WHO WE ARE
Idle Free Ontario (IFO) is a not-for-profit environmental organization committed to improving air quality and addressing the issue of climate change in the province through a focus on the unnecessary idling of motor vehicles. Vehicle emissions are a key source of the pollutants which cause smog and of the gases which are contributing to global warming. The present and future negative impacts on our quality of life of the transportation choices we make are becoming increasingly clear. IFO believes that we must begin today to rethink the way we use motor vehicles so as to lessen their harmful effects on the environment. An easy, quick and effective first step that we can all undertake is to simply turn off our vehicles if we are going to be parked for more than 10 seconds. Not only would such an initiative result in the immediate removal of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of green house gases from the atmosphere, but hopefully it would result in a growing awareness of our wasteful and destructive pattern of fossil fuel consumption.
IFO seeks both to build on the considerable successes which have been achieved to date to curb idling in the province as well as to recognize their limitations. Anti-idling bylaws are becoming the norm rather than the exception among Ontario’s municipalities. Beginning in Toronto over a decade ago, debates regarding idling led to the adoption of more or less similar bylaws in a wide variety of urban settings. Some of these bylaws are now being revisited with an eye to further restricting idling (see Burlington for example), a move applauded by IFO. The political importance of these bylaws cannot be dismissed nor can the moral suasion they provide. That being said, the lasting behavioural changes that IFO strives to realize are not readily apparent in any of the jurisdictions in question. Clearly something more is called for. IFO’s mandate is to offer that “something more”.
The key lies in making idling not just illegal but socially unacceptable. Certainly the bylaws are crucial and IFO supports strengthening their provisions, especially their enforcement measures. But until drivers come to understand the negative societal impacts of their own behaviour, lasting change will prove elusive. In the experience of IFO, some of the most effective anti-idling campaigns to date have been school-based. This is hardly surprising given the impact on local air quality and the direct connection between a vehicle’s tailpipe and a child’s lungs. The urgent nature of this appeal must be replicated in other campaigns to curb idling. Drivers must be made aware of the negative consequences of idling not only on a child’s lungs but on the earth writ large. Only then will they begin to take responsibility for their actions and change them accordingly.
IFO seeks to pursue this change on a variety of levels. Educating the public on the issue of idling is central to IFO’s mandate. The considerable research that has been done on idling speaks for itself but it must be made widely available to have the desired impact. In addition, IFO strives to grow and maintain the relevance of our mandate in the political process, be it within municipal, provincial or federal jurisdictions. This non-partisan advocacy work is vital to the success of IFO’s efforts, whether it be realized through new by-laws, the strengthening of existing legislation or simply in providing a supportive policy environment within which our campaign can thrive. Finally, IFO acts as an umbrella organization for the wide-ranging efforts that are being made throughout Ontario to stop unnecessary idling. Much has been learned from existing anti-idling initiatives. This information must be shared to ensure the continuing success of these efforts as well as to assist and encourage those who are embarking on new programs. IFO serves this function through partnerships and in consultation with other like-minded groups and individuals.
Ultimately global warming, resource depletion and worsening environmental degradation will force us all to drastically rethink our patterns of energy use. Idle Free Ontario recognizes the limited nature of its intervention but views this as its strength. People are beginning to recognize that their everyday behaviours are contributing to the environmental challenges we face. Polls show that people are increasingly receptive to changing these behaviours but they are often confused about where to begin. Turning off your car if you are going to be parked for more than ten seconds is a good place to start. It is a small step that we can all easily take but one with potentially far-reaching effects. If we begin to become more actively aware of our energy consumption habits and their consequences, we can begin to think about the benefits of changing them. It is this growing consciousness that Idle Free Ontario ultimately strives to realize.
Last Updated: July 8, 2010
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