No doubt about it; it is winter in this region of the world. If you had any doubt because of some of the warm spells we had, the recent snowfall and four-foot-high piles of snow at every corner should have made it clear.
But just because it is cold out should not mean you are hunkering down indoors. Being outside on these cold, crisp, sunny days is wonderful. You get to see your neighborhood in a whole different way without leaves on trees blocking your view. Those hills you want to avoid in the summer because they make you sweat so much are now much more attractive as a convenient way to keep your blood flowing.
As beautiful as a winter walk is, nothing can ruin it like passing an idling car. These are the cars people start and leave the engine running for five, ten, fifteen or more minutes before actually getting in the car and driving away because apparently, they do not own any sweaters or a winter coat. These are the vehicles parked with the engine running while people sit in them, again apparently because they also do not own any sweaters or a winter coat and so cannot survive the five or ten minutes wait they have outside before getting to do whatever it is they got in their car and drove somewhere to do.
I confronted someone not long ago about leaving her car running for well over 15 minutes. I explained how she is polluting the air we breathe by doing so. Her response: it is cold outside.
I know climate change has many plants and wildlife confused about how to behave. I did not imagine that people were similarly confused by the changes we are experiencing in our climate as to think it is not cold outside in January and so would not expect a sweater and warm coat to be in order.
Idling engines emit the same pollutants as moving cars except they are sitting in one place concentrating it all right there. That is a lot of volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides being pumped right outside your home. And every ten minutes your car is run is the equivalent of one pound of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas contributing the most to climate change. And it is not just all of us breathing in the air outside the idling car that are harmed. The person in the idling car is breathing in dirty exhaust that leaks into the car cabin as well.
For those of you that think you need to warm up your car by running the engine for ten or fifteen minutes before getting in and driving away, get this: a vehicle’s engine warms twice as quickly when driven as opposed to running while parked! That means if you really want to warm up your car, drive it, don’t sit in it or leave the engine running while it’s in park!
I recently heard an interesting story about research Kari Leibowitz, a health psychologist, did on how Norwegians in the northernmost regions of the country cope with the long “polar night.” She began her research with the assumption that residents of this northern Norway community were coping but quickly learned they in fact embrace the cold and dark conditions and look forward to them. Leibowitz concluded it is their mindset that helps them view this cold period of little light as a challenge and an opportunity to learn and adapt rather than as a threat. This way of thinking allows them to approach winter with excitement about the possibilities the season brings to do things such as ski, hike, enjoy an outdoor movie and much more. She stated we can control our mindset and see a situation as a challenge full of opportunity rather than as a negative to be escaped or endured.
I encourage us all to choose to welcome the challenge of a cold car. Maybe you will learn you have a strength to handle temperature fluctuations you did not realize. Maybe you will discover the joys of blowing “smoke” when you breathe out on a cold day. Maybe you will adapt and leave your shorts and light shirts for the warmer months and embrace the warmth and comfort of a soft sweater and winter coat.
Tell your friends and neighbors and the people delivering packages and doing work at your homes that you treasure your clean, crisp winter air and could they please turn off their cars until they are ready to drive.
As the Norwegians say: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.”