It Began with Idle-Free VT

View from Jerusalem Trail, Mount Ellen. Photography: Wayne Michaud

Green Driving America Inc. was founded in 2006 as Idle-Free VT in the State of Vermont

Green Driving America executive director Wayne Michaud had an awareness of idling being wasteful as far back as the 1980s (shutting off engines in drive-thru lines). However, the seeds of vehicle anti-idling were really planted in 2006: the movie An Inconvenient Truth was playing in theaters, Wayne was a participant in a Middlebury, VT relocalization network, and then he observed vehicles idling at one of the recycling and waste disposal drop-off centers near the City of Burlington. Following his concern being brought to the attention of the center and his subsequent letter to the editor being published in a local newspaper, to Wayne's surprise, the center responded by adopting a no-idling policy for their vehicle fleet and posting anti-idling signs at their five drop-off centers.

Wayne conducted extensive research about idling and learned of scattered interest on the issue, both in Vermont and elsewhere (the State of Massachusetts already had an all vehicle five-minute idling limitation law, and the Natural Resources Canada federal agency had an Idle-Free Zone comprehensive resource). He then built the Idle-Free VT website, networked with state environmental and health organizations and started a statewide petition drive advocating for an idling restriction law in the state.

The end of the Vermont 2013 legislative session marked the culmination of seven years of effort by the American Lung Association, Idle-Free VT, and other Vermont idle-free advocates when Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law a legislative bill which included the section, Prohibited Idling of Motor Vehicles. This state law became effective in 2014 and strengthened the state's ongoing educational efforts. More details from the Brattleboro Reformer.

To 2016, Wayne Michaud, in his role as director of Idle-Free VT, participated in meetings and ongoing discussions with legislators, the American Lung Association, and state agencies—DMV, BGS (Buidlings and General Services) and DEC (Dept. of Environmental Conservation)—to improve enforcement of state idling laws and to involve the state in print and web idling awareness education. This led to the installation of No Idling signs at all state facilities and the launching of the DEC webpage: BeIdleFree.

Wayne would like to acknowledge all the Vermont individuals and organizations who helped in guidance, inspiration, collaboration and support of this effort. Just some of these individuals include: Wayne's wife: Ellen Michaud, David Polow (an original Idle-Free VT board member who remains on the board of Green Driving America Inc.), former Idle-Free VT board members Paul Markowitz and Nadine Canter Barnicle, Rebecca Ryan, Gaye Symington, Dick Valentinetti, Tom Moye, Deirdra Ritzer, Rep. David Sharpe, Rep. Mollie S. Burke, Sen. Claire Ayer, Karen Glitman, Abby Bleything, Barbara Brody, Gabriella Netsch, George Rooney, Kevin Anderson, Hugh Pfingst, Robb Kidd, Dennis Rydjeski, David Ellenbogen, Steve Crowley, Laura Asermily, Jim Flint, Deb Markowitz, Jennifer Green, Deb Sachs, Joe Loga, Otie Filkorn, Virginia Elliott, Janet Warren, Eric Williams, Katherine Blume, Nancy Rae Mallery, Joel Banner Baird, Cara Robechek, Jonathan Corcoran, Greg Pahl, and Samuel H. Press. Plus those from out of state: Linda Gaines, Patricia Weikersheimer, George Pakenham and Richard Gregg. Organizations include: the American Lung Association in Vermont/of the Northeast, Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club, High Meadows Fund, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association, Vermont Transportation Efficiency Network, Vermont Clean Cities, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Vermont Dept. of Health, Agency of Natural Resources, and all the schools that participated in our educational sessions and campaigns.