Driving Clean

This spring, Clean Transportation, based at NC State University, will recognize individuals and groups for building better vehicles or advancing better fuel. They will present Mobile Clean Air Renewable Energy (CARE) awards in several categories.

Local pioneers are making a difference: reducing gasoline consumption and working to reduce air pollution. We've written about biodiesel fuel made from waste vegetable oils, and the conversion of gas-burners to electric cars. Golf carts, some with solar-powered batteries, are adapted to a variety of uses.

The City of Asheville was the 2008 Mobile CARE winner in the Public Fleet category. Their fleet includes eight compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. CNG is a clean burning, low carbon fuel. The City constructed the area's first public refueling station for CNG, in Mobile CARE's photo shown at left. A hospital nearby also uses the Asheville station to fuel its natural gas vehicles.

The 2009 Mobile CARE awards will be presented at the State Energy's Sixth Annual North Carolina Sustainable Energy Conference, April 14th to 15th at NC State. After that, drivers will be off on a Clean Transportation Technology Caravan, stopping at Greensboro and Charlotte on April 16th. So nominate someone by March 13, or register your own vehicle to drive in the Driving Clean and Green North Carolina Tour!