Donlen is teaming up with the Environmental Defense Fund and GreenDriver for a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action project that is aiming for a 20-percent cut in commercial fleet emissions over the next five years.

 

The “Commercial Fleet 20 Percent GHG Emissions Reduction” project officially debuted Tuesday at the 2010 CGI Annual Meeting in New York.

 

As some may know, the commitments under CGI — which is spearheaded by former President Bill Clinton — are meant for businesses to develop practices that promote sustainability, health and education while also providing an economic lift.

 

Corporations team up with nonprofits to develop new, well-defined and measurable plans toward achieving their goals.

 

In this particular project, Donlen is helping its clients and other fleet companies craft emission-reduction plans that promote greater fuel efficiency and low-carbon fuels, while trimming down the amount of miles they travel. Also, Donlen will team with these companies to roll out vehicles with advanced fuel technologies.

 

The goal of this is for these companies to see the fuel expenses, harmful emissions and petroleum usage drop.

 

As its part of the project, EDF is authenticating Donlen’s data collection process as well as the reduction strategies and methodologies.

 

Meanwhile, GreenDriver’s online training and behavior management program will be used in Donlen’s work with commercial and government fleets as they work to cut back on emissions and fuel expenses. GreenDriver’s programs focus on the actual driver, which is said to be “the greatest variable in a vehicle’s fuel efficiency.”

 

Clients of these three, larger commercial fleets, other fleet-management firms, suppliers and vendors are all called to team with Donlen, EDF and GreenDriver for this project, officials said.

 

Corporate fleets in this country compose almost 3 million units, officials noted. As such, if the entire fleet industry were to join Donlen, EDF and GreenDriver in these efforts, it might result in a 10 million metric ton greenhouse gas emission reduction, officials contend.

 

“The transportation industry is responsible for 28 percent of the overall greenhouse gas emissions in the United States,” stated Gary Rappeport, chief executive officer at Donlen.

 

“As a leader in the fleet management industry, it’s important that Donlen takes the initiative to help reduce commercial fleet GHG on a broader scale,” he continued. “The Clinton Global Initiative offers us the perfect venue to address this critically important issue, and we’re proud to collaborate with EDF to be part of the larger work of CGI.”

 

Besides Donlen, there are numerous corporate leaders who are part of the fight, as their respective organizations have revealed CGI commitments, including Carlos Ghosn, the chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

 

Other notable ones include Fred Krupp, president of EDF; Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

 

“Many opportunities exist today for companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle fleets while cutting costs,” stated Jason Mathers, project manager of EDF.

 

"Time and again, we have seen that a smart, performance-based structure is critical to achieving success. This commitment through the Clinton Global Initiative is a shining example of such a structure," he added. "We applaud Donlen and GreenDriver for taking a central role in coordinating this commitment and are proud to work with them on this effort."