Your personal five-step action plan

Unnecessary vehicle idling is a big problem in Canada – it wastes fuel and money, and damages the environment. But small actions can have a big impact – and one person can make a difference. For example, if every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada stopped idling for just five minutes a day, collectively, over the year, we would save over 680 million litres of fuel and prevent more than 1.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Don't wait - launching your own personal idling campaign is as easy as turning off your engine.

Step 1: Reduce warm-up idling to 30 seconds. Start driving after no more than 30 seconds of idling. Avoid high speeds and rapid acceleration for the first five kilometres or so to allow all moving parts of your vehicle to warm up.

Step 2: If you are going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds, turn your engine off (except in traffic). Idling your vehicle for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than it would take to restart your engine.

Step 3: Avoid using a remote car starter. These devices encourage you to start your vehicle before you are ready to leave, which means unnecessary idling.

Step 4: When the temperature drops below 0°C, consider using a block heater to warm your vehicle"s engine before you start it. This will reduce engine wear, improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions from your vehicle. An automatic timer can be used to turn on the block heater two hours or so before you plan to start the vehicle.

Step 5: Spread the word to your family and friends. Telling your family and friends about the benefits of reduced idling will help them save money and help protect the environment too.