A few months ago, the Grade 8 English class at Sacred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur explored how discouraging motorists from idling their vehicle could reduce carbon emissions in Estevan.
It’s gone a lot further than they could have ever imagined. Not only has the area in front of the school been declared an idle-free zone, but the idle-free concept was part of their entry for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition.
The class was the Saskatchewan finalist for the national contest, earning the school $20,000 in Samsung classroom technology.
Now the City of Estevan and the Estevan Police Service are moving forward with measures to discourage vehicle idling.
Police Chief Paul Ladouceur and Mayor Roy Ludwig were at the school on May 20 to commend the students for their efforts.
“Some of the best ideas, sometimes, come from youth within our community,” said Ladouceur.
He believes that when young people come up with an idea that they see as a problem for their future, then adults should be paying close attention.
“It’s going to be you that enjoys the fresh air for years to come,” said Ladouceur.
Rather than create a bylaw to crack down on idling, if officers notice a vehicle idling too long, they will place a pamphlet on that vehicle. It looks like a ticket, but the pamphlet will contain information on the problems with idling.
Motorists are reminded that vehicle emissions are a leading cause of environmental issues, and so they should avoid unnecessary idling.
“If you are stopped for more than one minute, except in traffic, turn your engine off and spare our air,” states the pamphlet.
The pamphlet also reminds motorists that idling vehicles release carbon dioxide, which causes poor air quality and contributes to climate change.
It encourages people to scrape vehicle windows to clear ice build-up, use remote car starters sparingly, drive at a moderate speed to warm up the engine, and to turn off the engine if the vehicle will be parked for more than 60 seconds.
“The idea is we’re going to start with this,” said Ladouceur. “If people don’t willingly start to reduce idling and turn off their vehicles, then we would be looking at implementation of a bylaw, where people could, in fact, get a ticket if they leave their vehicles idling for lengthy periods of time.”
The police chief noted Ludwig was a big proponent of the Grade 8 students’ idea.
“I know when the mayor brought it to my attention, I thought ‘Wow, what an incredible thing to do for the community,’” said Ladouceur.
Common sense will be applied with enforcement. Police won’t be ticketing an idling vehicle with a dog inside during a hot day, and they won’t punish motorists who leave their vehicles running while waiting for a train.
The pamphlets will be printed soon, and will then start to appear on vehicles. The EPS has already promoted this campaign on their Twitter feed.
Ludwig and Ladouceur expect they will give the program a few months before deciding whether a bylaw is necessary.
“We’re hoping the public buys into this and supports the kids who have brought this idea forward,” said Ladouceur.
Research took place on what other cities are doing. Some cities have drafted bylaws and issued tickets, but the best success came from awareness campaigns, similar to the one Estevan is embarking on.
“Kudos to you, because this wouldn’t have started if it wasn’t for you guys,” Ladouceur told the students.
“You guys were the catalysts on all this,” added Ludwig.
Ludwig also applauded the classroom’s teacher, Christa Walton, for the leadership she has demonstrated on this issue.
Walton responded that the students were impressed that Ludwig, Ladouceur and others have taken the students seriously throughout the process.
