Wisconsin’s top sustainable transportation leaders were honored Tuesday at the Wisconsin Clean Cities 23rd Annual Stakeholder Meeting.
“Wisconsin Clean Cities members serve as outstanding examples of how commitments to clean transportation practices can benefit air quality and the economy,” said Wisconsin Clean Cities Executive Director Lorrie Lisek. “We congratulate all of the award winners and hope they serve as inspiration for expanded adoption of sustainable transportation projects statewide.”
Wisconsin Clean Cities, a nonprofit organization serving the entire state of Wisconsin, is one of nearly 100 U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities coalitions. The coalitions partner with members in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to reduce dependence on imported oil in the transportation sector by promoting the use of alternative fuels and sustainable transportation options, thereby improving air quality and supporting local jobs and the economy.
Wisconsin Clean Cities presented the awards at its annual meeting at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wis.
Forward Fleet Award winners, honored for the amount of petroleum they displaced through the use of alternative fuels and sustainable transportation options, included Contract Transport Services of Green Bay in fifth place; Time Transport of Franksville in fourth place; Paper Transport Inc. of Green Bay in third place; Kwik Trip of La Crosse in second place; and Sheehy Mail Contractors Inc. of Waterloo in first place.
Collectively, the award winners displaced more than 11.1 million gasoline gallon equivalents and more than 98,800 metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The five companies have a total of 1,440 alternative fuel vehicles in their fleets.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the actions of the Forward Fleet Award winners represent the GHG reduction equivalent of taking 21,165 passenger vehicles off the road for one year, reducing carbon dioxide emissions created by consuming 228,832 barrels of oil and the amount of carbon sequestered by more than 2.6 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
Clean Fuel Champion Award winners, honored for their use of clean fuel technologies, included the City of Milwaukee, GO Riteway Transportation Group of Milwaukee, Skinner Transfer Corp. of Reedsburg, and We Energies of Milwaukee.
All winners were selected from among Wisconsin Clean Cities members.
The Service Award was presented to Mary Smarelli, former president of Transit Express in Milwaukee and a long-time Wisconsin Clean Cities board member. Smarelli was a pioneer for women in the transportation industry when she started the company in 1979.
“Mary has been a long-time champion for clean transportation options and has served as a leader not only on our Wisconsin Clean Cities board, but throughout the state in her various roles on industry boards,” Lisek said. “We thank Mary for her service and wish her all the best in her retirement.”
The Wisconsin Clean Cities awards come shortly after Chicago Area Clean Cities named its top local green fleets of 2017.
Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Clean Cities