Help Bring Peace for the Earth by Visiting
                  the Following Links  ...

The Environmental Health Division of the BEAR RIVER HEALTH DEPARTMENT tracks air quality in Cache Valley and provides education to reduce air pollution.  For more information, go to www.brhd.org.

The DEPARTMENT OF AIR QUALITY of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality provides management and resources to help protect the public from the harmful effects of air pollution.  They have an excellent website filled with valuable information on air quality monitoring, tips for reducing air pollution, and guidance for homes, businesses, and schools.  For more information, go to www.airquality.utah.gov/Utah.

CLICK AND CLACK, THE TAPPET BROTHERS, offer humorous and fact-based tips on winter driving.  Their advice will keep your car running in top shape while also helping to reduce emissions.  For more information, go to www.cartalk.com/content/features/WinterDriving/.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.  For more information, visit their website, www.energystar.gov.

What everyone should know about idling (from Utah Department of Air Quality):

●   Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. If you're stopping for more than 10 seconds - except in traffic - turn off the engine.

●   In winter conditions, emissions from an idling vehicle are more than double the normal level immediately after a "cold start." A poorly tuned engine uses up to 15 percent more energy when idling than a well-tuned vehicle.

●   Restarting a car many times has little impact on engine components such as the battery and the starter motor. The wear on parts that restarting the engine causes adds about $10 a year to the cost of driving - money that you'll likely recover several times over in fuel savings.

●   Excessive idling can be hard on your engine. Because the engine isn't working at peak operating temperature, fuel doesn't undergo complete combustion. This leaves fuel residues that contaminate engine oil and make spark plugs dirty.

●   The catalytic converter - the device that cleans pollutants from the vehicle's exhaust - doesn't function at its peak until it reaches between 750°F and 1000°F. The best way to warm the converter is to drive the vehicle. Idling emits more pollution if the vehicle's catalytic converter isn't working properly. Ask your technician to check the system the next time your car is being serviced.

●   If your vehicle has a diesel engine, idling actually lowers the coolant temperature faster than shutting off the engine. In other words, switching off the engine keeps the engine warm longer.