Indiana's Resource for Clean Transportation
Improving air quality since 1999
March 2022
Prepare for Clean School Bus funding from the U.S. EPA
The U.S. EPA anticipates it will begin accepting applications for Clean School Bus Rebates in late April 2022. The EPA is recommending school districts take steps now to prepare to apply for the program and other future funding opportunities. Details on their recommendations can be found at the following link: Learn more
Register for the MACOG Partners for Clean Air Awards Luncheon
Register now for the Michiana Area Council of Governments‘ Annual Partners for Clean Air Awards Luncheon from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern April 20 in Elkhart! This event provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about local clean air and sustainability initiatives, funding opportunities and to network with professionals in the MACOG region. Speakers will be announced soon! Learn more
Crown Point Community School Corp. adds electric bus
Crown Point Community School Corporation recently added an electric school bus to its fleet, making it the first district in Northwest Indiana with the technology. The fully electric school bus was purchased with the help of grant funds acquired in partnership with Drive Clean Indiana. “Our district is proud to add electric transportation with the purchase of this bus. It’s an exciting opportunity to utilize green energy,” Crown Point Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Terrill said. “We’ve shared with our school community that they’ll be able to recognize the bus when they see ‘EV’ in front of the bus number.” The school district added a new, fully electric Proterra school bus after receiving a $314,747 grant from the Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund in Round 2 of the grant program in August 2020. Drive Clean Indiana wrote the successful grant application and is the project manager for the electric school bus implementation. Learn More.
The SEC wants companies to disclose how climate change is affecting them
Every year, public companies in the U.S. are required to provide investors and regulators with detailed data about their financial performance and the risks they face. Soon, they may also have to disclose information about how they are dealing with climate change. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this month formally proposed new rules that would for the first time require businesses to report their greenhouse gas emissions, along with details of how climate change is affecting their businesses. Learn more
MCCSC to add four new cost-saving electric buses to fleet
The EPA has awarded the Monroe County Community School Corporation $160,000 to purchase four new electric buses to lower district costs and emissions. MCCSC Director of Transportation Nathan Oliver says the funds will help the district reach its goal of covering all general routes with EV buses in the next seven to 10 years. The district already has EVs in its fleet in addition to 145 diesel and 10 gasoline-powered buses. The three electric buses are already saving the district $34 a day, according to Oliver. “As we add additional buses, that’s just less air pollution and better air quality for Monroe County, and the district is saving more money in fuel costs,” he said. Drive Clean Indiana was proud to write the successful grant application for them. Read More
Register for the NWI Partners for Clean Air luncheon
Register now for the NWI Partners for Clean Air Luncheon & Awards April 22 in Hammond! The event will feature speakers, networking, lunch, prize giveaways, scholarship award presentations and the annual awards ceremony. NWI PCA is pleased to welcome keynote speaker Matthew Stuckey, Assistant Commissioner in the Office of Air Quality for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Anthony Maietta, Life Scientist for Region 5 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air and Radiation Division. Four awards will be presented, one in each of the following categories: business, municipal, industrial and the Mark Siminski Bicycle Award. The event is free, but registration is required. Register here
Save the date for the Muncie Sanitary District Earth Day Open House
Save the date for our member the Muncie Sanitary District's Earth Day Open House celebrating the District's new energy-efficient building at 2121 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Muncie. The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. April 22, 2022 with a ribbon cutting scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Food trucks, lunch and tours will will be included. For more information, call the District at (765) 213-6450.
Opinion: Sustainable solutions key for municipal fleets
When you put your trash can at the curb weekly, you likely don’t think about how the truck that took your trash away is fueled. The same is likely true when your street is plowed in winter, police and fire crews arrive safely to help you in times of need or your city bus gets you safely to your destination.
Unless you’re in the industry, most people don’t give much thought to the work trucks needed move our lives forward, let alone to how they are fueled or powered. Work Truck Week, an annual trade show in Indianapolis hosted by our friends at NTEA – The Association for the Work Truck Industry, helps to highlight some of the options available for fleets. We at Drive Clean Indiana attend the event annually, which took place the second week of March this year. Read Carl Lisek's column monthly in The Times of Northwest Indiana
This month on "Green Fleet Radio"
DCI Executive Director Carl Lisek's weekly radio show "Green Fleet Radio" airs three times each Wednesday on Lakeshore Public Radio with generous support from NIRPC. Guests this month with guest host DCI Communications Director Lauri Keagle are Shawn Seals of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Mitch Barloga of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, and Scott Manning of the Indiana Department of Transportation. Listeners can tune in to Lakeshore Public Radio at 89.1 FM or stream online. Catch up on past shows on our Website. 
Member Spotlight: GRIP Idle Management
GRIP Idle Management -- with headquarters in Ancaster, Onatario, Canada – became a Drive Clean Indiana member in 2020. The GRIP Idle Management System, developed in 2009, is a response to a growing number of customer requests to reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions. On its third rendition, the new GRIP system has been developed to respond to new vehicle technologies, providing a more flexible, adaptable product. The GRIP System collects vital data unavailable through typical vehicle operation and telematics. The information recorded has never been recognized in fleet utilization studies, including the amount of idling contributing to keeping the operators safe and in a comfortable, climate-controlled environment, all of which transfer into real costs. Learn More
New & Renewing Members
Featured Fuel: Ethanol
Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from corn and various other plant materials collectively known as “biomass”. The use of ethanol is widespread, with more than 95 percent of U.S. gasoline containing ethanol in a low-level blend to oxygenate the fuel and reduce air pollution. Ethanol is also available as E85, a high-level ethanol blend containing 51 percent to 83 percent ethanol, depending on geography and season. The blend can be used in flexible fuel vehicles which have an internal combustion engine and run on either E85 or gasoline. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there are more than 8 million FFVs on U.S. roads today. However, many flex fuel vehicle owners don’t realize their car is an FFV and that they have a choice of fuels. Learn more on our Website
Upcoming Events
Indy creation fest

Indy Creation Fest

April 23, 2022

NWI Earth Day Celebration

April 30, 2022

ACT expo
ACT Expo

May 9-12, 2022
*Discount code available*
Connect With Us