Release Date:
05/17/2010
Public News Service story by Sharon Rolenc and Deb Courson
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Excerpt:
Diesel vehicles make up 10 percent of traffic on Minnesota roads, but account for more than 50 percent of all traffic-related air pollution. To the rescue is Project Green Fleet, a collaborative effort among businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations offering free retrofits for buses to reduce emissions. Diesel exhaust contains pollutants that increase the risk of heart and lung disease and can trigger upper respiratory problems, such as asthma.
Children are particularly vulnerable because they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults, and their bodies are still developing. This is why school bus retrofits are a priority, says Bill Droessler of the Minnesota Environmental Initiative.
“Pollution levels inside school buses can be concentrated and up to five times greater than in the surrounding ambient air.”
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The Clean Energy Resource Teams are a joint program of the University of Minnesota Regional
Sustainable Development Partnerships, the Southwest Regional Development Commission, the Minnesota
Project, Minnesota Department of Commerce, and the Green Institute. The CERTs program brings together
team members from diverse backgrounds including farmers, utility representatives, state and federal
government staff, educators and academics, small business owners, members of non-profit and environmental
groups as well as individuals interested in energy issues. Together they work to identify and implement
community-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across the state. Major funding is
provided by Minnesota Department of Commerce, The Blandin Foundation, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
University of Minnesota Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment, University of Minnesota
Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, and U.S. Department of Energy.
