Charlotte goes green
Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: News
Larry Lane credits Chancellor Philip Dubois with the campus-wide push to go green. He, with the chancellor's support, is gradually replacing gas guzzling maintenance and utility carts with electronic vehicles (EVs) and flex-drive vehicles which use E-85 fuel, partially made from corn.
Lane is UNCC's Automotive and Motor Fleet Supervisor in Facilities Management and 2007's Supervisor of the (4th) Quarter. He is responsible for researching and acquiring the vehicles. The conversion to electric and alternative fuel means of transportation began in 2005.
In the three years since, the campus has built a fleet of 56 EVs and 23 E-85 vehicles and boasts their own E-85 fueling station. The EVs, which run off of electricity, are plugged in when not in use to recharge.
When deciding which carts and trucks to replace, Lane determines which of the current stock of vehicles is using the most gasoline and oil and then submits his request for a more environmentally friendly replacement.
The University of North Carolina (northcarolina.edu) adopted policy 1300.3[R] into the system-wide policy manual in May 1997 in response to North Carolina's Environmental Policy Act. The text of that policy's purpose states, in part, "The goal is to ensure adequate protection to the environment while facilitating…many routine operations and small maintenance, repair, or construction projects at the constituent institutions."
Of the university system's 16 public schools, UNCC is ranked number one when it comes to environmental consciousness, according to Lane who said, "We are the leaders in this state and we will continue to be the leaders. It's the right thing to do on all fronts."
The EVs and E-85 vehicles, which will eventually replace all of the gas-powered automobiles used by facilities management, save the campus money on fuel, though Lane says it's hard to calculate an exact figure. He said, "It's much more than that, we are also reducing our dependency on foreign oil and the amount of greenhouse gases [we create]."
Lane is UNCC's Automotive and Motor Fleet Supervisor in Facilities Management and 2007's Supervisor of the (4th) Quarter. He is responsible for researching and acquiring the vehicles. The conversion to electric and alternative fuel means of transportation began in 2005.
In the three years since, the campus has built a fleet of 56 EVs and 23 E-85 vehicles and boasts their own E-85 fueling station. The EVs, which run off of electricity, are plugged in when not in use to recharge.
When deciding which carts and trucks to replace, Lane determines which of the current stock of vehicles is using the most gasoline and oil and then submits his request for a more environmentally friendly replacement.
The University of North Carolina (northcarolina.edu) adopted policy 1300.3[R] into the system-wide policy manual in May 1997 in response to North Carolina's Environmental Policy Act. The text of that policy's purpose states, in part, "The goal is to ensure adequate protection to the environment while facilitating…many routine operations and small maintenance, repair, or construction projects at the constituent institutions."
Of the university system's 16 public schools, UNCC is ranked number one when it comes to environmental consciousness, according to Lane who said, "We are the leaders in this state and we will continue to be the leaders. It's the right thing to do on all fronts."
The EVs and E-85 vehicles, which will eventually replace all of the gas-powered automobiles used by facilities management, save the campus money on fuel, though Lane says it's hard to calculate an exact figure. He said, "It's much more than that, we are also reducing our dependency on foreign oil and the amount of greenhouse gases [we create]."
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