Water Company Cuts Idling to Lower Truck Emissions
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on Dec. 3 released a case study highlighting Poland Spring Water Company's successful efforts to curb carbon emissions by drastically reducing truck fleet idling time.
Poland Spring has long been committed to protecting Maine's environment, continuing to find ways to minimize the impact of its operations in ways that are meaningful to local communities.
In 2007, Poland Spring switched its truck fleet to a non-food grade biodiesel blend fuel that has reduced annual carbon emissions by an estimated 1.8 million pounds, the equivalent of taking approximately 193 cars off the road every year. The company continues to intensify efforts to improve fuel economy and decrease its fleet's carbon dioxide emissions by reducing idling time and lowering top driving speeds.
"The reduction in idling time by the Poland Spring fleet in just two years was dramatic, dropping 70 percent, from 1,400 hours in February 2007 to 380 hours in February 2009. Poland Spring's use of technology along with individual driver responsibility drove the decrease in emissions," said Jason Mathers, program manager, Corporate Partnerships, Environmental Defense Fund.
Chris McKenna, fleet manager at Poland Spring states that, "Poland Spring is proud that the Environmental Defense Fund chose to recognize our efforts to help protect the environment of local Maine communities in which we operate. Maine has been our home for over 160 years. Our nearly 800 full-time and seasonal employees and their families come from about 125 local communities. We are committed to doing our part to make Maine a better place to live and work through our environmental stewardship and community partnerships."