PRINCETON, N.J. - The Second Annual Green Fleet Awards showcased ideas that ranged from the easy-to-implement to the long-range. All made significant strides, though, in environmental responsibility. The awards were presented at the 2009 NAFA Fleet Management Association Institute & Expo in New Orleans.

The awards were divided into two categories, for fleets located in either EPAct or clean air mandated areas in the United States, or in Pollution Emission Management mandated areas in Canada and those in non-mandated areas.

In clean air mandated areas, the winners were:

Sedan and Light Truck Fleet category: County of Riverside, Calif. Robert Howdyshell, director, Purchasing and Fleet for the county, accepted the award on behalf of the department. Green initiatives the county enacted included a 25 mile per gallon minimum for fleet vehicle purchases and an annual revision of the minimum mpg limits. The county also implemented an environmentally preferred purchasing system and the creation of an E85 infrastructure.

Truck and Equipment Fleet category: The City of Inglewood, Calif. Rick Longobart, Fleet Services superintendent, accepted the award. The city recently enacted a six-year alternative fuel plan, which replaced 143 vehicles and implemented a green depot fueling infrastructure, saving the county more than $100,000 a year.

In the non-clean air mandated categories:

Sedan and Light Truck Fleet: AT&T. Jerome Webber, Vice President of Fleet Operations for AT&T and Peggy Gibala, Area Manager of Fleet Operations, accepted. AT&T's innovations included deploying alternative fuel vehicles into the fleet, telecommuting when work permits and using GPS to point drivers to the most efficient routes.

Truck & Equipment Fleet category: Snohomish County Public Works (WA). Allen Mitchell, Fleet Manager, accepted the award. The county has reduced CO2 by more than 2 million pounds, by developing a biodiesel infrastructure and retrofitting 109 diesel-powered vehicles.

The Green Fleet Award winners participated in a conference session titled "Greening Your Fleet: Learn from the Winners," offering more detail on how exactly they accomplished these initiatives.