Energy Saving Tip by Walrus: Turn off your car when you stop for more than 30 seconds

TRANSPORTATION

Turn off your car when you stop for more than 30 seconds

Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner use. Turn off your engine when your vehicle is parked. It only takes about 10 seconds worth of fuel to restart your vehicle.

The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.

source fueleconomy.gov 

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CLIMATE CHANGE'S THREAT TO WALRUS

The Arctic is warming at twice the rate of anywhere else on Earth. Today the biggest threat facing walruses is the loss of stable sea ice due to climate change. Walruses feed on the ocean floor in the relatively shallow waters of the continental shelf, where the sea ice itself sustains a rich food web. Algae grow in long trailing strands at the edge of the ice and in the nearby waters. These algae are eaten by tiny animals called zooplankton, which in turn feed larger animals. At every step along the way, particles of food and nutrients “rain” down onto the ocean floor, sustaining the massive beds of mollusks and other bottom-dwelling organisms on which walruses feast.

Females will leave their young on the sea ice while they forage, then haul out to nurse their calves. The accelerating retreat of sea ice puts the newborns’ safe haven farther away from the mothers’ food—meaning longer, more exhausting swims for the mothers, and more time alone for the calves.

source Defenders of Wildlife