makes sense – go IDLE-FREE for our kids.’ We shy away from the term ‘anti-idling’ – it turns off a large segment of the public. ‘Anti’ is a negative term. We’re a positive campaign. Ten years of study and experience has shown that 80% of the public (all demographics) buy-in to a positive, future-friendly campaign (kids). Car dealers, bus companies and engine techs have been some of our strongest supporters (since 2007). Our branding / messaging has proven popular; embraced at venues such as stock car racing, transportation conferences (co-branded by Allison Transmission and Motor Coach Industries) and in public. Thanks to the support of car dealers we have the credibility of the car industry backing us up. Don’t take our word about the ‘IDLING myths’ – talk to your service tech. We don’t play favourites. We’re not concerned about what vehicle you drive or how long you left it running this morning. Our approach is: ‘here’s the impact we can have together. Let’s get started. Let’s do this for our kids.’ It works amazingly well. How do we know? Our feedback and success with business, media, health, education and the public since 2007. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics liked our ‘IDLE-FREE Bus’ so much, it carried the men’s hockey teams. See the Slideshare; why 80% buy-in. Canada’s Leading IDLE-FREE Campaign 2006 – 2016

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FACTS ABOUT ASTHMA

“Asthma” is a Greek word, roughly translated as “laboured breathing”. At 9.3%, Nova Scotia has the highest rate of asthma in Canada. 17%, or about one in five kids, have asthma in Nova Scotia. Asthma attacks are the most common childhood medical emergency. Childhood asthma accounts for one quarter of school absenteeism. About twice as many boys as girls develop childhood asthma. Health Canada estimates that more than 5000 Canadians die prematurely each year because of air pollution, and thousands more become unnecessarily ill. Vehicle exhaust can trigger asthma attacks and contribute to the growing rate of lung disease in Nova Scotia. Excess exhaust from vehicles is particularly harmful to children for three reasons:

• Kids are shorter than adults and closer to particles from vehicle exhaust. • Kids breathe faster than adults, inhale more air per KG of body weight. • Kids lungs aren’t fully developed and are weaker managing air pollutants.

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About IDLE-FREE Guy™ and The Children’s Clean Air Network. The Children's Clean Air Network is a network of like-minded partners promoting IDLE-IDLE Free for our kids™. The vision is to inspire North America to go ‘IDLE-FREE’ - when parked.’ The goal is to reduce vehicle emissions, ultimately saving billions of dollars in fuel and cutting millions of tons of greenhouse gas. The Children's Clean Air Network began as a grassroots campaign in 2006 at Kingswood Elementary School, near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Its founder is father of two and hockey dad, Ron Zima, also known as IDLE-FREE Guy™. "Our kids are depending on us to take care of their planet. Hockey rinks, schools and public places are prime locations where kids depend on clean air and where together, we can have a huge impact by going IDLE-FREE for our kids." Partner organizations include schools, businesses, media outlets, health and environment organizations. ‘Always-on’ vehicle emissions impact the health and future of children and represent a significant loss of fuel and resources. The Children's Clean Air Network seeks to inspire the public and empower children to lead change. Contact: Ron Zima ADpPR GoGreen Communications Inc. TheGoGreenAgency.com Founder / Chair, The Children’s Clean Air Network Info@IDLEFREE.org IDLEFREE.org

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Mission To reduce greenhouse gas and improve air quality by reducing vehicle emissions.

Vision

Excess vehicle emissions will become as socially unacceptable as second hand smoke.

Purpose To empower kids to transform driver behavior. Kids need a voice on climate change and poor air quality.

Strategy To partner with business, schools and media to inspire through simple and consistent messaging. We’ll engage, inspire, and empower change in a positive manner. The Children’s Clean Air Network is a registered charity in Canada.

Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited Ford du Canada Limitées

Cold weather idling is largely a waste of fuel. It is also a source of unwanted pollution. Except in the most extreme conditions, once an engine has been started and the warning lights or indicator gauges show “normal”, a vehicle can be driven away – gently. There are other considerations besides engine function in extreme cold weather – axle, transmission, steering and brake fluids are also very viscous.

Extended idling is of very little benefit. Modern engines do not produce significant heat at idle and do not need significant internal heat to operate properly. Diesel engines in particular are prone to cooling off to the point where the injectors no longer contain the fuel properly and “slobbering” takes place. This puts excessive amounts of raw fuel in the combustion chamber and can lead to damage. We urge people to use thermostatically controlled block heaters overnight or when a vehicle is parked for lengthy periods. Timed block heaters are also an option. Remote or automatic starting is not a route we recommend.

Many people are concerned about starter wear. Tests have shown that this is not an issue. Starter life will not be seriously jeopardized by the few extra turns needed or the small increase in the number of times it will be put to use. Tests done by a European automaker (albeit at room temperature) showed that an automobile could be turned off and restarted 30 times per minute and still return better fuel economy than when left idling for the whole minute.

Technically speaking, extended idling is not necessary. Interior comfort is another issue, (as) “relative warmth” is certainly a consideration for the passengers.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pattee, Mgr. Vehicle Emissions and Fuels

Reprinted with the permission of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited!