2010 March | Citizens for a Greener Evanston

Welcome to the CGE Blog!

If you’ve found this page, you probably already know a little bit about Citizens for a Greener Evanston (CGE). You’ve probably seen our logo - maybe you live in Evanston - and you’re interested in learning a little more about the kinds of things we’re up to, or about the environmental initiatives happening in Evanston. If that’s what you’re looking for, congratulations!! You’re on the right track. That’s exactly what this blog is here to provide.

That said, I should also mention that CGE is a large, diverse, and very active organization. It will be an ongoing challenge to capture even half of the initiatives we have under way at a given time, let alone the initiatives in all of Evanston! But with your help, we’ll share as much information here as we can.

Not all of the entries here will be related to our core mission of helping the City of Evanston meet its Kyoto Protocol targets, the ubiquitous 13% reduction by 2012 (above), but many will be. Not all of the entries will be about Evanston, because there are amazing things happening all over the Chicagoland area that readers should know about. But my hope is that all of the entries will share one thing: they will be inspiring and hopeful, and they will make it easier for you to learn about and brighten your impact on our world.

Let me start the ball rolling with a few helpful links for residents. If I’ve forgotten any key ones, help me out by leaving a comment below!

Recyclables accepted by the City of Evanston: http://tinyurl.com/CityofEvanstonRecyclables

City of Evanston GREEN map (under revision): http://tinyurl.com/EvanstonGREENmap

Calculate your carbon footprint: http://tinyurl.com/EcologicalFootprintQuiz

Take the Home Improvement Quiz: http://tinyurl.com/HomeImprovementCalculator

Enjoy your explorations! Looking forward to your comments,

Laura

Idling Gets You Nowhere

Going nowhere, emitting plenty...

Idling to warm up your car in cold weather is the slowest way to bring it up to operating temperature. It invites a whole host of problems - and excessive idling can actually damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs, and exhaust systems. The reason for this is that fuel is only partially combusted when a car idles, because the engine does not operate at its peak temperature. Operation at low temperatures leads to the buildup of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption in the long term. (It used to be that cars did require warming, before cars were full of all the sophisticated systems in them now.)

In short, if you’re worried you’ll stress your car out by driving in winter, idling is not the answer. Cars warm up faster when they’re driven, so idling won’t even help you get warm faster on those chilly winter days. The best way to warm up is to walk or ride your bike, of course… but if you do need the car, here’s a good procedure to follow:

Put on your seat belt - start the engine - wait from 0 - 30 seconds to allow engine fluids to circulate - and drive away, accelerating gently, especially while your car is below its normal operating temperature.

Note to parents: if you’re picking your kids up at school, be sure to turn your engines off. The fumes from idling cars are more dangerous for kids because young people breathe more as a percentage of their body weight. Inhaling exhaust has also been linked to developing asthma. Save money, protect your kids - it’s as easy as turning off the car!