Press Release (PDF file)
OTA is proud to announce an addition to the growing list of Healthy Air Oregon business partners.
Springfield, Oregon
Just two days before Earth Day 2010, Northwest Community Credit Union is announcing the adoption of a green strategy called Healthy Air Oregon.
As part of our Healthy Air Oregon campaign, Northwest Community Credit Union will educate their customers about three-fold benefits of stopping unnecessary motor idling. The Credit Union is hoping to spread the word that idling a car or truck costs money in wasted fuel, puts dangerous fumes into the air and adds climate-changing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
“If ever there was a win-win for our customers and the environment, this is it,” said Matt Purvis of Northwest Community “When you think about it, not idling saves money and prevents air pollution that can harm your health. There is a simple solution – just turn the key to off anytime you’re not in traffic and not moving.”
This includes instances like waiting in drive-up windows, waiting in parking lots, waiting to pick someone up, or pulled over to talk on your cell phone.
“We are adopting the Alliance’s Healthy Air Oregon project at all our credit union branches throughout the state,” said Purvis. “We want our customers to know that every two minutes of idling adds one half pound of greenhouse gases to Oregon’s air, and wastes the same amount of gas as driving a mile.”
“In fact, by turning off your car, rather than idling, you can improve fuel economy by nearly five percent – so, reducing idling is a good way to save money,” Purvis stated.
Lisa Arkin, director of Oregon Toxics Alliance, finds that Northwest Community employees are receptive to the information about vehicle exhaust and health. “Significant health risks are caused by vehicle idling,” she noted. “Not idling is better for customers and employee health, especially at the drive-up window. Reducing idling lowers the risk for cancer, heart disease and asthma attacks.”
According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, leukemia, a cancer of the blood, is the most common cancer diagnosis for Oregon children.
“We want to remind drivers that when a car is idling, the fumes can go right back into the car, making the air inside the car more polluted than outside,” said Arkin.
Staff with the Department of Environmental Quality, will demonstrate air pollution exposure with a hand sized air toxics monitor, which measures what our lungs are breathing. The monitor (pictured below) is able to demonstrate the fumes that can be emitted from a vehicle tailpipe. When placed near a dirty exhaust stream, “the monitor shrieks like a banshee and flashes bright red lights!” said DEQ staff.
Northwest Community Credit Union will be providing fact sheets and free “no idle” stickers during Earth Week for customers who want them. The Credit Union is also making sure that employees know the benefits of not idling cars and can answers their customer’s questions about the program.
Multnomah and Lane County governments adopted “no top off” and “no idling” policies in 2008. A number of Oregon cities have done the same. Northwest Community Credit Union is the first business with a drive-up window to adopt these environmental health measures for its own operations and as an example of a simple step anyone can take to improve air quality and fuel efficiency.
