Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons (including methane). These are some of the harmful chemicals in car exhaust. According to the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, “the compounds in vehicle emissions are known to damage lung tissue, and can lead to and aggravate respiratory diseases such as asthma. Motor vehicle pollution also contributes to the formation of acid rain and adds to greenhouse gases that cause global warming.”

If that is the case, why do students and staff continue to be exposed on a daily basis to car fumes? In order to combat this problem, student drivers must make an effort to refrain from idling.

On many a cold morning, cars in Senior Lot needlessly spew pollutants to run heating and anything else that requires an active engine. The high school, at most 50 feet away, is also heated, not to mention more spacious.

If students insist on staying in their cars, one alternative is to turn on the heat while driving to school, then allow surplus warmth to slowly drift out of the parked automobile. Better yet, a student could gather a handful of people in one car to harness their cumulative body heat.

Perhaps the most logical solution is to arrive at school closer to the start time. What is the point of waking up early if it means idling in the parking lot for 45 minutes? Seniors who have legitimate reasons for getting to school early, like participation in Jazz Band and Chamber Orchestra, are constantly frustrated by the dearth of spots created by occupying, idling cars.

As a last resort, we urge the school administration to rectify the problem. Anti-idling campaigns have set a precedent at district elementary schools, including Chatsworth and Murray Ave. Schools. The effort could simply entail posting an aide in Senior Lot whose duty is analogous to the job of warding off students who park in staff lots.

Idling begets a host of environmental, health and logistical issues. It is a pest we can’t afford to let idle.