Green Up Your Fleet!

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A Healthier Environment for Our Children with Project Green Fleet

 
Image source: iStock Photo Did you know diesel vehicles only account for 10% of traffic on Minnesota roads, but contribute more than 50% of all traffic related air pollution? With a simple, FREE retrofit by Project Green Fleet we can reduce emissions by 30-50% per vehicle!

Project Green Fleet and the Clean Energy Resource Teams are teaming up to bring greater exposure to Project Green Fleet’s efforts to reduce diesel emissions from school buses. Installing pollution control equipment, or retrofiting is currently free for school districts. The retrofits not only reduce emissions, but also dramatically improve the air quality inside the cabin by reducing Carbon Monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter exposure to individuals riding the bus.

Normally, the pollution control equipment costs $1,500-$2,000 per school bus, but with Project Green Fleet the equipment and installation are 100% covered.

Kickoff Media Coverage

See the official program announcement kicking off this campaign.
Click here to watch a Project Green Fleet feature from May 17, 2010 on WCCO TV’s Project Energy or click play below to listen to a story on Project Green Fleet that aired May 17, 2010 on Public News Service.

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Jordan Hansen
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612-334-3388 ×104 		Patrick Santelli
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Project Green Fleet
www.projectgreenfleet.org

Project Green Fleet is a collaborative effort among business, government agencies and non-profit organizations to improve air quality and protect public health by reducing emissions from Minnesota’s school buses and other diesel vehicles. Vehicles with diesel engines represent only 10% of traffic on Minnesota roads, but contribute to more than 50% of air pollution generated by vehicles in the state. Project Green Fleet implements a range of strategies to reduce diesel emissions including installation of pollution control equipment, implementation of idle reduction technologies and replacement of older engines with new cleaner running engines. All of these strategies are provided for little to no cost for participating fleets. Project Green Fleet is managed by the Minnesota Environmental Initiative, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization.
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Campaign Contents
 


Project Green Fleet Featured on WCCO’s Project Energy!


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Action Steps: What to do

  1. Are You Already a Participant? See if you’ve already worked with Project Green Fleet.
  2. Discuss Project Green Fleet: Talk with your organization about Project Green Fleet. It is important to talk to your school district about the benefits of retrofitting school buses. Project Green Fleet targets school buses and other diesel vehicles that are likely to have five or more years of expected operating life. Eligible vehicles are generally those built before 2007 that lack emission control systems found on newer vehicles.
    • Find even more information about Project Green Fleet in the More Resources section below.
  3. Assess Your Fleet: Work with your fleet manager to gather information about your fleet.
    • You will need to know the number of buses, age of the fleet, and fleet operator.
  4. Contact & Sign Up: Contact CERTs or Project Green Fleet if you need any more information, then sign up!
  5. Fleet Verification: A Project Green Fleet staff member will work with you to verify information about your fleet, manage the retrofit process, address technical questions and provide your fleet information to one of Project Green Fleet’s contracted equipment vendors.
  6. Work with Equipment Vendor: The equipment vendor will analyze the fleet, determine what pollution control equipment is needed and develop an installation plan for the equipment based on your individual needs.
    • This work will begin when the fleet verification is finished.
  7. Place Equipment Order: Project Green Fleet staff will place an order for the equipment. It takes 4-6 weeks for equipment to be manufactured and shipped. Project Green Fleet covers the cost of installation, installation training, and diesel emission reduction equipment.
    • The order will be placed after you work with an equipment vendor to analyze your needs.
  8. Installation and/or Training: The fleet owner or operator can choose to either have the installation done by existing trained installers or to have their own staff trained to complete the installations.
    • The equipment vendor will provide training at no cost to fleets that want to complete installations in‐house. Installation takes approximately 3-4 hours per bus.
  9. Spread the Word: Invite others to sign up with Project Green Fleet to reduce their emissions!
  10. News Release: Share your progress and success with a press release
  11. Tell Your Story: CERTs would love to hear about your experience. Tell us how easy the installation process was and if more energy-related projects have been initiated in your community, for instance.


More Resources: Dig Deeper

Want to learn more about Project Green Fleet and the benefits of reducing and cleaning up diesel emissions, or need a term or two defined? Check out the resources below.

Map of past and current Project Green Fleet participants:



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Video about Project Green Fleet:




Campaign Kit: Download and Go

Heading to a meeting? Not going to have an internet connection for a while? This kit has everything you need get going and share this campaign with other colleagues:

  • Campaign Guide

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Share: Help Others Take Action!

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News Release & Letter to the Editor: Share Your Progress and Success

You are taking actions that will reduce energy use and save budget dollars. You need to tell members of your community about it! Use this press release template to share your progress and success.

These templates include some basic information about Project Green Fleet and the benefits of reducing diesel emissions through retrofits. They also have some sample quotations from members of your staff. We only mean for all of these things to spark ideas—do whatever you can to customize this news release and letter to the editor to fit your needs and tell your story.

Download the news release template >>
Download the letter to the editor template >>

Media outlets:


Stories: Learning & Inspiration

Below are stories from Minnesotans who have taken this action. Read on to learn from their experiences!

Have a story to share? If you took this action, we want to hear from you. After telling a little bit about yourself. Also let us know a little about the following:

  • Where and when did you first hear about Project Green Fleet?
  • What incentives inspired you to retrofit your fleet? (e.g. cost savings, health impact, etc.)
  • How big is your fleet and how much of it did you retrofit?
  • Tell us about your installation experience.
  • Who installed your fleet’s retrofits and how did the process go?
  • Would you recommend that other Minnesota organizations and businesses retrofit with Project Green Fleet?
  • Do you have any tips or advice for others who are thinking about retrofitting with Project Green Fleet?

It is not required, but it would be great if you could also include your name and contact info. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the comment form.