Public Technology Institute (PTI), a non-profit technology research organization, and Enviance, Inc. (Enviance) have announced a strategic partnership through which PTI will promote the adoption of Enviance Driving Change vehicular greenhouse gas (GHG) management system in cities and counties across US. Driving Change, the vehicular GHG management and reduction solution, was piloted by the city and County of Denver in 2008.
Participants in the program decreased engine idling and improved other driving behaviors that resulted in lower fuel consumption and reduced GHG emissions and fuel costs. Online dashboards and performance reports, viewable via the internet, are used to help drivers reduce unnecessary driving behaviors, thereby reducing fuel costs and GHG at the same time. The success of the program earned Denver PTI’s 2008 Sustainability Award.
Driving Change represents the third major GHG innovation milestone for Enviance. In 2005, Enviance introduced the internet-based GHG management system for industry (at American Electric Power). In 2008, the Enviance System was used to create the first GHG footprint in the Department of Defense, and was subsequently used to produce GHG footprints at 10 installations in 2009. With Driving Change, Enviance extended its GHG management innovation to the automobile, with a focus on municipal fleets.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), motor vehicles are the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide (CO2) production, and can represent approximately 30% of an average municipality’s GHG emissions. In launching this partnership with Enviance, PTI is continuing its efforts to help municipalities manage their carbon footprints and reduce fuel costs for their vehicle fleets.
“State and local governments know that vehicle operations represent a substantial part of the GHG problem they face and that large-scale citizen involvement will only come if municipalities can lead by example,” said Alan Shark, executive director of PTI. “Before Driving Change, there was no easy way to ’see’ the GHG our cars emit. Now, with real-time data and dashboards illustrating how driving behavior wastes gas and produces excess CO2 emissions, municipalities are in a position to set an example in the fight against vehicular GHG by using a system that has delivered proven benefits in terms of cost savings and GHG reduction.”
In commenting on the city’s PTI Sustainability Award for Driving Change, Denver’ s Mayor John Hickenlooper reiterated the importance of the program to cities around the country: “Through this program, we demonstrated that by reducing unnecessary idling, we can improve fuel economy, reduce GHG emissions and generate financial savings. Driving Change represents the type of sustainability solution that will become very important to cities across the country.”
“Driving Change addresses the real-world problem that municipalities face as communities strive to create healthy, sustainable environments in the face of an economy that makes the acquisition of hybrid vehicles difficult and puts pressure on all corners of government to reduce cost,” said Lawrence Goldenhersh, president and chief executive officer of Enviance. “In simultaneously reducing fuel costs and GHG emissions, Driving Change is a win for people and the planet. Enviance was the first company to release an Internet-based GHG management system for industry in 2006, which was also used by the Department of Defense to create their first carbon footprint in 2008. We believe that joining with PTI to provide municipalities with Driving Change can be a game-changing improvement for vehicular GHG management.”
Enviance is a US-based provider of software solutions to help organizations manage carbon and other regulatory risks.