Don Matulevich, left, a mechanic's helper at the Springfield Police Garage, works with Calvin Thorn, right, with Clean Fuel USA, on electrical system for the propane tanks in bed of a Springfield Public Works truck at the garage, Friday, March 22, 2013, in Springfield, Ill. The trucks are being converted to a bi-fuel system that runs on propane as well as gasoline when needed.
Springfield’s effort to go green is getting some national attention.
The capital city was recently recognized as having the 37th-greenest government fleet in North America. The award was presented to budget director Bill McCarty and fleet director Mike Palazzolo during a Green Fleet Expo in Phoenix.
“Given the fact that the city has only started to pursue green fleet initiatives in the past year and the fact that this was our first time applying, we are pleased with the result,” McCarty said last week. “We were hoping just to make the top 100, so it was a bit of a surprise.”
McCarty said he also recently received a certificate of achievement as a 2013 Sustainability All-Star “for innovative accomplishments in green fleet sustainability and efforts to reduce emissions and fuel consumption.” McCarty credited others for the award, from fleet personnel to the mayor and city council.
The history
The city this year equipped part of its fleet with bi-fuel conversion systems that allow them to be powered by propane. Seven public works trucks and 17 police patrol cars are now capable of running on either gasoline or propane.
The city partnered with CleanFuel USA, which provided the conversion kits and employees to install the conversion systems. CleanFuel workers also trained city employees on how to install the kits themselves. Read more here.
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