Northern Michigan Outdoors: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) is teaming up with the Clean Energy Coalition to reduce the environmental impact of its fleet by 15% and to share information about alternative fuels and fuel-efficient driving habits with the 1.3 million visitors who visit the National Lakeshore each year.
The National Lakeshore will deploy three Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicles, two Liquefied Petroleum Gas-fueled pick-up trucks, and install charging and fueling stations for the vehicles. The park will also implement a public awareness campaign to communicate fuel-efficient driving behaviors to park visitors and staff. These measures will reduce the environmental impact of the entire National Lakeshore fleet and encourage visitors to reduce the impact of their own vehicles.
Clean Energy Coalition and National Lakeshore staff will review new materials developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory before they are introduced to parks across the country. This “Green Rides Toolkit” will support training and outreach programs to educate staff, volunteers, and visitors about the benefits of alternative fuel vehicles, as well as idle reduction and other efficient driving habits.
“This project is an important step toward using alternative fuel technologies in our fleet and complements our plan to become a Climate Friendly Park by reducing our impact on the environment while operating more efficiently,” said National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz. “Our new alternative fuel vehicles will emit fewer greenhouse gases, reducing air pollution and helping preserve the park’s natural environment.”
The partnership is made possible through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities National Parks Initiative, which was developed to demonstrate how technologies and expertise from the Clean Cities program can help complement the mission of the National Park Service, promoting the use and enjoyment of national parks while preserving natural and historic resources. There are three Clean Cities programs in Michigan: Ann Arbor, Detroit, and West Michigan.
For information about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, visit nps.gov/slbe.