It's That Time Again!
Annual Surveys Due By
March 14, 2023.
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Help us put together a snapshot of how much petroleum & greenhouse gas emissions the State of Indiana reduced in 2022. Your data will help reflect all the activity & initiatives happening in the State of Indiana. Awards will be given out each year at our Annual Conference & Expo based on the data that is collected!
All responses are confidential. Your individual numbers will not be shared with anyone outside the members of Drive Clean Indiana staff. All stakeholders are encouraged to submit reports. You do not need to be a DCI member to participate. Depending on your area of business, certain tabs may not be relevant to you. Only fill out the tabs that are relevant.
Data reflects any operations between Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2022. If any sections are unclear or you need help with your data, please contact info@drivecleanindiana.org or call 219-644-3690.
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DCI/OED Host Webinar January 31, 2023
For Interested Parties Applying for
Community Energy Security Planning Grant Program
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The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) is offering a competitive Community Energy Security Planning Grant. Local governments and communities throughout the state can take advantage of this opportunity to enhance energy reliability and resilience at a local level by developing or enhancing energy security planning efforts, with a focus on critical infrastructure. Funding for this grant comes from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is administered by Indiana OED to assist communities in assessing and preparing for energy security through comprehensive planning.
Communities may receive up to $50,000 with a 10% match component.
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Learn More About the NEW Consortium Aimed to Reduce School Bus Emissions Across Indiana Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 |
Drive Clean Indiana, Indiana’s only U.S. Department of Energy designated coalition, that is focused on clean transportation announce the Indiana Clean School Bus Consortium (ICSBC) in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program.
The goal of this consortium is to educate Indiana schools on the benefits of cleaner fuels, reduce emissions and operation cost savings. The ICSBC will also provide schools with information on the various upcoming funding opportunities and safe transportation options for school children.
The Indiana Clean School Bus Consortium will consist of partners from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the Indiana Department of Education, Region 5 EPA representatives and Indiana School Bus transportation leaders.
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IDEM awards $513,000 in Community Recycling Grants - Indiana Green Fleet Members Among Recipients |
“IDEM is proud to work with communities throughout the state toward increasing recycling opportunities,” said IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess. The grants are a great way for IDEM to promote recycling and facilitate recycling education in communities statewide.”
The grants are available to counties, municipalities, solid waste management districts, schools, and nonprofit organizations located in Indiana.
Here is the list of recipients and the amounts they were awarded:
Brown County Solid Waste Management District: $28,710
Carmel Clay Schools: $15,000
City of Elwood: $13,620
City of Portage: $72,130
City of Valparaiso: $11,775
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Partners for Clean Air
Announcements
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Public Invited to Submit Nominations for Partners for Clean Air Awards |
Partners for Clean Air (PCA) is seeking nominations for Northwest Indiana businesses, municipalities, governmental entities, industries, organizations, or individuals who voluntarily undertook actions to improve air quality during the 2022 calendar year.
Nominees will be placed into four categories: business, municipal, industrial, and the Mark Siminski Bicycle Award, which will recognize an individual or entity for extraordinary efforts to promote and/or participate in bicycling in the Northwest Indiana community.
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Scholarship Applications Being Accepted through March 31, 2023 |
Partners for Clean Air (PCA) announced they are accepting scholarship applications through March 31, 2023, for the annual Partners for Clean Air Scholarship program!
Partners for Clean Air launched the scholarship program in 2020, which allows the coalition to give back to the Northwest Indiana community by helping qualified students succeed in post-secondary education goals aligned with clean air and public health. In the past three years, the scholarship program has awarded a total of $20,000 in scholarships to eight deserving Northwest Indiana high school seniors.
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Free Work Truck Week
Passes Available
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For more than 20 years, the people who design, build, use and maintain the work trucks and equipment the world relies on have gathered every March to see the industry’s latest products and technology, learn from one another and discuss how to improve the future.
What started as a trade show has evolved to meet the changing needs of the industry. The event has expanded beyond the walls of Indiana Convention Center to encompass hotels, restaurants, sports arenas, concert venues and the streets that connect them. From Monday to Friday, its energy, scale and intensity encompass the city — making Work Truck Week a one-of-a-kind industry experience.
Use promo code DCI23 when registering for a free trade show badge for admittance to the Exhibit Floor and Ride & Drive access!
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Fleet Manager Networking Reception |
- Hear how Drive Clean Indiana can help your municipal fleet achieve maximum success with funding opportunities for sustainable transportation and equipment options!
- See vehicles and equipment options on site and speak with representatives about how they can best meet your municipal fleet's needs!
- Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails while networking with industry leaders and municipal fleet managers!
The event is free, but space is limited and registration is required.
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30 Years Ago, in 1993 Clean Cities Coalition Was Founded!
DID YOU KNOW????
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Since beginning in 1993, the entities that make up the Clean Cities Coalition have achieved a cumulative impact in energy use equal to nearly 12 billion gallons of gasoline through the implementation of diverse transportation projects.
Make sure to check our Facebook and LinkedIn pages EVERY month for more fun trivia and a chance to win prizes! |
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Drive Clean Indiana's Executive Director to Speak at This Year's EV Charging Summit & Expo |
EVCS & Expo provides educational sessions focused on financing, infrastructure, and operability for EV charging. Sectors attending: Municipal/Government, Residential/Commercial Real Estate, Facility Owners/Operators, Investors, Fleet Managers, EVSE providers, and more!
Speaker Spotlight
Drive Clean Indiana’s Executive Director, Carl Lisek, will share insights on the panel:
Thursday, March 30, 2023 | 10:30 am–11:15 am
More from the 2023 Speaker Lineup:
- Andreas Lips, President and CEO, Shell Recharge Solutions
- Erika Myers, Executive Director, CharIN North America
- Matt Horton, CEO, Voltera
- Dejan Antunovic, Electrification Program Manager, Pepsico
- John Tully, VP of Strategy, Pilot Company
and many others!
REGISTER NOW
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Member Spotlight:
ClearFlame
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Despite representing only 1% of on-road vehicles, heavy-duty trucks account for 27% of on-road greenhouse gas emissions and 47% of on-road NOx emissions.
Founded to create a fast, affordable solution to decarbonizing heavy-duty applications, ClearFlame Engine Technologies transforms new and existing diesel engines to run on clean, renewable, fuels without compromising durability or performance. When using 100% ethanol, ClearFlame reduces carbon emissions by nearly half and air quality emissions down to near-zero levels.
ClearFlame is fast-tracking its solution, growing its operations in Columbus, Indiana, and forging strategic partnerships and pilot testing across the state and beyond.
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Board Member Spotlight:
DCI Board President
Belinda Puetz
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Beginning this month, we are featuring a Drive Clean Indiana board member. This month we are featuring Belinda Puetz - Director of Marketing for CountryMark.
CountryMark is a farmer-owned cooperative energy company. CountryMark makes gasoline and diesel fuels, along with being one of the largest blenders of biodiesel in the state of Indiana. CountryMark will be adding electric charging stations to their energy station portfolio in 2023.
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Professional Questions
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How long have you been a board member of Drive Clean Indiana? Since 2018.
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Why did you join the Drive Clean Indiana Board? I enjoy helping Indiana fuel buyers find fuels that help them minimize their environmental footprint, operate cost effectively, and optimize human health. Those desires led to me to use the services at Drive Clean Indiana, and later become a board member.
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What’s your favorite part of being a DCI board member? The best part of being a board member is getting to hear about what other industry partners are doing to advance transportation fuels, as well as getting to hear from fuel buyers how different fuels are performing for them. There is so much innovation in this field. Every time I get an email from DCI or attend a DCI event, I am amazed at what I learn. I also find it is so very valuable for industry professionals to be exposed to new ideas. We spend most of our time with the colleagues within our own companies. That is valuable time, but if you are not becoming exposed to ideas outside of your company circles, you run the risk of missing great ideas and becoming stagnant in your own work.
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What do you enjoy most about volunteering? Volunteering re-charges my batteries! I love what I do for a living, but I find I am professionally at my best when I pair work with volunteer activities. Giving back, sharing my experiences, and collaborating with new people to bring greater resources to the communities I love means so very much to me.
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What do you love most about your industry? Energy is a tremendously exciting industry to be part of. Everyone uses energy whether it is to haul goods from one point to another, or it is to take your children to school in the morning, we all use transportation fuels. This industry also has a huge impact on micro and macroeconomics, our balance of trade and the environment. Doing energy well can have such a positive impact on a community and I’m excited to be part of bringing to communities constantly improving energy sources.
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How do you define success? For me, success is thinking about the next generation. Every decision I am to be part of, I think about how that decision will impact people 20 to 40 years from now. Are we using resources wisely? Are we protecting the resources we have? Are we being equitable to the present and the future? Are there ways we can increase energy efficiencies? How do we educate the public about energy, so they continue to make wise decisions for decades to come.
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Who inspires you? I am attracted to people who are well read, who have a positive attitude and tremendous desire to make a difference in this world.
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If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would you choose and why? I have so many wonderful mentors in my life. I truly do seek to find the best in all people I meet. I believe every person can teach us ways to improve the people we are – we just have to seek out the best in every person, become students of what they do well and make a concerted effort to immolate those skills and behaviors.
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What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter your field? Spend time learning the science and economics of energy. Those skills can certainly be obtained from many of our great Indiana institutions of high learning. Those skills can also be learned from the world around us. The internet is a tremendous resource. Take time to find credible sources that can help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of energy source, so that you can wisely use these sources for the correct applications. I actually find all energy sources to be absolutely fascinating and valuable if used in the correct application. I also do not believe that any one energy source is the answer to all energy needs. Understanding science and economics leads to energy optimization.
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Fun Facts & Questions
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What’s something about you (a fun fact) that few people know? I grew up on hog farm in central Indiana and until I was 18 years old, I always envisioned that I would come back to the family farm. However, I graduated from high school during a period of extremely low hog prices and that made it impossible for my brothers and I to return to the farm. I can still remember feeling incredibly lost. Fortunately, God redirected my life plans then and I have found happiness in every step of His journey for me. That said, if you ever find yourself in need of someone who can clip tails, load market hogs, or calculate feed rations – I am your gal!
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What’s the last book you read? The Boys in the Boat. Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. I love historical books.
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What is your favorite hobby? I love to cook. I make a pretty mean spinach stuffed chicken and my husband is a fan of my crème brulee.
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What’s the first concert you ever attended? Alabama at the Indiana State Fair in 1985.
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What’s the next place on your travel bucket list? Antigua. I am big fan of the Caribbean.
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Are you currently binge-watching any shows? Three Pines. I am a sucker for a good murder mystery.
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If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? Shrimp cocktail, pan-fried pork chops (medium rare), sauteed green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and carrot cake with cream cheese icing for dessert.
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What’s one item you can’t live without? Coffee with hazelnut creamer.
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Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable fuel that can be manufactured domestically from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant grease. It is a cleaner-burning replacement for petroleum diesel fuel.
Biodiesel is a liquid fuel often referred to as B100 or neat biodiesel in its pure, unblended form. Like petroleum diesel, biodiesel is used to fuel compression-ignition engines, which run on petroleum diesel.
How well biodiesel performs in cold weather depends on the blend of biodiesel. The smaller the percentage of biodiesel in the blend, the better it performs in cold temperatures. Regular No. 2 diesel and B5 perform about the same in cold weather. Both biodiesel and No. 2 diesel have some compounds that crystalize in very cold temperatures. In winter weather, fuel blenders and suppliers combat crystallization by adding a cold flow improver. For the best cold weather performance, users should work with their fuel provider to ensure the blend is appropriate.
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