Agnes Scott bans idling tailpipes
BY Ken Edelstein • January 26, 2010
Agnes Scott College has become the first educational institution to bar idling vehicles on campus, the private Decatur college for women announced today.
Trucks and service vehicles on campus will now be required to turn off their engines while making deliveries. “No Idle Zone” signs will be placed in the three areas where service and delivery vehicles frequently operate while on campus. Drivers will be expected to cut off their engine upon arrival and restart engines only after loading or unloading is complete and the vehicle is ready to depart. The new policy excludes safety and emergency vehicles, electric vehicles and trailer engines used solely to control freight temperatures.
The no-idling policy is one of several steps Agnes Scott has taken since former Georgia Conservancy official Susan Kidd was named the college’s director of sustainability. The policy was developed as part of a partnership with the nonprofit Clean Air Campaign.
“We are taking advantage of all The Clean Air Campaign’s programs to encourage alternative transportation, so we thought it was important to also respond to their request to prohibit idling,” Kidd said. “This partnership has resulted thus far in a marked increase in use of alternative commuting options by staff and faculty, and now it will result in an educational effort about the emissions of idling vehicles.”
The Clean Air Campaign’s Kevin Green noted that cutting down on idling can help reduce ozone smog, atmospheric toxins and greenhouse gas emissions — all at once.
Colleges and universities have emerged as leading sustainability advocates and trendsetters in metro Atlanta. At least two other Atlanta area schools — Emory and Georgia Tech — have sustainability directors. Emory has implemented broad-reaching program including the metro area’s highest concentration of LEED-certified buildings, curriculum changes, and the implementation of measures that help get students used to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. (If you know of others, please tell us about it in the comments section.)
According to an Agnes Scott statement, the idling policy is one of several sustainability measures the college has recently adopted:
In the fall, the college began a composting program in its residence halls and dining hall and also completed a comprehensive, long-term Climate Action Plan, part of a commitment made with about 650 other institutions all over the country who signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to reduce their impact on the environment. Agnes Scott’s CAP outlines strategies and five-year targets designed to achieve “climate neutrality” in time for its 150th anniversary in 2039.
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