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18 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007 Castles TeaBerry Cafe 111 Main St., Rockwood (519) 856-0188 Reservations Accepted Fully Licensed FRIDAY NIGHTS All-You-Can-Eat RIBS CONTINUES EVERY FRIDAY ALL SUMMER LONG!!!!! LADIES ONLY DINNER With Speaker Psychic Bonnie Ross Tune in to your Intuition Thursday, May 17 & 31 SATURDAY NIGHTS Special of the evening is Prime Rib of Beef w/ Yorkshire Pudding STARTING WEDNESDAY MAY 2ND All-You-Can-Eat Mussels Every Wednesday All Summer long QUALIFIED TEACHERS Education Finance Plan Available from $120 per month READING WRITING MATH STUDY SKILLS HOMEWORK SUPPORT COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PREP 27 Woodlawn Rd. W. 160 Kortright Rd.W. (Hartsland Market Square) Tel: 823-5711 Fax: 823-5781 I tried everything to help my son with s chool. I wish wed tried Sylvan first. If your child is struggling in school or just not being challenged enough, call Sylvan today. Our personalized programmes and individual attention can help with reading, math, study skills and ACT or Provincial Test Prep. Why Wait? Call Today. START THE NEW YEAR OFF WITH GOOD GRADES If your child is struggling being challenged enough, FOR FALL Eramosa Business Breakfast on April 26 The Eramosa Business Breakfast group is having a spe- cial visitors day on Thursday, April 26 at Buckys Caf located at 178 Alma St., Rockwood, from 7a.m.-8:30a.m. The invitation to businesses located in Rockwood, Acton and surrounding area is to learn more about the group and see how word of mouth marketing builds business. Seating may be limited, so please RSVP to Mike Dawkins at 519-856-9470. There is no charge except the cost of breakfast. FLIPPING FLAPJACKS: Lion Bob Ward was one of the great cooks who served breakfast last Sunday at Rockmosa Community Centre. About 525 people showed up for the big breakfast, helping the Rockwood and District Lions Club raise funds for their community projects and programs. If you missed this one (or not), come for their free breakfast on May 6 and learn about diabetes. - Rebecca Ring Photo Earth Day connection Township adopts idling policy By Rebecca Ring Guelph/Eramosa has set a positive example for resi- dents by adopting a vehicle idling policy at the regular council meeting on April 2. The purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, fuel costs and waste. The policy states that township vehicles must not be left idling. Excep- tions include emergency response vehicles attending an emergency, a fi ve-minute maximum idling time when temperatures are below 0oC, when traffi c conditions re- quire intermittent stops, or when below -20oC for diesel vehicles. All drivers can follow the townships example by adopting their own idling policy. It is as simple as turning a key. According to Natural Resources Can- ada (NRC), if every driver of a light duty vehicle in Canada reduced idling by even five minutes a day, they would save 1.8 million litres of fuel, 4500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and $1.8 million in fuel costs everyday (assum- ing $1/L). Reduce GHGs. According to NRC, the combustion of fossil fuels in the transportation sector is the largest source of GHGs in Canada. The average car emits 2.4 kgs of CO2, the principal GHG. Scientists attribute the quickly rising global temperatures to these gases, of which human ac- tivities are a major source. Rapid climate change is already impacting Canadas forests (pine beetle infesta- tions) and water supply (decreasing water levels) and is linked with extreme weather events that have devastating human and economic consequences. Honeybees are dying off. The reason is not known, but some suspect climate change. They are crucial as they pollinate crops that feed the world. If GHG pro- duction remains the same as it is today, scientists predict irreversible losses of spe- cies, land, clean fresh water and human health. Save money: The gasoline that combustion engines use is produced from crude oil. There is not an endless supply. Oil companies are searching farther afield, drilling in pristine wilder- ness areas, and constructing long pipelines that frequent- ly leak. Some would say wars are being fought over it. Huge ships transport it with common occurrences of destructive, costly spills. In addition to environmental and human costs, there are the economic costs. At well over $1 per litre, fuel prices continue to increase. For example, in 2003, regular gas was about 62 cents per litre in Ontario and today it is about $1.01/L. Save lives: In addition to GHGs, vehicles emit other toxic substances that contribute to air pollution and smog, which Health Canada estimates to cost 5000 Canadians their lives every year. Thousands more become ill, including chil- dren who breathe faster and inhale more air per kilogram of body weight than adults. Deaths increase with heat waves as smog becomes worse. Climate change re- sults in more heat waves. Save your engine: Con- trary to popular belief, NRC says excessive idling can damage engines. An idling engine is not operating at peak temperature and fuel combustion is incomplete. Fuel residues condense on cylinder walls, contaminate oil and damage compo- nents, such as spark plugs. Increased residues on spark plugs can increase fuel con- sumption by about fi ve per cent. Water condensing in the exhaust system can lead to corrosion. Idling is not an effec- tive way to warm up an engine. Even in the coldest weather, todays electroni- cally controlled engines are designed to drive away after only 30 seconds, according to NRC. Use a block heater: In cold weather, engine oil is thick and resists fl ow. Increased friction results in increased fuel use and pollution in the fi rst few minutes after a cold start. Fuel combustion is less effi cient as there is more fuel than is needed in the air/fuel mix. In addition, the catalytic converter does not work in a cold engine so all the emissions pass through the exhaust system untreated. A block heater warms the coolant, which in turn warms the engine block and lubricants. The engine starts more easily, reaching its peak operating temperature faster and does not have to work as hard to pump oil through the block. At -20C, block heaters can result in as much as ten percent in fuel savings. For a single short trip on a cold day, fuel savings could be about 20 percent. There are models available with timers that can be set for a couple of hours before driving. As Earth Day approaches, try these simple steps. Next time you run into the store, turn your key. The savings will be priceless. Long line up at the drive-thru? Park, turn the key, and walk in. You may save time as well. In summer, kids complain- ing that it is too hot, even with the windows down, and want to run the engine while you run into the bank? Get them to come into the cool, air conditioned bank, store, etc. with you. They will thank you later. Think of the Earth as your garage. We all know what happens if you leave your car running in the garage.