Did you grow up thinking that you needed to warm up the car on chilly winter mornings to avoid damaging the engine? It turns out that your engine is ready to roll much sooner than you'd think.

Rather than letting the engine burn fuel for an extended time, you can let the car run for just 10 to 30 seconds and be good to go. Not only does idling release CO2 and other pollutants into our air, it burns costly gasoline and, according to The Daily Green, is actually bad for your engine.

Get Turned Off

Letting your car idle is a bad idea from a cost and an environmental perspective, whether we're talking about "warming up the engine" on a winter day or any other time you're leaving the engine running while you aren't driving.

Earlier this year, the city of Calgary launched an ad campaign aimed at increasing awareness about idling your car. Basically, they equate idling with peeing all over your community. It's pretty hilarious. Check it:

Basically, if you're going to be stopped for more than a minute and it's safe to do so, turn the car off. Your wallet and the planet will thank you!

Are you ever guilty of idling? When you have to wait in the car you can turn the key to the battery position, so the radio still works, but it's not burning fuel. Got your own anti-idling tips? Share away in the comments!

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by shutterbc