green my fleet

Green My Fleet: An analysis of a collaborative effort between Evergreen Fleets and the City of Issaquah

Our goal is to evaluate the Evergreen Fleets program. In order to accomplish this goal we will do the following:

◊ Work with the City of Issaquah to collect fleet data

in order to complete the online Evergreen Fleets evaluation

worksheet

◊ Evaluate the ease or difficulty working with the online

worksheet

◊ Provide critical analysis of flaws regarding the Evergreen

Fleets website

◊ Provide suggestions to Evergreen Fleets that may lead to

greater fleet particpation

Clients:

Evergreen FleetsCity of Issaquah

Contributors:

David PerlmutterJulia Wilson

CEP 460 Class of 2010

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction...1

2. Executive Summary...1

3. Project Objective...2

4. Purpose...2

5. Clients...2

6. Deliverables...3

7. Calendar...4

8. Data Diary...5-7

9. Example of Evergreen Fleets

Worksheet...8

10. Metrics...9-10

11. Best Practices Documents...11-17

12. Recommendations for Evergreen

Fleets...18

13. Recommendations for the City of

Issaquah...19

In response to global warming due to gas emissions, toxic particulate matter and greenhouse gasses, the Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition developed a program called Evergreen Fleets. This voluntary program is intended to pro-vide a framework for vehicle fleets across the country. Fleet managers are provided with a list of goals pertaining to green practices and policies in order to combat the pollution caused by the leading cause of greenhouse gas emis-sions - the millions of vehicles on the road each day. The practices suggested in the Evergreen Fleets manual encourage fleets to maintain accurate fleet data pertaining to fuel consumption and type, trading up to green vehicles, diesel retrofitting, green fuel procurement and reducing waste from idling and improper maintenance procedures. For a fee, fleets can obtain Evergreen Fleets certification by meeting one of the three levels of standards outlined in their manual. The Evergreen Fleets website contains a worksheet, called the Evaluator Tool, for fleets to enter their library of data to rate their level of certification. Benefits to certification include good public relations, reduction of need for foreign fuel sources and boosts to employee health, morale and productivity (1). Although there is certainly an outlying cost to the program, overall fleet costs have been shown to reduce over time in fuel, maintenance and vehicle costs (1).

To date, only two other Washington Fleets have been certified with the Evergreen Fleets program. However, the City of Issaquah has been working to become the third fleet certified. Issaquah has provided us, the “Green My Fleets Team”, with most of the data necessary to qualify for certification. We have organized the data and applied it to the Evergreen Fleets worksheet to see where Issaquah needs improvement, or where they are currently meeting or exceeding expectations. The next phase of our project is to continue work-ing with the City of Issaquah in an effort to collect their entire fleet library of data and complete the Evaluator Tool. With the suggestions we have provided in this document, we hope to enable Evergreen Fleets certification for the City of Issaquah.

Introduction:

The process of becoming Green Fleets certified is an intriguing yet daunting challenge that will face many applicant cities after the City of Issaquah. Fac-ing rising fuel prices, greater environmental concern and funding in the public sector, and increasingly available alternative-fuel technologies entering the marketplace, green fleet certification programs like Evergreen Fleets are sure to become ever more popular in the coming years.

The purpose of this report is to provide a case study in the evaluation of a candidate city for Green Fleets certification, Issaquah, WA. In our evaluation, we will first analyze the process of inputing vehicle emissions data into the Ev-ergreen Fleets Evaluator Tool that produces the City’s final certification score. We will also review and create the City’s Best Practices documents that con-stitute the second half of the Green Fleets certification score. We will operate under the assumption that Issaquah is at a “ground zero” state and has no Best Practices documents to offer. This has compelled us to create templates of several potential Best Practices as a review of their feasibility as part of wide-ly-applied Green Fleets certification requirements. The first part of our review will consist of Recommendations for the City of Issaquah to better prepare its data to increase its likelihood of Green Fleets certification.

In addition, this report will also provide a critique of Evergreen Fleets’ facilita-tion of the data review process through its online Evaluator Tool. The criteria for Green Fleets certification will be ground-truthed with actual results from our case study, Issaquah. This report will ultimately act as a guide for Ever-green Fleets administrators in the evaluation of future applicant fleet agen-cies, as well as an analysis of how cities can most efficiently prepare their data to maximize their likelihood of certification.

Executive Summary:

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"A voluntary, progressive certification program aimed at decreasing air emissions from fleets while also reducing petroleum consump-tion. The program creates incentive for fleets to freely adopt more fuel-efficient policies and practicess and to invest in cleaner fuels and vehicle technologies. " Evergreen Fleets Certification & Emissions Reporting Guidance Manual version 1.2August 2009pg. 5

The objective of this project was to work with the City of Issaquah and assist their Fleet Manager in becoming certified under the Evergreen Fleets pro-gram, administered by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. Evergreen Fleets is a green fleets certification initiative conceptually similar to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) used to certify sustainable archi-tecture. Municipalities, public agencies, and private firms compete to receive a Green Fleets certification ranging from one to five stars by reducing their fleets’ greenhouse gas emissions and implementing Best Practices by investing in cleaner fuels and vehicle technologies.

Our project focus was to evaluate the Evergreen Fleets Program using data acquired from the City of Issaquah, including vehicle miles traveled (VMT’s), fuel consumption, the City’s master fleet inventory list, and a series of Best Practices. After evaluating City data using the criteria provided by the Ever-green Fleets online Evaluator Tool, our project objective was two-fold:1. Evaluate the effectiveness and user-friendliness of the Evergreen Fleets

evaluation metrics and Evaluator Tool using the City of Issaquah as a case study

2. Assess the City of Issaquah’s likelihood of Green Fleets certification and areas where improvement is needed

Leslie Stanton, Climate Protection Program ManagerPuget Sound Clean Air [email protected](206) 689-4022

Ms. Stanton was responsible for introducing us to the Evergreen Fleets project with the City of Issaquah and establishing the expectations of our final product. She briefed us on the Evergreen Fleets program, including the levels of certification, the program’s history, its long-term goals in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, its effectiveness in the agencies that have applied for certification, and potential problems to expect in creat-ing a Data Diary and evaluating Best Practices. Ms. Stanton also provided our group with copies of the Evergreen Fleets Certification and Emissions Reporting Guidance Manual, which establishes the thresholds of “Green Fleet” certification, requirements for submission of emissions data, and an in-depth overview of Best Practices information.

Mary Joe deBeck, Resource Conservation CoordinatorCity of Issaquah Resource Conservation [email protected](425) 837-3417

Ms. deBeck was our primary contact with the City of Issaquah and was responsible for providing us with emissions data and documents outlining the city’s implementation of Best Practices listed in the Evergreen Fleets Manual.

Kelly Kussman, Fleet SupervisorCity of Issaquah Public Works Operations [email protected](425) 837-3490

Mr. Kussman is the Fleet Supervisor for the City of Issaquah, responsible for providing raw data, including the following:1. Vehicle Miles Traveled2. Master List Inventory of all City vehicles3. Scanned fuel receipts indicating fuel consumption

David Fujimoto, Resource Conservation Office ManagerCity of Issaquah Resource Conservation Office

Our Clients:

The Purpose of Evergreen Fleets:

Project Objective:

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Deliverables1. Quantitative: One major outcome of this project will be to compile

the Baseline year (2007) and Current year (2008) data for the City of Issaquah’s fleet emissions. 2009 data will not be included in this study because doing so would require data projections for the re-maining months. This data includes the following:

i) Vehicle equipment inventory listii) full documentation of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT’s)iii) fuel receipts to demonstrate annual fuel consumption

This data is required for determining the city’s level of compliance with the Green Fleets certification thresholds. Special data on the city’s diesel vehicle emissions are also needed to calculate total emissions. Fifty percent of the total score qualifying an organization for Evergreen Fleet certification comes from their success in reduc-ing total greenhouse gas emissions. This quantitative piece of the project is critical to determining how close the City of Issaquah is to certification. An online Evaluator Tool in editable Excel spreadsheet format is used for each type of emissions data and Best Practices category to calculate the City’s final score with respect to pre-de-termined thresholds for certification.

2. Quantitative: The second qualitative component of this project will be to create a detailed “Data Diary” that describes the steps nec-essary to convert raw agency data to fit the template used on the Evergreen Fleets Evaluator Tool page. The Data Diary will describe the assumptions built into each set of data, as well as the data’s source and scope. Coordination with the Fleets Manager, Kelly Kuss-man, and the Resource Conservation Coordinator, Mary Joe deBeck, will be necessary to create a Data Diary for the emissions data and Best Practices documents, respectively. The Data Diary constitutes an in-depth methodology for data conversion and document re-trieval that can be replicated by future applicants for Green Fleets certification.

3. Qualitative: The first qualitative outcome of this project will be an analytical report of the City of Issaquah’s Best Practices in imple-menting cleaner vehicle technologies and investing in cleaner fuels.

The remaining fifty percent of the score that will qualify the City of Issaquah for Green Fleets certification comes from a series of policies that the city must implement in the following areas: hav-ing a written green fleet plan, green vehicle purchasing, green fuels procurement and efficiency measures, vehicle maintenance, diesel vehicle retrofits, and green rental/car sharing vehicle use.

4. Qualitative: The second qualitative segment of this project will be a final report that details to what extent, and in what areas, the City of Issaquah has reduced fleet emissions, to what degree its Best Practices have fulfilled the thresholds for Green Fleets certification, and the city’s overall likelihood of Green Fleets certification. This section of the report would outline the City’s successes in implementing Best Practices that have led to an improved score for certification. In describing the City’s shortcom-ings, the report will make recommendations of initiatives the City can enact to improve its likelihood of Green Fleets certification. A second portion of the report will be a broader evaluation of the Evergreen Fleets program’s ease of use in a new city, the feasibili-ty of its emissions reduction thresholds and Best Practices require-ments, and recommendations for improvements for future users. This evaluation will encompass the Certification and Emissions Reporting Guidance Manual used by agencies to outline their plans for apply for the certification and the online Evergreen Fleets Evaluator tool that participants use to report their data and assess their compliance with the program thresholds. A final section will evaluate the ease of converting raw data to the online Evaluator Tool format, using insights from our Data Diary.

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Tasks11-Octy11-

Oct6-Oct 13-Oct8-Oct 22-Oct21-Oct20-Oct15-OctResearch Green Fleets

Collect Data From City of Issaquah

Create Cumulative Progress Report

Develop Deliverables Layout

Create Data Diary

Tasks 1-16-Nov 18-Nov17-Nov 23-Nov 24-Dec 8-10-Dec 15-Dec 7-Jan

Collect Data From City of Is-saquah

Cumulative Progress Report

Deliverables Layout

Data Diary

Best Practices Document

Class Presentation

Conference Call with Issaquah

Storyboard Presentation

Class Presentations

Presentation to Issaquah

class Exit Interview

Conference Call with Issaquah

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Data DiaryA large portion of this project was the development of a coherent methodology of transferring the City Issaquah’s fleet data into the online Evergreen Fleets Evaluator Tool for analysis. The City of Issaquah data we were provided includ-ed:1. Vehicle equipment inventory for both 2007 and 20082. Vehicle emissions data for 2007 (baseline year) and 2008 (current year)3. Best Practices information and documents provided by the City of Is-

saquah Our experience in working with City data compelled us to create a “Data Di-ary” detailing the most efficient and accurate ways of compiling, processing, and analyzing the data for the greatest ease of Evergreen Fleets application. Please see an example on the left side of page 10 of this document.

The Data Diary that follows will explain the steps taken to compile, process, and apply City data to the assessment criteria of the Evergreen Fleets Evalua-tor Tool, according to each section of data we received.

1. Vehicle equipment inventory:

The vehicle equipment inventory lists all City fleet vehicles by Vehicle ID Num-ber, as well as listing the Year, Make, Model, Description, and Department to which the vehicle was assigned. This document was integral to our analysis, as we would have been unable to categorize fuel consumption according to Vehicle Class or list the number of City vehciles in each Vehicle Class, as the Evergreen Fleets Evaluator requires. In addition, the Vehicle ID Numbers were essential to compiling the scanned fuel receipts for the Baseline and Current Years. Each fuel transaction in the monthly City fuel receipts was characterized first by Vehicle ID and then by date, so without this piece of information on the vehicle equipment inventory tracking fuel consumption would have been sub-stantially more difficult.

Several problems with the inventory became apparent during our composition of the Data Diary. First, the inventory does not include a Vehicle Class category, which the Evergreen Fleets Evaluator requires. Therefore, in order to aggre-gate fuel consumption in a later process according to Vehicle Class, we were

compelled to review each Make and Model of the vehicles as they appeared in the monthly fuel receipts and categorize them ourselves according to the gross vehicle weight. Using a variety of automotive search engines12, were able to accurately classify a majority of vehicles with the correct Vehicle Class for further analysis. However, many vehicles were unaccounted for because their Vehicle ID Numbers were not listed in the vehicle inventory. This occurred with 4 vehicles in 2008 and 24 vehicles in 2007, out of a total of 153 and 182 ve-hicles, respectively.

A second problem we encountered was the lack of distinction between motor vehicles and vehicle equipment in our vehicle equipment inventory. Because the Evergreen Fleets certification does not take into account the emissions produced by vehicle equipment, devices such as sewer equipment, genera-tors, mowers, tractors, brushcutters, and pumps had no value in our analysis and were not compiled in our total fuel consumption figures that were plugged into the Evaluator Tool. Removing these equipment from the vehicle equipment inventory ahead of time would have saved significant effort in the compilation of vehicle emissions data.

In sum, a reorganization of the City’s vehicle equipment inventory is necessary in several areas to better accomodate the process of Green Fleets certifica-tion: the classification of Vehicles by Vehicle Class as well as Vehicle ID Num-ber and Make/Model, ensuring that all City vehicles with emissions data are ac-counted for, and separating motor vehicles from non-motor-vehicle equipment.

2. Vehicle emissions data:

To accurately compile, process, and analyze the vehicle emissions data in the form of scanned monthly fuel receipts from the City Fleet Supervisor, it was necessary to create an Excel spreadsheet with several thematic divisions. The thematic divisions of our Data Diary were as follows:

• Vehicle ID Number

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Data Diarythe City could target in order to meet its emissions reduction goals. Finally, we segmented vehicle emissions data by Vehicle Class because this was required by the Evaluator Tool. We had already assigned each Vehicle ID Number its corresponding Vehicle Class after reviewing the vehicle equipment inventory previously. The analysis of fuel consumption by Vehicle Class is useful because different Vehicle Classes roughly correspond to the different functions of City departments, which are apt to reduce their emissions strategically by target-ing the least fuel-efficient or highly-consuming Vehicle Classes. The Vehicle Class information is further important because it is the only metric that shows changes in the overall composition of the City fleet between the two study years.

Several segmentations of vehicle emissions data were not performed due to the limitations of the fuel receipts data we received. We were unable to ac-curately record Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) information for City vehicles because they were rarely recorded on the receipts that Mr. Kussman provided us. In many instances, the City drivers would simply record a series of zeros or nonsensical numbers on the odometer readings at the end of their trips because they had not taken the time or did not wish to record this informa-tion. Although the VMT’s were required by the Evaluator Tool, the focus of the Green Fleets initiative is reducing fuel consumption, which is not directly related to actual VMT’s. By purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles and implementing Best Practices, it is possible for the City to maintain or even increase its VMT’s and still reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Dates of fuel transactions within the monthly periods were also not compiled because they were not pertinent to our analysis nor to the Evaluator Tool.

A significant problem we encountered in compiling the vehicle emissions data was the incompleteness of the fuel receipts we were given. Very frequently the fuel receipts list fuel transactions that run off the page, never to be contin-ued, without any summary or total of the full transaction’s extent. Therefore we were unable to add these fuel transactions to the monthly totals. Because the total completed fuel transactions that we were able to record were often about 40%-50% less than the total monthly expenditures recorded by the Fleet Manager, we created a Metric explaining the discrepancy between the Depart-

• Fuel Type• Total Gallons• Fuel Expenditure ($)• Vehicle ClassFor more information, please review a sample Data Diary located in the Appen-

dix of this report.

First, it was logical to compile the data in monthly segments for the Current and Baseline Years, as this is the format in which we received the fuel receipts. This monthly data segmentation also enables further analysis of the data both monthly and quarterly. Second, recording every fuel transaction first by Vehicle ID Number was important for several reasons. The unique Vehicle ID Numbers enabled us to track each individual vehicle’s consumption over the course of the study period. They allowed us to easily validate our data for accuracy, precision, and completeness. An important process on the Evaluator Tool was recording the number of vehicles in each Vehicle Class for both years, which would have been conceptually impossible without a unique vehicle identifier.

We segmented the data further by Fuel Type and Gallons. Fuel Type segmenta-tion was necessary to segregate diesel vehicles, a separate section of evalua-tion in Green Fleets certification, from non-diesel vehicles and any alternative-fuel vehicles. Compilation of Total Gallons was a crucial part of the analysis because they are the principal unit of fuel consumption, and there would otherwise have been no metric to compare the two years of data.

We segmented the vehicle emissions data by the dollar value ($) of each trans-action despite this metric not appearing on the Evaluator Tool because we recognize the economic as well as environmental interest inherent in reduc-ing City fuel emissions. Analysis of emissions data by dollar expenditures can also pinpoint vehicles that overspend by buying inappropriate types of fuel for their Vehicle Class. Recording the monetary value of fuel transactions in our Data Diary was important because it reflected a collective picture of rising gas prices that have motivated many cities to reduce their total emissions through programs like Evergreen Fleets in the first place. Furthermore, this analysis of City fuel spending can illustrate seasonal variations in fuel consumption that

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Data Diarytices documents listed on the following pages. Generally, the Best Practices requirement of the Green Fleets certification is two-fold: 1) having the docu-ments on file with clear policy statements directing City departments towards established Green Fleet practices; 2) showing supporting receipts or documen-tation that the written policies have been correctly followed by the City de-partments. Because of our limited access to City documents, we were unable to meet this second requirement of Green Fleets certification. However, using the Evergreen Fleets Certification & Emissions Reporting Guidance Manual, we were able to create sufficient templates to qualify the City for at least partial fulfillment of Green Fleets Best Practices in several areas, including:• Green Fleets Plan• Green Vehicle Purchasing Policy• “Right-size” Vehicle Purchasing Policy • Preventive Maintenance Program • Recover, Reduce, and Reuse Program for Vehicle Maintenance Product• Green Rental Car and Car-Sharing Policy

mental and our reported totals. In this sense, our reported fuel consumption data may be seen as a representative sample of the total fleet data. Another indicator of the incompleteness of our data was the fact that relatively few of the vehicles listed on the vehicle equipment inventory appeared under report-ed fuel transactions. Of the more than 900 vehicles listed in the City’s vehicle equipment inventory, only 153 (2008) and 182 (2007) were reported under our fuel consumption compilations.

An important step in preparing our compiled fuel transactions data for the Evaluator Tool was the creation of a Data Filter using Microsoft Excel. This Data Filter function allowed us to quickly sort through large amounts of emissions data by Vehicle Class and Fuel Type, which greatly accelerated the process of inputting data into the Evaluator Tool. For instance, when compiling the num-ber of gallons of diesel fuel consumed by Class 4 Trucks in 2008, it was first necessary to filter all Class 4 Trucks in each month of the 2008 year. Manual review of each monthly grouping of Class 4 Trucks would reveal which vehicles used diesel fuel and which did not. Using the “Paste Special” (addition func-tion) of Excel, it was fairly easy to aggregate 12 monthly totals of fuel con-sumption and Vehicle Class distributions data into the Evaluator. We used this function with every Vehicle Class distribution and fuel consumption total we entered into the Evaluator Tool.

Although the compilation, processing, and analysis of vehicle emissions data presented many operational problems, we were able to successfully complete the Evergreen Fleets Evaluation for a sizeable sample of the City of Issaquah’s fleet. For a list of proposed remedies to the structural problems we encoun-tered throughout the creation of our Data Diary, please refer to our Recom-mendations section at the end of this document.

3. Best Practices:

Initially during this project, we had envisioned the review of existing Best Practices documents that the City of Issaquah had on file in order to meet this section of Green Fleets certification. However, due to a lack of available documentation, we changed our assignment to help produce the Best Prac-

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Metrics

After analyzing and compiling the vehicle emissions data for 2007

(Baseline Year) and 2008 (Current Year), we were able to create

the following metrics that help to illustrate changes in City fuel

consumption and fleet composition:

1. Quarterly Fuel Consumption in Gallons for 2007 and 2008

2. Quarterly Fuel Expenditures for 2007 and 2008

3. Discrepancy between Reported Fuel Data and Department

Totals, in Gallons, 2008


Totals, in Gallons, 2007


Totals, in Dollars, 2008


Totals, in Dollars, 2007

Metrics produced by the Evergreen Fleets Evaluator Tool:

7. Total Emissions (Metric Tons CO2e)

8. Percent of Baseline Emissions per Vehicle Category

9. Percent of Current Emissions per Vehicle Category

Figure 1: Quarterly Fuel Consumption in Gallons for 2007 and 2008



Figure 2:Quarterly Fuel Expenditures for 2007 and 2008

Figure 3: Discrepancy between Reported Fuel Data and Department Totals, in Gallons, 2008

Figure 4: Discrepancy between Reported Fuel Data and Department Totals, in Gallons, 2007

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Figure 5: Discrepancy between Reported Fuel Data and Department Totals, in Dollars, 2008

Metrics

Figure 6: Discrepancy between Reported Fuel Data and Department Totals, in Dollars, 2007

Figure 8: Fuel Consumption (in Gallons except Compressed Natural Gas and Propane)

5.3%

70.5%

24.2%

Percent of Baseline Emissions per Vehicle Category

Cars

SUVs, Pickups & Vans

Motorcycles, Scooters & ATVs

Trucks

Buses

Figure 9: Percent of Current Emissions per Vehicle Category

9.0%

51.6%0.1%

39.3%

Percent of Current Emissions per Vehicle Category

Cars

SUVs, Pickups & Vans

Motorcycles, Scooters & ATVs

Trucks

Buses

No

Data

No

Data

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Policy Statement: It is the intention of the city of Issaquah to implement a program to satisfy the requirements of the Evergreen Fleets initiative. To do this, we will take the following steps:

• Create a Green Fleets action plan.• Formalize a Green and “Right-Size” vehicle purchasing policy. • Procure Green Fuels and monitor fuel consumption, efficiency, driving

prctices and develop and incentive program for fleet drivers to encour-age green fleet practices.

• Practice preventive maintenance.• Recover, reduce and reuse fleet maintenance products.• Install diesel retrofitting in every possible vehicle.• Enact a green vehicle sharing program for city employees.

To accomplish the above program goals, the city of Issaquah will commit to implement the following suggestions.

Budget:• To be determined by the city of Issaquah.

Fleet Baseline and set goals:• It is imperative to organize fleet records in such a way to effectively

manage the above program goals. Issaquah will need to set a baseline year for data. The suggested start date is January 2010. Data entry must include vehicle miles traveled (VMT’s), type and quantity of fuel consumption and a list of current fleet vehicles. This will enable the city of Issaquah to accurately track each vehicle and its impact on the environment. It will also help set future budgets.

Best Practices: Green Fleets PlanResearch and Evaluate Options: Several target points must be addressed in order to ensure the success of the program.• Identify availability and practicality of different options.• Calculate implementation costs and net financial gains.• estimate environmental benefits.• Identify risks associated with the option and ways to mitigate these

risks.• Prioritize options.• Set fuel efficiency and gree house gas emission targets.

Develop an implementation plan for each goal:• Create a timeline with responsibilities, measureable outcomes and

deadlines, roles and responsibilities.• Create a monitoring, measuring and reporting strategy for these goals

with key performance indicators.

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Policy Statement:1. The City shall make every effort to obtain the “cleanest” vehicles pos-sible as measured by available emissions certification standards and those pub-lished by manufacturers.2. Evergreen Fleets defines Green Vehicles as follows:

a. Light Duty:i. Listed in the top two green vehicles for each class in EPA’s Green

Vehicle Guide or ACEEE’s Green Book.ii. Achieves at least 25 percent better-than-average miles per gallon

for each vehicle class.iii. Uses alternative fuels including biodiesel, ethanol, natural gas,

propane or electricity.b. Heavy Duty (gross vehicle weight over 8,500 pounds):

i. New vehicles must meet most recent model year emission stan-dard for fine particles (PM2.5), by engine size class.

ii. Used vehicles must be retrofitted, refueled, repowered, or reu-built to meet or exceed the most recet model year emission stan-dard for PM2.5, by engine size class.

c. Light Duty Vehicles: The City shall purchase or lease only models of passenger vehicles and light duty trucks that are rated as low emissions vehicle (LEV) or better by the EPA, where service levels for carrying out City functions are not negatively impacted.

d. Heavy Duty Vehicles and Equipment: The City shall purchase or lease only Heavy Duty Vehicles or Equipment whose engines are CARB certified as low-emission, when available for the given application and where City service levels are not negatively impacted.

3. Each replacement vehicle will achieve the greatest level of emission re-ductions possible, while still meeting the operational needs of the City. Alter-nate-fuel (biodiesel, liquefied natural gas, hydrogen, or electric) replacement vehicles should be procured only when there is fueling infrastructure in place at City operated or local commercial fueling stations to support the operation of these vehicles.4. Emissions reduction targets shall be reviewed annually by the Green Fleets team and modified based on vehicles available for that model year.5. Vehicle purchase requests shall be reviewed and minimum emission

Best Practices: Green Vehicle Purchasing Policyreduction targets will be employed when possible. Fleet Management will work with all City Departments to identify the most fuel-efficient vehicle with maxi-mum emission reduction available that can meet the operational needs of the department, while taking into account the vehicle’s life-cycle costs and fuel availability.6. Requests for exemptions to the Green Fleets Vehicle Purchasing Policy shall be submitted in writing to the Fleet Manager and exemptions awarded if there is sufficient justification.

Exemptions:Fleets Management may grant an exemption from the requirements of this Policy to an applicable Department requesting an exemption under any one of the following circumstances:1. Where there is no model of motor vehicle or motorized equipment avail-able that will comply with the requirements of this Policy and still meet the specifications of its intended purpose and Department needs.2. Where the analysis demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Fleets Man-agement each of the following:

a. That any amortized additional incremental cost of purchasing a lower emission vehicle that complies with the requirements of this Policy cannot be recovered over the operating life of the vehicle or metered equipment through a reduction in fuel, maintenance, and other costs incurred during the operating life of such vehicle or equipment; and

b. That Fleet Management, or another City Department, has unsuccessfully applied for, or attempted to identify grant funding for the lease or purchase of the vehicle or motorized equipment with the requirements of this Policy from outside sources.3. Where the requesting department demonstrates to the satisfaction of Fleet Management that the use of a vehicle or metered equipment would sig-nificantly disrupt operations or reduce service levels.

In the case that Fleet Management grants an exemption, Fleet Management shall purchase or lease the model of motor vehicle or metered equipment that will meet the specifications of the applicable department and has the highest fuel efficiency and lowest available emissions ratings for the type of vehicle

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Best Practices: Green Vehicle Purchasing Policy Cont.

or metered equipment specified, provided that the cost is within a reason-able range of the cost of a vehicle meeting the specifications but having higher emissions ratings.

The City of Issaquah is a member of the Washington State Purchasing Coop-erative, and the City should therefore use its membership as a cost-effective means of vehicle purchase.

The City should invest in the green vehicles available through the Washington State General Administration contract whenever the purchase is cost-effective with regard to energy savings, level of service, and City performance needs. As of August 2009, the following vehicles are available on the contract:

Hybrid-electric vehicle and compressed natural gas:• Honda Civic HEV• Honda Civic CNG• Honda Insight EX HEV• Honda Insight LX HEV• Toyota Prius HEV• Toyota Camry HEV• Ford Escape HEV

Flex-fuel vehicle: • Chevrolet Express AWD Cargo Van• Chevrolet Tahoe PPV• Chevrolet Impala• Ford Crown Victoria• Ford F150 eng option• Chevrolet 1500 eng option• Chrevolet HHR• Dodge Grand Caravan• Chevrolet Express eng option on AWD

For more information, contact Bill Griffin, State Procurement Office, at 360.902.7421 and [email protected].

Best Practices: Right Size Vehicle Purchasing Policy

Appropriately sized vehicles, optimal for the duties they perform, must be as-signed to staff. Matching duty requirements of staff to the smallest possible vehicle for the task is a crucial part of reducing emissions.

In determining the right vehicle for the job, consider the following guidelines:• Driver’s job, physical size, age, and gender• The most important driver requirement for the task(s) for which the ve-

hicle was intended: productivity? Tow capacity? Utility? Comfort? Safety?• Impact and cost of down-time and idling• Cargo load• Driving conditions• Operating costs (fuel, maintenance, depreciation, collision rates)• Ownership costs (acquisition, insurance, incentives, resale value)

Smaller vehicles should be substituted for larger vehicles by phasing them in as new vehicles are purchased or by disposing of larger vehicles that are no longer needed for their original tasks.

Vehicle “right-sizing” also refers to the size of the City fleet and ensuring that the right-sized vehicles are used efficiently to maximize City investment as well as reduce emissions.

By analyzing the operational needs of the City’s fleet, and eliminating excess vehicles, only then will non-essential trips be discouraged and alternative forms of travel be encouraged. Whenever possible, share agreements between Departments and sections should be established in order to reduce the size of the fleet. Review annually the fleet inventory list with careful attention to those vehicles that are disproportionately inefficient, and schedule their even-tual elimination or replacement.

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In order to optimize vehicle operation, a preventive maintenance program must be in place. For Issaquah to have a successful preventive maintence pro-gram, we suggest the following:

· Written documentation of vehicle usage recording vehicle miles trav-eled or hours used.

· Appropriate Data Storage. For Issaquah, we suggest an excel spread-sheet.

· Scheduled reporting system to ensure the program is in place and in use.

Additionally, in order for the program to be successful, the following criteria must be in place.

· A work order system· Adoption of fleet maintenance schedules to include warranty checks

According to Evergreen Fleets, every maintenance program should include the following components.

Engine• Check cleanliness of air cleaner and change oil periodically.• Clean and adjust carburetor properly.• Check to assure there is no excessive noise or difficulty in engaging

gearsSteering• Check steering box oil level regularly.• Ensure there is proper steering wheel free-play.Tires and wheels• Maintain recommended tire pressure. Electrical• Check battery alternator, voltage regulator and fan belt.• Ensure wiring and connecgions to distributor and spark plugs, con-

tact breaker points and condenser are in good condition with the appropriate gap.

Fuel Tank and Lines• Check all fuel line connections for loss of fuel to leakage or evapora-

tion.

Best Practices: Preventive Maintenance Program• Have fuel pump checked for correct pressure every three months.Brakes • Ensure brakes do not drag or bind.• Check linings/pads, drums/discs to ensure they are not worn out.Radiator• Check radiator water level daily• Top off radiator water while engine is on and hot.

Adherence to a preventive maintenance program provides the following ben-efits:

· Increase in cost effectiveness

· Provides flexibility for the adjustment of maintenance periodicity

· Increase in component life cycle

· Generates energy savings

· Reduction of equipment failure

· Estimated 12%-18% cost savings

A few disadvantages exist.

· Does not elimnate catastrophic disasters

· More labor intensive

· Includes non-emergency tasks potentially leading to vehicle damage.

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Best Practices: "Right-Size" Requirement for Vehicle PurchasesBest Practices: Recover, Reduce, and Reuse Program for Maintenance ProductsPolicy Statement:The City shall acquire its goods and services in a manner that complies with federal, state, City laws, and other requirements (e.g., City resolutions). The City shall purchase and use materials, products and services which are fiscally responsible, reduce resource consumption and waste, promote opportunities to lesser-advantaged segments of our community, perform adequately, and pro-mote human health and well-being.

Environmental factors to be considered in selecting products include life cycle assessment of:

• Pollutant releases, especially persistent bio-accumulative toxins (PBTs) • Waste generation; • Greenhouse gas emissions; • Recycled content; • Energy consumption; • Depletion of natural resources; and • Potential impact on human health and the environment.

Social equity factors to be considered include, but are not limited to: • Use of local businesses • Use of small, minority and women-owned businesses • Ergonomic and human health impacts

Fiscal factors to be considered include but are not limited to: • Lowest total cost • Leveraging City buying power • Impact on staff time and labor• Long-term financial/market changes • Technological advances in a rapidly changing market

Performance is the ability of the product or service to accomplish or contribute to accomplishment of a job or task.

City departments shall use, where feasible, products that perform and have the least damaging/most beneficial environmental impact, including new en-vironmentally preferable products, reusable products, recycled content, and recycled products. Recognizing its role as a major purchaser of goods and ser-vices, the City shall seek opportunities to encourage and influence markets for environmentally preferable products through employee education; supporting pilot testing of potential new products; adopting innovative product standards, specifications, and contracts; leveraging citywide buying expertise and buying-power through programs such as Copernicus; and embarking on cooperative ventures with other jurisdictions.

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As a piece of the City of Issaquah’s Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program1 enacted in August 2007, the City will make a concerted effort to supplement its motor vehicle fleet with green rental cars and car-sharing services to reduce overall emissions. The CTR was created following a 2006 Washington State law, the Commute Trip Reduction Efficiency Act, which requires local governments in those counties experiencing the greatest automobile-related air pollution and traffic congestion to develop and implement plans to reduce single-occu-pant vehicle trips.

The City has focused its CTR program on nine (9) commuter destinations that have been identified as primary generators of single-occupant vehicle trips within the city, one of which is the City administration complex itself:1. Microsoft2. Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.3. SpaceLabs Medical4. Costco - CWC Travel5. Alltel - Call Center6. City of Issaquah7. Costco World Headquarters8. The Boeing Company - Eastpointe9. King County Library System

The CTR program calls for the implementation of a variety of improvements to transit, pedestrian, and bicycle transportation infrastructure surrounding these sites to achieve a 13% reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) per capita by 2011.

Concurrently with the improvements in multi-modal transportation infrastruc-ture to the aforementioned commuter destinations, the City has identified Car-Sharing as a potential method for reducing VMT per capita as well as over-all emissions. In addition, third party car-sharing services offer a means for the City to avoid the high maintenance and fuel costs that come with vehicle ownership, especially for rarely-used vehicles.

1 City of Issaquah. (2007). Commute Trip Reduction Plan. Public Works Engineer-ing, Resource Conservation Office/Planning Department, Issaquah, WA.

Best Practices: Green Rental Car and Car-Sharing PolicyThe City will make a concerted effort to evaluate the usage frequency of all City vehicles that make regular contact with the CTR locations identified above. When a rarely-used vehicle is identified, the City will determine the cost-effectiveness of replacing the vehicle with a semi-regular checkout of a car-share vehicle.

Car-Share Services

Car-sharing programs allow users to reserve a vehicle by the hour or day. Res-ervations are made either online or via a mobile device. Pricing is all-inclusive pricing (gas and insurance), which eliminates complex personal car reimburse-ments and streamlines billing. This Best Practice is particularly relevant for organizations that have under-utilized or rarely used vehicles and could substi-tute a car-share option in lieu of an additional vehicle. Car-sharing can sig-nificantly reduce car usage, and has attracted considerable interest nationally among transportation planners and policymakers. Car-sharing is the only pro-gram that has succeeded in reducing car ownership by a significant amount.

The City can save significantly by outsourcing sections of its less frequently used motor vehicle fleet to a fleet management professional, such as a car-sharing agency. Since the car-sharing agency owns the vehicles, no restrictive debts are attached to the City’s assets. This allows the City to leave its budget open for principal business needs apart from vehicle maintenance and insur-ance.

The Fast Fleet program2 operated by the car-sharing agency ZipCar is one ex-ample of a cost-savings by transitioning away from the City’s rarely-used fossil-fuel burning vehicles to alternative fuel vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) by introducing a large-scale car-sharing of these vehicles. In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 makes it pos-sible for public sector fleets to obtain federal funding to build highly efficient, shared, electric fleets. ZipCar’s FastFleet Fleet Modernization Program(FMP) can make it faster and easier to qualify for funding and meet the new standards. 2 http://fastfleet.net/ff_about

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Best Practices: Green Rental Car and Car-Sharing Policy

According to a recent news release , the city of Washington, D.C., the first in the country to adopt the Fast Fleet system, saved more than $300,000 during a four-month test period. The city aims to save over $1 million during the 2009 fiscal year.

Green Rental Car Services

For rarely-used vehicles or for vehicles used on a short-term basis for special assignments, an alternative to using car-sharing services is to utilize ther ser-vices of green rental car vendors.

One such green rental vendor, Enterprise, offers a wide range of services for municipalities to use in their implementation of emissions-reducing Best Prac-tices. Enterprise offers through its “Keys to Green” program services of Fleet Analysis, Emissions Offsets, Fuel Technologies, and Vehicle Optimization. En-terprise has been recognized as a leader in providing rental vehicles that use alternative fuel technologies such as gas-electric hybrid engines and flex-fuel vehicles that run on E85. In addition, when emissions reductions are not fea-sible for certain City operations via implementing alternative fuel technologies, Enterprise provides a carbon offsets program that will meet emission reduction goals through investment in other alternative 3rd party energy projects.

In terms of the availability of hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles for rental, Enter-prise has shown itself to be a leader among rental car vendors. According to a recent report, Enterprise “is probably the winner of the green rental car race. The company offers the largest fleet of hybrids and fuel efficient vehicles of any rental car agency in America: their fleet numbers 440,000, and that in-cludes 5,000 hybrids and 73,000 ‘flex fuel’ cars that can run on E85.”

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Recommendations for Evergreen Fleets:

In working with the City of Issaquah to evaluate their emissions data and Best Practices documents for potential Green Fleets certification, several method-ological problems with the Green Fleets program emerged. One urgently needed addition to the Evaluator is an online vehicle database that will allow fleet managers to store vehicle emissions data by their Vehicle ID Number, the unique vehicle identifier that allows mangers to quickly look-up vehicle information within each month. Fleet managers would then be able to compile vehicle emissions data on a per-transaction basis, removing the burden of sorting through the entire fleet by Vehicle Class and Fuel Type and produc-ing monthly totals for each. After fleet records are updated weekly (or another short-term interval), the Tool could accommodate per-transaction data entry by recording the Vehicle ID Number, Vehicle Class, Fuel Type, and VMT (drawn from the recorded difference between the current and previous vehicle odometer readings). Including this tool would allow a much faster upload of emissions data that would ease the manpower requirements of applying for Green Fleets certi-fication and negate much of the need for an external Data Diary. Included in this database would be a search-engine device that allows fleet man-agers to look up each vehicle’s Vehicle Class according to the Make and Model, and thereafter by the Vehicle ID after the vehicle is entered into the database. This feature would save a large amount of effort required in the current system in classifying each vehicle’s Make and Model by gross weight in order to sort the vehicles by Vehicle Class. As soon as each vehicle ID was stored in the database, the requirement of the Evaluator Tool to list the number of vehicles in each Ve-hicle Class would have already been met. Another necessary modification is to create monthly sub-sections within the Evaluator Tool to better accommodate fleet managers’ methods of recording their emissions data. Manually creating sums of 12 months of data in the Evalu-ator Tool is a taxing process that few fleet managers are likely to appreciate. In addition to monthly sub-sections, quarterly sub-sections that aggregate each 3-month data cycle would be useful for cities that need to report their fleet’s fi-nances on a quarterly basis. In each case, the Evaluator Tool should create auto-sums that tabulate monthly or quarterly totals to form the Current and Baseline Year comparisons.

The under-reporting of vehicle emissions data is likely to be a problem for many cities due to driver inattention, under-staffing and under-funding, and other demands on the fleet managers’ time and resources. One useful metric that could help to ensure a high rate of data entry into the Evaluator is a bar graph juxtaposing the City’s Departmental Totals and the current totals reported to Evergreen Fleets. Evergreen Fleets should require candidate agencies to report their monthly Departmental Totals of VMT’s, fuel consumption (gallons), and fuel expenditures ($) along with the entry of these data on a per-transaction basis as described previously. A penalty of certification points could be issued to cities that demonstrate a low rate of data entry or high discrepancy between monthly Departmental Totals and monthly sub-totals entered into the Evaluator Tool. Another category of analysis that Evergreen Fleets should include in its Evalua-tor Tool is total vehicle emissions data by the dollar value ($) of each transac-tion. Cities recognize the economic as well as environmental interest inherent in reducing their fuel emissions and becoming certified with Evergreen Fleets. In addition to the positive publicity of cutting emissions and implementing environmentally sound Best Practices, cities could use a monetary comparison between Baseline and Current Years to justify their efforts towards certification on a fiscal basis. By demonstrating the cost savings that often accompany fuel-efficiency and Best Practices, cities would be better able to publicize their fiscal responsibility as well as environmental integrity to their constituents. Analysis of emissions data by dollar expenditures can also pinpoint individual vehicles that overspend by buying inappropriate types of fuel for their Vehicle Class. Record-ing the monetary value of fuel transactions in our Data Diary was important because it reflected a collective picture of rising gas prices that have motivated many cities to reduce their total emissions through programs like Evergreen Fleets in the first place. Furthermore, this analysis of City fuel spending can illustrate seasonal variations in fuel consumption that the City could target in order to meet its emissions reduction goals. One excellent function that the Evaluator Tool has provided in its design is the product of various graphs upon completing data entry for the Baseline and Current Years. This series of graphs is a meaningful accomplishment that fleet managers can easily reproduce and publicize to promote their fuel-efficiency ef-

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forts. This Analysis page of the Evaluator Tool should be preserved for all future candidate agencies because it offers a powerful and compelling visual incen-tive to demonstrate progress in meeting Green Fleets goals. To improve this function, Evergreen Fleets should take the monthly sub-totals of emissions and VMT’s data outlined previously and create similar graphs comparing the changes between the same months of the Baseline and Current Year. This addition would help fleet managers to further analyze the seasonality of their progress in meet-ing emissions reduction thresholds. Finally, Evergreen Fleets should recognize that prior to applying for Green Fleets certification, few agencies have anything resembling the Best Practices docu-ments that the certification requires. This reality disqualifies these agencies from certification by default. While the Evergreen Fleets Manual did provide several easy-to-use templates for creating Best Practices, large portions of the certification score came from supporting documentation that these Best Practic-es were adhered to by City departments. Future candidates should be granted a grace period of one year in which to test out their newly-adopted Best Practices before they are penalized for not proving that they were followed.

Our research of the City of Issaquah Fleet’s candidacy for Green Fleets certifica-tion posed several challenging situations. However, all of these obstacles can be overcome by implementing a comprehensive data entry schedule. Once a pro-gram is developed, the only tasks will be ongoing data entry and management, and a review of Evergreen Fleets requirements in order to keep up to date. This section of Recommendations deals only with vehicle emissions data, as the City was assumed from the beginning of this project to have no Best Practices docu-mentation available.

In order to qualify for the Evergreen Fleets Initiative, the City of Issaquah must be able to provide the following information:1. Complete baseline and current data to include fuel consumption and total expenditures on a monthly basis for 2007 and 2008. We would suggest applying data to an excel spreadsheet similar to the Data Diary included in the appendix of this report.2. Odometer readings for each vehicle for 2007 and 2008 in the above men-tioned spreadsheet.3. Completed Action Plan implementing Evergreen Fleets strategies (See Best Practices Section).4. Have a sequential list of currently owned cars in order of either vehicle class or vehicle number. It would be prudent to reserve a sequence of numbers for a certain class of vehicle.

For example:001-100 > Full Size Sedan101-200 > Mid-Size Hybrid201-250 > Small SUV 251-300 > Large SUV301-400 > Class 4 Truck…and so on.

Once the program is implemented, an administrator would be necessary to maintain and manage data entry, keep abreast of new Evergreen Fleets policies, ensure policies regarding the Action Plan are carried out and transfer data from the City of Issaquah to the Evergreen Fleets worksheet at the appropriate time.

Recommendations for the City of Issaquah:Recommendations for Evergreen Fleets Cont:

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References

1. City of Issaquah. (2007). Commute Trip Reduction Plan. Public Works Engineer-ing, Resource Conservation Office/Planning Department, Issaquah, WA.2. City of Olympia. (2007, March 1). Fleet Management Guideline #1: Green Fleets Policy. Sections 4.5.3 and 4.5.7.3. City of San Jose, (2007, September 1). Green fleet policy. City Policy Manual 5.2.0. San Jose, CA: Retrieved from http://www.sanjoseca.gov/esd/PDFs/GreenFleetPo-licy_091707.pdf4. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development. (2003, November 6). Sustainable purchasing policy (6.14.14). Seattle, WA: Retrieved from http://www.seattle.gov/DPD/cms/groups/pan/@pan/@sustainableblding/documents/web_informational/dpds_007568.pdf5. City of Seattle, Fleets and Facilities Department, Office of Sustainability and Environment. (2007). A Clean and green fleet: an updated action plan for the city of seattle Seattle, WA: Retrieved from http://www.cityofseattle.net/fleets/docs/ClnGrnFlt-Plan_Sea_07Update.pdf6. Enterprise Fleet Management. (2009). Keys to green: our comprehensive environ-mental platform. Retrieved from http://www.keystogreen.com/ 7. Gingrich, S. City of Toronto, Toronto Fleet Services. (2008). Green fleet plan 2008-2011 Toronto, Ontario, CA: Retrieved from http://www.toronto.ca/fleet/pdf/gfp.pdf8. Lyon, N.S. (2009, April 29). Zipcar launches "fastfleet" first integrated service for public sector vehicle fleets. Retrieved from http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/zip-car/38015/9. Meyn, S, Stanton, L, Cline, C, & Gilpin, E. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Evergreen Fleets. (2009). Evergreen fleets: certification & emissions reporting guidance manual (Version 1.2). Seattle, WA.10. Ream, A. U.S. Department of Energy, FEMP O&M, Industrial, Metering, Com-missioning Energy Savings Expert Team (ESET). (2007). Predictive maintenance Re-trieved from http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/operations_maintenance/om_predictive_main.html11. Rogers, S. (2008, July 8). Green Car Rental Roundup: Who's Going Green and Who's Missing the Boat. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from Earth First: http://earthfirst.com/green-car-rental-round-up-who%E2%80%99s-going-green-and-who%E2%80%99s-missing-the-boat/12. ZipCar. (2009). Introducing fast fleet by zipcar. Retrieved from http://fastfleet.net/

In addition to streamlining the process of fuel emissions data collection and data processing, the City of Issaquah should also be aware that its Best Prac-tices documents comprise a significant portion of the overall Green Fleets certification score. This project was completed from a “ground-zero” basis, in which the City was assumed to have no available Best Practices documents, document templates, or supporting documentation. As such, The Best Practices documents included in this report were written as templates that require ex-pansion with up-to-date City data. These document templates, in most cases, borrowed language from the Green Fleets Plans of other candidate cities that may or may not be appropriate to the policy goals of the City of Issaquah. In order to earn the maximum number of points for certification in the Best Prac-tices categories, the City should complete the following steps:

1. Complete the Best Practices documents it is currently lacking, including the Green Fuels Procurement Policy, Fuel Consumption and Vehicle Use Track-ing, Fleet Efficiency Technologies, Fuel-efficient Driving Practices and Train-ing, Incentive/Reward Program for Fuel Conservation/Efficiency, and Diesel Retrofit Technology.

2. Clearly elaborate City policy objectives and fleet certification benchmarks through the Green Fleets Plan

3. Provide supporting documentation (receipts, financial statements, manuals) for the following Best Practices templates: Green Vehicle Purchasing Policy, “Right-Size Policy”, Preventive Maintenance Program, RR & R Program for Vehicle Maintenance Products, and the Green Rental Car and Car-Sharing Policy.

Recommendations for the City of Issaquah: