Idle Hands Ontario

Idle Hands exists to promote awareness of idling cars in Ontario. We are specifically targeting municipal owned fleet vehicles to turn off their engines. We want to see government policy change, to improve the current idling bylaws and coincide with 2014 green initiatives.

[idlehandsont]

Saying goodbye is never fun

The first time I realized that idling was illegal, I was sitting in a McDonald's parking lot in the East end of Toronto when I was 17. I grew up in a small town. I was pretty in touch with right from wrong from an environmentalists perspective. After seeing the no idling sign predominantly placed at McDonald's - I never idled again. It just made sense. 

When I started Idle Hands Ontario, I quickly realized that people didn't care about breaking an idling bylaw. They didn't take it seriously. Nor did they care if public vehicles idled. It was convenient to idle, it was convenient to not turn the key. So this campaign inherently brought its challenges. Being a non confrontational environmentalist, I assumed everyone else was too.  

I quickly learned that was not the case. I did learn, however, that upon educating people - they started to agree that idling was harmful. They started to think about all the children that ride transit or the school bus or taxi cabs being exposed to that harmful exhaust. They started to think about the elderly getting wheeled into the hospital on University Avenue. They started to think about wasting their money with useless idling. Upon educating people - they started to get it. 

This campaign showed me that anything is possible if you are loud enough and passionate enough. Though we didn't strictly change policy - we made our voices known to government officials. We were a loud voice in the face of idling, and we brought like minded people together to help support a good cause. 

I am moving on in my career, and I am sad to say goodbye. But I will always advocate for an Idle Free Ontario, and look forward to the day when that policy shapes itself into a reality. 

Best of luck, Idle Hands Ontario, and I shall see you again soon. 

Meghan.

[idlehandsont]

We want there to be snow left to ski on! Take small steps to influence big change. Turn your car off and help save harmful emissions from polluting our air and spoiling our climate. #idlefreeontario #idlehandsont #emissions #climatechange #climatereality

[idlehandsont]

Listen in to Newstalk 1010 today to hear me speak about our campaign and CALL IN TO SUPPORT! #idlefreeontario 👍

[idlehandsont]

How to Make Our Idling Bylaws Make Sense

When we think of idling bylaws within our community, we have no idea what that means. It means you can't idle. Got it. But, for how long, and under what circumstances? If it's cold out, can we warm up in our idling vehicle? If we're visiting our parents in Guelph, can we idle? If we're listening to Wrecking Ball in our driveway, waiting for our roommates to get in the car, can we idle? Even if it isn't cold? If we drive from Toronto to Buffalo to go shopping and stop along the way - can we idle? Does it matter which town we're in? And what about drive thrus?? 

The discrepancies within the idling bylaws make a general laughing stock of it. Reporters never refrain from taking a golden opportunity to ridicule the bylaw, and readers certainly do not shy away from boasting their ruthless comments. 

So how do we fix this to make sense for our communities? 

What we propose is this.

Idle Free Ontario Act:

Idling is prohibited anywhere in Ontario for more than 1 minute within a 30 minute time frame. 

Clean. Simple. And doesn't come encased with a plethora of exemptions. 

It helps create a greener mandate for Ontario and makes an honest attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

It can not only help the environment but it can help your credit card. Reduced idling means reduced fuel costs. Reduced fuel costs means more money to put back into our community in cleaner, more sustainable ways. 

Think about it. If it makes sense, share it, post it, like it. Together, we can make Ontario Idle Free. 

[idlehandsont]

Toronto used to have a 3 minute idling bylaw. It recently increased this bylaw to 1 minute. There is still signage all over the city outlining the old bylaw, and no funding to update new signs to educate the new bylaw. So why was this bylaw implemented, when no one intended on enforcing it, reporting it, or abiding by it? Please help target your politicians to improve this outdated bylaw, especially as we make the decision on who will be the new mayor for the City of Toronto. #idling #idlefreeONT #idlehandsONT

[idlehandsont]

Thank you to all of our followers and supporters! Together we can help encourage positive change within our province and even our beautiful country of Canada. 2014 will be a year of turning engines off and relishing in the quiet streets, fresh air, and saved money. We wouldn't be able to do this without your help and support.

[idlehandsont]

Idle Hands Ontario's Christmas Wish List

Idle Hands Ontario has had a successful and invigorating start to our "Idle Free Ontario" campaign. However, there is still room for improvement, and we need all the help we can get from our followers and supporters. 

To put things into perspective, municipal vehicles idle for 40-70% of their operating time. This is wasting over one million dollars in wasted gas. These vehicles are idling unnecessarily and they are wasting taxpayers money, not to mention releasing harmful greenhouse gases into our fragile environment. Greenhouse gas emissions have continued to be overlooked by our government, despite the statement released by Stephen Harper to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by 17% in 2020. Our government is failing to achieve these targets:

http://www.environment.utoronto.ca/AllocatingGHGReductions2013/

So what does Idle Hands Ontario want for Christmas?

 For municipal government to change their bylaws to include government owned fleet vehicles!

 For provincial government to create a provincial wide mandate to be an idle free province!

For fleet managers to recognize the emission and cost savings from turning off their fleets!

For idling bylaws to be strictly enforced to ensure the general public follow this bylaw! 

2014 provides us with fresh starts and new beginnings. We are determined to push the government to answer our questions and influence positive, green, sustainable change. Our government must look at vehicle emissions and regulate the extravagant idle times from fleets. We are paying for this idling time in taxpayers money and in dirty air. 

Please stay tuned to advancements in the new year, and please, spread awareness of the harms of car idling to relatives and loved ones over the holidays. Together, we can influence change!

[idlehandsont]

Think about our future generation. #turnitoff #idlefreeontario #idlehandsont

[idlehandsont]

Whether it’s their proximity to Detroit, or their positive and forward thinking when it comes to sustainability- Windsor is on board with Idle Hands Ontario. And they’re the first city to give us an honest response to the inherent issues surrounding car idling.

So why haven’t other cities expressed concern with these issues? Why have politicians ignored thousands of emails from concerned individuals? Why are idling bylaws not enforced? Why are there so many exemptions within these unenforced bylaws?

Idle Hands Ontario is determined to get the answers and the response that we deserve. We will continue to investigate and we will continue to ask the questions that should have been asked years ago.

Stay tuned.

[idlehandsont]

Have you ever stopped to think about the amount of #idling that takes place from all of the vehicles that surround you? Take note next time you're walking around, and if it bothers you, please take part in the conversation at www.idlehandsontario.com. Together we can help target political change and curb unnecessary and wasteful idling. #ottawa #ontario #idlehandsont #idlefreeontario

[idlehandsont]

Idle Hands is moving forward

IDLE HANDS ONTARIO is getting some incredibly positive results -- both from government officials as well as the concerned public! Together, we have generated over 30,000 signed petitions, and those petitions have been integral in moving our campaign forward.

So, what have I been up to other than spreading awareness about the harms of car idling:

I have solidified a presentation to the Windsor Essex County Environmental Committee, speaking in front of elected officials:

Councillor Alan Halberstadt

Deputy Mayor Charlie Wright

Deputy Mayor Tamara Stomp, and

Councillor Hilary Payne

I have also solidified a presentation to the Kingston Environmental Advisor Forum, speaking in front of elected officials:

Councillor Sandy Berg

Councillor Rick Downes

Councillor Jim Neils, and

Councillor Jeff Scott

A Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga, Michael Harris, has agreed to read a statement in front of Ontario Legislature about Idle Hands' proposed mandate 

This is a great start for IDLE HANDS ONTARIO, and it has positively encouraged government officials to reevaluate idling policies. Thank you to everyone who has helped contribute; whether it be raising a hand, signing a petition, or reading an article about us in your local newspaper – it has all helped! Please keep checking my blog for future advances and outcomes from these meetings!

[idlehandsont]

Checking idling bylaws

Kingston’s idling bylaw has been in effect for five years but a provincial lobby group thinks the bylaw is not going far enough.

Ian MacAlpine has written this article for the City of Kingston, to raise awareness on the excessive idling that takes place when bylaws are not enforced.

If you take the time to read the comments beneath the article, it says a lot on the importance of education and raising awareness. Too few people are uneducated when it comes to something as simple as turning off a car engine. It is a bad attitude to adopt that there are too many other problems in the city to focus on something small like car idling. Idling may be one of many faults when it comes to city management, but it is one simple solution to help contribute to less pollution and wasted resources.

Traffic lights and drive thru's are a continual issue when it comes to car idling. Idle Hands exists to educate people to make wiser choices - to turn your car off if you are in a drive thru and to use your own discretion when stopped at a light. 

Thank you to the Whig-Standard and Ian MacAlpine for helping to share our cause. 

[idlehandsont]

"We have a vision. Kingston - Canada's most sustainable city. It is a vision that is fully expressed in the community-built Sustainable Kingston Plan"

Kingston is a beautiful city. It has so many green initiatives in place and a community that truly respects and encourages them. I have enjoyed talking to locals downtown and at Queen's University, and the credibility they have for their environmental impact. 

Locals are aware of the amount of unnecessary idling that takes place from municipal owned workers - police cars and public transit being on top of the list. 

I want locals to continually encourage and ask the people in power to change these bylaws - to look at these bylaws and update them to fully support the goal of Kingston: to be  Canada's most sustainable city. 

https://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/environment-sustainability/sustainability

[idlehandsont]

Idle Hands targets public vehicles

An anti-idling public awareness campaign targeting public vehicles such as buses, fire trucks, police cruisers and ambulances has been launched across...

Dave Hall from The Windsor Star has written a thought provoking piece on Idle Hands Ontario, and the conversation has begun. Hall included interviews with the head of Transit Windsor, Patrick Delmore, and from the Citizens Environmental Alliance of Windsor, Derrick Coronado. 

Idle Hands Ontario is meeting with the Windsor Essex County Environment Committee on December 5th to present the campaign and the forward movements we want to see in place. 

Thank you Windsor for your support in helping to begin the conversation and encourage modern and innovative thinking when it comes to car idling. See you again in a couple of weeks!

[idlehandsont]

Not a fan of these idling vehicles? Yeah, neither are we. #idlehandsont #windsor

[idlehandsont]

Have you ever taken a moment to look at a bus terminal and thought about the amount of unnecessary idling that takes place? It has always been of concern to me - but during this campaign and paying close attention to time frames - is bothersome, not to mention wasteful. The amount of "not in service" buses that are sitting there idling with no one on board is disgusting. This is not the bus drivers fault. There is no education and no implementation of policy to deter drivers from behaving in this way. By signing a petition with "Idle Hands Ontario", you are raising your hand in awareness to get these bylaws changed. 

[idlehandsont]

I visited Kensington Market yesterday to promote awareness for the markets last Car Free Sunday! Though the weather was a bit grey, there were loads of people to chat to about many problems around the idling bylaws. Thanks to all of the families and kids who wanted to talk to me and discuss some of the problems the City of Toronto has in implementing these laws and ensuring the city has looked at all of the possible green technologies available. Keep raising hands, and talking about these solutions to those around you. All of these conversations will help decrease the amount of idlers and encourage our government to exercise all possible options to keep emissions and wasted gas to an absolute minimum. Happy car free Sundays!