Sorting Through Alternative Engine Fuel Messages Pt. 1
I’m from Ohio.
I’m proud to work in Michigan for ROUSH CleanTech.
But, I’m from Ohio.
When I heard the news that Government Fleet named the City of Columbus the “2011 Government Green Fleet in North America,” I was excited. (I’m also thrilled about the awesome recruiting class Ohio State has going for the next football season, but that’s another story.)
We work with a lot of cities, all deserving of their own fleet awards. Cities like Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, El Paso, Cincinnati, Livonia, Flint … the list goes on.
The common thread uniting all of these cities is that they have a plan that is beyond the recently popular “let’s try an alternative fuel” syndrome. These cities’ plans include a specific beginning, champions of the program, accountability and lots of follow up. These plans produce not only awards, but measurable results that benefit our environment and our national energy policy.
Columbus’ plan for success followed exactly the path that many of us on FleetBlogs.com have been talking about — combining domestic sources of energy (compressed natural gas, electrification and propane autogas) within various applications around the organization’s needs.
The City of Columbus’ case uses medium- and heavy-duty trucks fueled with natural gas and lawn mowers fueled with propane. This provides maximum impact of taxpayer investments into greening Columbus, and once again proves that domestic fuel neutrality is the key to our nation’s long-term success. (If you’re interested, the plan for the City of Columbus is published at www.getgreencolumbus.com, and it shows why they are so deserving of the award I mentioned.)
Economic conditions will ebb and flow, but letting “green policy” guide these ups and downs will drive powerful results for our nation’s security and environment.
Does your fleet have a defined “green” policy? One that evaluates all elements of the fleet, one that is inclusive of all domestic fuels, one that is structured to resist economic temptations, one that generates results based on performance? If so, I’ll bet there’s a former little boy from your state that’s really, really proud of what you are doing — just like I am of the City of Columbus, Ohio.
