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Catherine et al. ... they know EXACTLY what they're doing...
creating a traffic jam that will be covered by every network TV and radio
station in town, if not nationally.... :)<br><br>
smart marketing.<br><br>
kay<br><br>
At 03:47 PM 9/13/2004, Catherine Avril wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Did they think it through about
having a 5-mile caravan making the trek during a Friday evening rush
hour???!! It seems very likely to ADD to traffic
congestion.<br><br>
<br><br>
At 3:01 PM -0400 9/13/04, Elizabeth Thomson wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>MIT News Office<br>
Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br>
Room 11-400<br>
77 Massachusetts Avenue<br>
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307<br>
Phone: 617-253-2700<br>
<a href="http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/www" eudora="autourl">http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/www</a><br><br>
======================================<br>
News Advisory: Caravan of 23 enviro-friendly vehicles to travel to MIT
this Friday<br>
======================================<br><br>
For Immediate Release<br>
MONDAY, SEP. 13, 2004<br><br>
<br>
==========================================<br>
Editors/Reporters: You are invited to cover this event and attend a
reception for the media that will include speakers from MIT and elsewhere
talking about environmentally friendly vehicles.<br><br>
When: Friday, Sept. 17, 5-5:45 pm; caravan will travel from the Larz
Anderson Museum of Transportation in Brookline to MIT's Kresge parking
lot. Reception for media and public address at 6pm, Kresge Lot.<br><br>
For more information go to
<a href="http://www.altwheels.org/" eudora="autourl">www.altwheels.org</a>.
or contact Alison Sander, 617-868-1582, info@altwheels.org or Elizabeth
Thomson, MIT News Office, 617-258-5402, thomson@mit.edu<br>
==========================================<br><br>
<br>
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--New England's first alternative transportation caravan
with more than 23 vehicles powered by alternative, hybrid and other more
efficient, sustainable fuel systems will wind its way from the Larz
Anderson Museum of Transportation in Brookline to MIT in Cambridge this
Friday. <br>
The caravan, which will be escorted by an alternatively fueled state
police car, kicks off this weekend's AltWheels Festival, the region's
largest alternative transportation festival. This year the event is
co-hosted by MIT, home to several laboratories working on environmentally
friendly alternative vehicles.<br><br>
The five-mile caravan route will end at MIT's Kresge parking lot, where
the public is invited to come free of charge to learn about the latest
innovations, as well as some historical examples, in alternative
transportation.<br><br>
"The goal of the Friday caravan and weekend AltWheels festival is to
demonstrate to the public that alternative transportation is being
deployed and is flourishing throughout New England," said AltWheels
Festival organizer Alison Sander. "Not only is this region a hotbed
of research and technology in developing sustainable clean fuel sources,
but vehicles deploying these technologies are being put to practice by
some of the larger fleets in the region."<br><br>
The AltWheels caravan is currently scheduled to include the following
vehicles:<br><br>
-- State Police escort from a Ford Econoline E250 CNG (Compressed Natural
Gas) van<br>
-- A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle built in New England- actually designed
and built on a $25,000 bet with the EPA!<br>
-- A Mass Highway Ford F-150 pickup truck fueled by CNG. Mass Highway has
one of the largest alternative fleets in New England<br>
-- A 2004 Toyota hybrid Prius operated by PlanetTran-New England's first
alternative taxi service. The Prius is a gasoline/electric hybrid capable
of getting up to 52MPG in city driving<br>
-- A Harvard University biodiesel vehicle. Harvard has committed to
switching its transit fleet to biodiesel<br>
-- A 1997 Ford Crown Victoria cruiser powered by CNG operated by the Sgt.
James Rooney of the Somerville Police Department<br>
-- Boston Public Health Commission's 2002 Toyota Prius--the Commission
operates a fleet of 5 Toyota Prius passenger cars<br>
-- Project Biobus, a yellow diesel 1991 GMC 71 passenger school bus
fueled by biodiesel/used vegetable oil. This bus was converted by
12 Middlebury College students and will begin a 17 city tour with this
Boston visit. A previous bus converted by the group to get back to
school last year was featured by CNN, NPR and USA Today<br>
-- The Solectria Citivan, an electricity-powered delivery vehicle<br>
-- American Honda GX, the top selling CNG vehicle<br>
-- A Massport CNG passenger bus<br>
-- Councillor at Large Felix Arroyo driving his biodiesel vehicle<br>
-- An MBTA Clean Diesel passenger bus. The MBTA has now become the
largest alternative fuel user in New England<br>
-- The Tufts Nerd Girls solar car<br>
-- The MIT solar car club vehicle<br>
-- The New England Aquarium CNG fueled outreach van<br>
-- The Zipcar Mini Cooper<br>
-- A Massport electric truck<br>
-- The City of Keene New Hampshire biodiesel F-350 truck representing
Granite State Clean Cities<br>
-- Ford's 2005 Hybrid SUV, Escape-one of the first hybrid SUVs<br>
-- The DaimlerChrysler Smart car, one of Europe's best selling
alternative vehicles<br>
-- The William Ellis Corbin Sparrow electric car<br>
-- And -- a real blast from the past -- the Stanley Steamer steam-powered
vehicle, model circa 1890<br><br>
Recent traffic studies show that Boston ranks in the top 10 most
congested cities in the U.S. and Massachusetts is rated by the E.P.A. as
one of the non-attainment states for air quality. The idea of clean
sustainable fuels is beginning to catch on in New England -- from private
individuals buying more hybrid-fuel passenger cars, to large public
transit providers using eco-friendly vehicles, to major conversions to
altfuel fleets by municipalities, universities and businesses.<br><br>
Major universities such as Harvard, MIT and Tufts have taken steps to
reduce auto emissions in and about their campuses. Public agencies such
as Massport, Mass Highway, the MBTA, the City of Keene, the Boston Public
Health Commission and others have taken leadership positions in
addressing the need to reduce harmful transportation-related pollutants
in their fleets.<br><br>
The Altwheels festival is a one-stop showcase for the best alternative
transportation options available in New England - including fleets that
use alternative vehicles, concept vehicles and commercially available
options. The inspiration for the Festival grew from a New England
regional environment study by Connect-us, an AltWheels co-host. The
survey found that one of the highest impact environmental improvements in
the near term would derive from greater public understanding of our
transportation choices and a shift to lower hydrocarbon emission options.
The AltWheels Transportation Festival was created as a first step towards
achieving this goal and is today sponsored by more than 70 organizations,
sponsors and participating companies.<br><br>
--END--<br><br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Editors mailing list<br>
Editors@mit.edu<br>
<a href="http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/editors" eudora="autourl">http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/editors</a></blockquote><br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Editors mailing list<br>
Editors@mit.edu<br>
<a href="http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/editors" eudora="autourl">http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/editors</a></blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
****************************************************<br>
<font face="Monotype Corsiva, Zapf Chancery" size=5>Kay Walsh<br>
</font>Assistant to Professor Leona Samson, Director<br>
Center for Environmental Health Sciences<br>
Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br>
Bldg. 56-235<br>
Phone: 617-253-6220 Fax: 617-452-2066<br>
kaywalsh@mit.edu<br>
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