Acadia limits idling to support global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Acadia University today announced that it has adopted a campus-wide policy that limits vehicle idling to exceptional circumstances. Acadia’s new Share the Air policy is an initiative of the University’s Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee. It expands an existing campus-wide ban on tobacco and smoking to include avoiding the use of scented products and limiting unnecessary vehicle idling.
“Acadia faculty, staff, and students are concerned about the quality of the air we breathe so making changes to how we conduct ourselves in our workplace is a natural first step,” said Mr. Ray Ivany, President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia. “Our new Share the Air policy encourages our community to avoid using scented personal-care products and cleaners and limits vehicle idling for longer than two minutes, except in a few exceptional circumstances. These are small, but important measures that help us become more aware of our environment and more respectful of people around us.”
Today’s announcement by Acadia coincides with Campus Sustainability Day, an initiative of the Society for College and University Planning, an international organization that pursues best practices across a range of higher education issues. In addition, October 24 is an International Day of Climate Action where organizations and individuals around the world will make an effort to raise awareness about the importance of reducing the amount of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere. This day of action is aimed at world leaders who will participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.
“The members of Acadia’s Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee are to be commended for their work on expanding our existing smoke-free policy and their commitment to improving Acadia’s campus environment,” said Dr. Akivah Starkman, Acadia’s Executive Director of Human Resources. “It’s also important for Acadia to look for opportunities to contribute to raising awareness of important issues such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”