Responsibility Blog

[#1]

Idling is a dirty word. It's true. Idling of motors in the U.S. contributes as much as 34.5 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

Don't get me wrong, we've all been guilty of it at one point or another. It's 85 degrees and the humidity is hovering above 70 percent, so while you wait you keep the AC and the car running.

But no longer. Nope, not me.

I no longer idle, if for no other reason than to stand in solidarity with so many Verizon employees who have helped conserve more than 2 million gallons of fuel since April 2008. That's the equivalent of keeping more than 4,000 cars off the road for a year. 

Idling Initiative	Year to Date	Since April '08
Gallons Reduced	1.3M	2.3M
Greenhouse Gases Not Emitted	24M lbs	44M lbs
Idling Time Reduced	18%	31%
Equivalent Vehicles Removed from Road	2,371	4,237

Keep in mind, we provide service all over the country -- in Texas where 100 degree days are common in the summer and in Massachusetts where during winter months residents regularly wake up to a blanket of snow. Yet, even at the expense of their own comfort, so many of our employees have embraced the benefits of reducing engine idling, which can be significant.

Consider the fact that Bronx County in New York, as one example, has one of the highest pediatric asthma hospitalization rates in the New York area. So every time one of our technicians turn off their engine at a work site they know they're contributing to the air quality of their community. After all, we're all aunts, uncles and parents, etc. And it has been my experience over my career at Verizon that the people who I've met here want to get their jobs done and to do them the right way.

The case is pretty clear. Eliminating idling -- and luckily there are lots of reminders outside of schools, day care centers and public buildings -- wherever you live can have a positive impact. Besides, who doesn't want to save a couple of dollars on gas and wear and tear on your car these days?

[#2]

Hi,

Kudos for a great and informative post.  I would be interested in more information as you have it on the nitrogen study in the use of tires.  For example, how is the life of the tire affected, does nitrogen leak from a tire in a similar way as the normal air we use today, and how does nitrogen affect fuel consumption of the vehicle?  Again, thanks for the information.

Doc 

[#3]

Thanks Doc.  You raise an interesting question. We recently conducted a 90-day trial using nitrogen in the tires of approximately 60 Verizon vehicles. Unfortunately, our test did not show any engery savings or benefit.

[#4]

James,

Thanks for the response.  I used to be a fleet manager for a fleet of ambulances and was curious.  Now as a nurse who travels, I was curious for data on whether nitrogen made a difference on mileage and wear and tear.  Perhaps I will search the internet and see if I can find more data.  Thank you for your response and thank you and Verizon for helping to "Keep it Green."

Doc

[#5]

Going Green seems to be the in thing right now, and thats cool, but there's a scandal going on. Aparently some climate scientists lied a little, or fudged the data or whatever. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter because we all know that clean renewable resorces are the way to go. Having said that, we come to my question....How hard would it be to put a drum shaped wind mill that takes wind from all directions, on top of a cell tower?