UVA named a winner of Green Fleet Awards
The UVA Facilities Management Fleet was recognized as one of the top 50 recipients of the national Green Fleet Awards
The University of Virginia Facilities Management Fleet was recognized as one of the top 50 recipients of the Green Fleet Awards of North America, a program of The 100 Best Fleets organization.
The award honors the department’s work to reduce its gasoline consumption and carbon emissions through the use of electric and hybrid vehicles.
“[The UVA Facilities Management Fleet has had] a dramatic impact on the health and well-being of the students’ ability to breathe clean air…[and] profound impacts on employees and the community,” according to Tom Johnson of The 100 Best Fleets organization. “[The Facilities Management Fleet] culture is one of possibilities: innovative, creative, dedicated, talented public servants, fully committed to the best interests of the students and employees with complete transparency and accountability in their operations.”
This is the first year the Facilities Management Fleet was recognized in the awards program, earning the No. 43 slot out of 1,900 applications. A panel of professional fleet experts judged the applications based on fuel savings and emissions; use of hybrid, electric and alternative fuel vehicles; long-term planning and other factors.
Transportation Operations and Fleet Manager Mike Duffy applied for the award with the help of Facilities Management employees Matt Ball, who is assisting in the Fleet office, and Lela Garner from Office of Sustainability.
“UVA empowers us to use resources well and this award reflects that work,” Duffy said. “Many Facilities Management departments collaborated on multiple projects to support our fleet’s sustainability efforts, earning us this distinction.”
The Facilities Management’s Fleet has reduced its gasoline consumption and carbon emissions by replacing older, less efficient vehicles with electric and hybrid models, as well the use of hybrid vans and box trucks, which use up to 25 percent less fuel. The department continues to explore new, innovative ways to reduce its carbon impact and promote sustainability across Grounds, including the use of electric cargo bicycles as well as obtaining a grant for the installation of a new public electric vehicle charger at the Central Grounds Parking Garage.
The UVA Facilities Management Fleet was recognized with an honorable mention in the 100 Best Fleets in the Americas awards program earlier this year, and received the Sustainable Fleet Accreditation, a program sponsored by the National Association of Fleet Administrators and Calstart, in the spring of 2019.
Jane Centofante
Communications senior generalist
UVA Facilities Management
(434) 982-5846
janecentofante@virginia.edu