Turn off your Engines!

In a Nutshell:

Students analyze data provided in this lesson or collect and analyze their own data from a survey of idling vehicles in community. Then they develop a campaign to reduce idling and lower greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in their community.

Goal:

To increase student awareness of idling and how it contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Background Learning:

Teachers should be familiar with the basic science of climate change and its potential impacts as reviewed in:

• High School Backgrounder #2: The Greenhouse Effect
• High School Backgrounder #3: Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
• Intermediate Backgrounder #1: Basics: A lot of Hot Air
• Intermediate Backgrounder #2: Impacts: A Changing World

Students should be familiar with the basic science of climate change and its potential impacts as reviewed in:

• Intermediate Backgrounder #1: Climate Change Basics: What’s the big deal?
• Intermediate Backgrounder #2: Climate Change Impacts: A Changing World?

Learning Outcomes:

Click on the icon for your territory to review the learning outcomes that are addressed by this lesson:

Introduction to Lesson Plan:

In this lesson, students will:

• learn about the effects of idling on climate change;
• conduct a survey of idling in their community (or use data provided);
• do calculations and develop corresponding graphs of the carbon dioxide produced by different sized vehicles; and
• share their knowledge through an anti-idling campaign.

Transportation accounts for 30% of our national emissions of greenhouse gases; a statistic that is even higher in northern areas. Idling in the north is a big issue.

When cars, trucks and buses are left running while parked, they produce pollution that contributes to problems like climate change and smog-that affects human health. Idling vehicles produce unnecessary emissions of carbon dioxide (CO), a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change.

We all need to put a stop to engine idling. Idling for more than 10 seconds, except in traffic, wastes money and causes damage to the environment. Even at -40°C, a well maintained car that uses proper winter weight oil and block-heater should only require 30 seconds of idling.

Imperial Oils has the following advice for cold weather driving on its website:

“When starting a vehicle in cold weather allow the engine to idle for a few seconds before driving off to ensure proper oil flow and lubrication. Do not allow the engine to idle for a prolonged period after start up in cold weather. This practice wastes fuel and does not warm up drive train components. After starting, drive easily for several kilometers to ensure proper vehicle warm-up.”

The activity in this lesson encourages students to inform their families and community about idling and allows them to play a part in slowing down climate change.

Myths About Vehicle Idling

At the end of this exercise you and your students may create anti-idling posters. In addition to communicating the benefits of avoiding idling, another key consideration in designing an anti-idling poster is to be aware of several myths that many Canadians believe regarding vehicle idling. The table below shows three common myths – and the corresponding reality.

Activity:

1. Review the basics of climate change with students. (The Backgrounders Lesson Plan has lots ideas on how to make that engaging.)
   
   Once students have a basic understanding of the causes of climate change as outlined in Intermediate Backgrounder #1: Basics of Climate Change: What’s the big deal? have them brainstorm what things may be affected by climate change and why this is of concern to us. If students need some guidance, try putting some key words on the board such as ice, water, land, animals, and plants. Lead students to a general understanding of the effects, and to the conclusion that we can help the environment by making responsible choices.
2. Review the facts about vehicle emissions.
   
   
   • Vehicle emissions contain carbon dioxide, the second most common greenhouse gas. It has no color or smell. Scientists believe that carbon dioxide is the main cause of climate change.
   • Vehicles create carbon dioxide because they burn fuel (gas or diesel). The more fuel that is burned, the more carbon dioxide is released into the air.
   • There are over 15 million cars, trucks and other vehicles driving around our country - that’s a lot of fuel being burned!
3. Have a discussion about idling. Questions might include: Why do people idle their vehicles? Where and when? Have they heard adults say that idling is good for the vehicles’ engines? Is it necessary to let a vehicle idle sometimes? If so, when? How does idling a vehicle contribute to climate change?
4. To get the facts on idling, have the students try the “Idling Quiz” you can download as a Teacher Handout from the handout section of this lesson plan. It is in true/false format so once you’ve gone over the answers they’ll have the information they need for the main activity.
5. Have students record the following headings in their observation notebooks:
   
   
   • Date/Temperature Outside
   • Size/Type of Vehicle
   • Number of Minutes Idling
   • Location
     
     
6. Inform the students that for the next few weeks they will be keeping an eye out for idling vehicles and recording the above information for each vehicle they see idling. Note that “vehicles” include cars, trucks, and sports utility vehicles (SUVs). You may send them out during class time for 30 minutes a week or so, or make it a homework project. How long the project runs is up to you and depends on how much data you’d like them to gather. It is recommended that their survey go on long enough for students to realize that idling is common and contributes significantly to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. You may consider assigning areas or having students compile the data by area in order to complete a graph of the results. Another possibility would be to organize the data by type of vehicle and graph the results for a comparison. (Option: Data chart is available as a handout for students who are not doing the survey.)
7. At the end of each week, have the students record their data on the Student Handout #1: Idling Data Chart. A sample chart is attached and may be used to allow students to calculate GHG emissions if the observation project is not practical.
8. At the end of the observation period, have the students calculate the amount of GHG emissions released into the atmosphere by using the information provided in the student handout Calculations for Determining GHG Emissions per Minute of Idling and the data on their Idling Data Chart.
9. Compile the results for a class total (by total amount/area amount/or type of vehicle amount). Have the students create a graph of the results.
10. Discuss the results. Share these facts with the students:
    
    
    • Canadian motorists idle their vehicles an average of five to 10 minutes per day.
    • A recent study suggests that in the middle of winter, Canadians idle their vehicles for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day – equal to one vehicle idling for 144 years!
    • In Canada, if we all reduced our idling by just “five” minutes every day – we could prevent more than two million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year!! That’s the same as taking 350,000 cars off the road!
    • Idling is a habit that is costing us millions of dollars a year in wasted fuel and producing unnecessary emissions of carbon dioxide.
    • Vehicle idling also contributes to other environmental problems such as deteriorating air quality and smog, which directly affects the health of children and other vulnerable members of our community, including seniors and people with respiratory problems.
11. Now that students understand how idling contributes to climate change, have them create an anti-idling campaign. The campaign may be limited to the school and their own families, or extended to the community. The campaign might include:
    
    
    • Writing letters to parents, editors of local newspapers, and local politicians
    • Putting up anti-idling posters around the school
    • Making a sign for the school parking lot
    • Putting up posters in community areas (public library, etc.)
    • Making notices for their parents to post in their workplaces
    • Creating educational stories, poems, or dramatizations to share with others

    Note: You can order a free anti-idling campaign kit from Natural Resources Canada. It contains:

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/idling/tool_kit/tool_kit.cfm?PrintView=N&Text=N

Handouts:

Click on the icon for the complete set of handouts that support this lesson:

Teacher Handout: Idling Quiz – True or False
Student Handout #1: Idling Data Chart
Student Handout #2: Sample Idling Data Chart
Student Handout #3: Calculations for Determining GHG Emissions (per minute of idling)

Student Web-Exchange:

On the student exchange portion of the website, students can post a summary of their findings, copies of their letters, pictures of their efforts to reduce idling, their posters, etc. Click on the icon for information on how to post material.

Evaluation:

Students can be evaluated on: data analysis (collecting and analyzing data, developing a graph, written or oral presentation of results, evaluation, and inferences); a written assessment of the effects of lifestyles on the environment; their letters, posters, and other media produced for the campaign; presentations, and so on.

Enrichment Ideas:

Language Arts 5 / Visual Arts 5

Director’s Cut: Have students write the script for an anti-idling commercial, assign roles, and videotape it. The commercial might contain footage of idling vehicles (with the motorist’s permission), local areas likely to be affected by climate change, testimonials, a skit, etc. You might consider submitting it to a local TV station or showing it to other classes.

About the Author:

Hello, my name is Suzanne M. Bertrand. I live in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and teach at Selkirk Elementary School. One day a week, I teach grade 5 and the rest of the week I’m a counselor for Kindergarten to Grade 7. I teach mostly Science and Art to the Grade 5s and an Anti-Violence Program to the other grades. Currently, there are 240 students in our school.

This is my 35th consecutive year of teaching. I plan to retire in June 2004. Before I came to the Yukon in August 1967, I taught for one year in Saskatchewan. I have taught grades from Kindergarten to Grade 8. I have taught French Second Language, French Immersion, and French First Language for most of my teaching career. I have also taught Grades 4, 5, and 6 in the English Stream. Today, I enjoy being a Counselor.

Many years ago I was looking for adventure and have definitely found a lot of it here in the Yukon. I have had numerous opportunities to pursue my personal interests. As of late, being the Green School Coordinator at my school has opened many avenues for increasing my knowledge and awareness on ways to help our planet and us stay healthier. I definitely like the open spaces, the blue sky, and the slower pace of the north. What I enjoy the most is motivating my students toward caring for our environment and sharing whatever expertise I may have. I would like to leave this legacy: that students with whom I have had contact will remember me as a caring person… for people, for animals, and for our planet Earth. At this time I am keen on learning as much as I can about Climate Change.

Thanks to the YCS curriculum team for the help on this lesson.

The Yukon Conservation Society Curriculum Team consists of teachers, writers, environmental educators and curriculum specialists. It works with teachers across the north, helping them to create lesson plans for this website, and gathering input about website features, backgrounders and lesson plans that would be useful in northern classrooms.