Any sustainable strategy can only be as successful as the education that accompanies it’s roll-out. Why then, if we’ve been driving cars for over 100 years, does the average driver not understand the impacts of idling cars?

To earn an alternative transportation point under LEED for Schools (k-12), student pick-up areas must be identified as ‘no idle zones.’  LEED pushes us in the right direction, but young children are not the only one who deserve clean air, we all do.

Twice in one week, I’ve seen one pizza delivery guy leave his car running while he delivered the pizza, and one woman go into a coffee shop and leave her car running. The implications of lower air quality bothered me to the point to do some quick Internet searches and discover that our cars work better than we think! Leaving your car idling for more than 10 seconds wastes more gas than re-starting it.

The Environmental Defense Fund wants you to save money by avoiding idling. Learn more, here.

And even the cynics at Slate recognize that if we all practiced driving a little greener, the benefits add up. Learn more, here.

© 2012 Sustainable Investment Group (SIG). All rights reserved.