Green Garage Sale

We all have a ton of "junk" that we can't part with and is wasting space in our attics or garages. Recently, I hosted a garage sale / moving sale for a friend who was simply overwhlemed with the amount of stuff he and his family had collected. They didn't want to move all that stuff so many states away. The dollar cost and carbon cost to move was too high. A garage sale was the only answer.

A garage sale seemed like a great way to re-purpose and re-home a lot of the stuff. From dress shoes worn only once to pretty framed prints, it was a lot of stuff people would be happy to snag for a dollar. Here's where the un-greening began...

Many people insisted on leaving their cars running while they browsed. They wanted the AC to keep the car cool so they could be comfortable when they got back in. The exhaust smell was terrible and I had to do something. If this happens at your next outdoor sale, I tried these 2 phrases:

"I'm happy to give you a great price on that if you could please turn off your car."

"With gas prices so high, why don't you turn off your car and save some money?" 

I was met with a good deal of resistance. In fact all but one person I suggested turning off the car to left without buying anything. Any suggestions on the eco - etiquette ?