Skip to main content

College’s vehicle fleet getting “greener” all the time…

They’re like two boys sharing a new toy car, prone to saying things like, “Ooh, this is so cool! Watch what it does!” Only Rand Webb and Edward Benson are talking about Salt Lake Community College’s commitment to alternative fuel vehicles. They often finish each other’s sentences or talk over one another. “He’s the scientist guy,” Benson says, “and I’m the nuts-and-bolts guy.” Webb calls Benson the “fleet guy” and himself the “EPA guy.” But the subject – a greener fleet of vehicles – is, well, pretty cool.

Rand Webb stands next to SLCC's garbage truck.

Actually, Webb, who used to work with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Quality on cleaning up polluted sites, is these days the environmental and health safety manager at SLCC, and Benson is the College’s fleet and logistics coordinator. Together, with support of SLCC administrators, they’re turning SLCC’s fleet of about 135 vehicles into a quasi “green” battalion of environmentally friendly modes of transportation. They have cars, pickups, a new garbage truck, a lawnmower and even a forklift that run on compressed natural gas (CNG), electricity, ethanol or a mix of gasoline and electricity. It means the College is doing what Webb calls the “right thing,” by emitting fewer pollutants into Salt Lake Valley’s already oft-polluted air.

Ed Benson plugs in one of SLCC's electric vehicles.

The shift in thinking about what kinds of cars to purchase for SLCC’s fleet didn’t happen overnight. That’s because going “green” is sometimes more expensive, especially when it comes to vehicles. “We had to convince (administrators) that it’s the environmentally proper thing to do,” Webb said. “If you’re thinking we’re saving money by doing this, we’re not. It’s an air quality issue – we’re doing the right thing. We feel like it’s worth the money to have 85 percent less tailpipe exhaust and to contribute that much less to greenhouse gasses.”

While SLCC is going the “extra mile” with cleaner vehicles, the State of Utah is pushing the issue, demanding that half of all vehicles purchased for state fleet use rely on alternative fuels such as CNG. By 2019 all state fleet vehicles are expected to be running on alternative fuels. Benson figures SLCC is ahead of the game with about 37 percent of its fleet running on CNG. While CNG refilling stations were once in short supply, there are now about 45 CNG sites throughout Utah, including seven in the Salt Lake City area. One of those stations is located on the SLCC Taylorsville Redwood Campus. “It’s cheaper, it’s cleaner and it’s domestic,” Webb says about the CNG station on campus. “We’re buying a domestic product that Questar pumps out of the ground in Evanston. No matter what you think about global warming, is it wrong to have less greenhouse gas?” A CNG-powered vehicle also requires one third less maintenance than a typical gasoline vehicle.


SLCC also owns several hybrid vehicles that run on gas and electricity, such as the Toyota Prius and Camry. Benson and Webb recently welcomed the addition two fully electric Nissan Leafs into the fleet. Webb can monitor from a computer on his desk just how the Leafs are performing with energy consumption and curbing emissions, and they can be plugged in to recharge at a station right outside his office. “SLCC has been a pioneer in this,” Benson said. “We have stepped ahead and done a lot of pre-planning, and support from administration has been fantastic. We’ve been a step ahead of all other (state) schools.” Benson said that in the next few years over half of all vehicles in SLCC’s fleet will run on alternative fuels.

Comments

  1. Amazing research with end product. That is SLCC spirit!! Great work.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SLCC's Undergraduate Annual Research Conference Registration Deadline

Salt Lake Community College’s annual Undergraduate Projects, Performances, Presentations, and Research Conference (UP3RC) is set to take place on April 2, at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, offering students a chance to showcase their academic achievements, fostering a culture of intellectual exchange.  The UP3RC is an annual event designed to celebrate and highlight the academic accomplishments of undergraduate students. It provides a supportive environment for students to share their work, hone their presentations skills, receive constructive feedback, and engage in meaningful discussions with their peers and faculty. All SLCC departments and programs, including faculty and staff, are encouraged to support and visit the day of the event. Students with their poster from last year's UPRC event “The goal of this event is to make sure every school and student is given the opportunity to participate,” says Dr. Kamal Bewar, interim director of the STEM Learning Center, who is chairin

SLCC Business School is Utah’s First to be Named Exclusively After a Woman

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) proudly announces a partnership with the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation to modernize its Business Building and transform its School of Business. The improvements are made possible through a generous $10 million gift from the Miller Family Foundation and Gail Miller, the largest-ever single cash donation received by the college.  SLCC is renaming its Business Building the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Business Building in honor of the Miller family’s legacy and contributions to the community. The business school will be named the Gail Miller School of Business in recognition of the strong business acumen Gail Miller displays as a community leader and as the owner and immediate past chair of the Larry H. Miller Company. This name change will make SLCC home to the only business school in Utah and one of only a few in the country to be named exclusively after a woman.  “We are deeply humbled by the generosity of Gail and the Miller fam

You’re Invited to A Party! Open House Kicks off New Herriman Campus

  Complimentary food truck fare, live music, and family activities spotlight new campus.   There’s something for everyone at the upcoming Herriman Campus Community Open House on Friday, August 4 (3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.). See schedule below.   The public is invited to celebrate the opening of this new campus with festivities that include free local food truck fare, live music, and a Mocktail Mixer, where you can mingle with others, including Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) and University of Utah (U of U) faculty.   Families with kids can engage in face painting and a craft station, see the Super Mario Brothers movie, and high-five mascots Brutus, Swoop and Yeti.   This is an opportunity to have some summer fun for all ages and to check out the Juniper building on the new 88-acre SLCC Herriman campus.    At the open house, prospective students and their families can meet SLCC and U of U faculty and staff, take a tour the building, or even check out the Application & Transfer Lab a