• Presented by Emmanuel Balogun, Ashley Bock, and Marie Donohue.

Couper le Moteur: Excess CO2 emissions due to idling within Montreal

Couper le Moteur: Excess CO2 emissions due to idling within Montreal

OUR PROBLEM STATEMENT:

Within Montréal, residential deliveries have increased due to COVID-19 and are producing excess CO2 emissions due to unnecessary idle times.[[2](https://bdso.gouv.qc.ca/pls/ken/ken213_afich_tabl.page_tabl?p_iden_tran=REPERQNSWGM06-180375325143D}87&p_lang=2&p_m_o=SAAQ&p_id_ss_domn=718&p_id_raprt=3372#tri_age=1&tri_tertr=6),3,6]

The Primary Stakeholders

1. Local Communities: Live and breathe in the environment affected by these unnecessary emissions.
2. Large Delivery Corporations: Lower profit margin due to wasted energy and decreased vehicle lifespan.
3. City of Montreal: Committed to tackling climate change and making the city future-ready.
4. Schools & Public Establishments: Constantly improving to provide citizens with the best services and environment.

The Measures of Success

1. Decrease CO2 emissions by 2% (without any reduction in vehicle displacements). [5]

2. Improvement on the air quality index (25% less 'moderate' air quality days). [10,[11]](https://aqicn.org/city/canada/montreal/saint-jean-baptiste/)

3. Increase economic savings. [7][8][9]

Who better to make a difference in a community than the community itself.

OUR SOLUTION:

We have chosen a social approach that involves empowering 6th & 7th graders to take on the task of addressing idling in their community to make a change for the better.

• This challenge would be incorporated into their already existing curriculum about climate change.
• It would involve equipping teachers with an activity package including (but not limited to):
  • Age-appropriate pamphlets about CO2 emissions and their impacts.
  • Online database content filled with example projects and experiments.
  • Educational information for the teachers to allow them to spearhead the projects and answer all questions that arise.
• It gives the children a tangible way to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others (a rare occasion in a world where they may feel like they don't have much power).
• Plenty of rewards and encouragement will be given to praise/encourage them for the change they make in their community (ex. competition between schools, prizes, recognition).

Meanwhile, we also intend to involve the large delivery corporations (Uber, Amazon, Skip, etc.) and give them the opportunity to support this initiative and benefit from it. These benefits include:

• Economic benefit - fuel economy, vehicle lifespan, attain required environmental benchmarks [5].
• Market benefit - Gives them an opportunity to show they genuinely care about the well-being and health of their customers, which will increase customer retention [15]. Also, these kids are their future clients, addressing their needs & concerns now will lead to long-term loyalty.

THE IMPACT OF THE SOLUTION:

• Immediate: The kids in the program will spread their knowledge and projects with their family & friends. Since parents and staff will want to show their support, this will immediately lead to a diminishment of idling in the school drop-off zones [1].
• Short-term: Encouraging the kids to hold up signs to "turn off the engine" when a delivery comes, and showing the driver positive support when they do, may push drivers to reduce idling in that area.
• Long-term: Through outreach and a media campaign, the goal would be to enlist large companies to get on board with idling reductions in their fleet of cars. By putting in place their own programs they would see economic gain and improved public relations
• Future: These kids will grow to be a new generation of adults, more aware of the need to eliminate idling, more responsive to climate issues, and more willing to make the change.

THE PLAN OF ACTION :

• Plan of action (feasibility & acceptability)
  • 1 or 2 schools pilot program
    • The purpose: make sure the kids connect with the package material and are engaged by it. We will also work with the teachers to make any beneficial adjustments.
    • As a pilot, we will be starting with the borough of Rivière-des-prairies, which has the poorest air quality index in the city of Montreal [11].
    • Two potential schools we are targeting are Michelangelo International Elementary School and East Hill Elementary School.
    • Why were these schools selected?
  • Working with the school board.
    • The purpose: get the board's approval to adopt the program across a greater range of elementary and high schools in Montreal.
    • Why would they want to make this change?
  • Bringing in the city by speaking to the borough
    • The purpose: involve the municipality and the greater city of Montreal as our champion for support and funding.
    • Caroline Bourgeois - Mairesse de l'arrondissement Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles
      • From her Twitter profile, she prides herself on having the interests of her people at heart, is always open to new ideas, and willing to make impactful changes.
      • Why would they want to make this change?
  • Keeping up an active social media presence.
    • The purpose:
      • Engage a wider audience as well as
      • Empower & give recognition to the school children.
      • Show the large delivery companies what their future clients believe in and encourage them to join the movement to show their support in the endeavor (while also positively benefiting themselves).