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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore To Deploy Alternative Fuel Vehicles This Summer

ANN ARBOR -- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is teaming up with the Ann Arbor-based Clean Energy Coalition to reduce the environmental impact of its fleet by about 15 percent and share information about alternative fuels and fuel-efficient driving habits with the 1.3 million visitors who visit the national park each year.

Sleeping Bear Dunes will deploy three Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicles, two liquefied petroleum gas-fueled pickup trucks, and four electric vehicle charging stations. The park will also implement a public awareness campaign to communicate fuel-efficient driving behaviors to park visitors and staff.

These measures will reduce the environmental impact of the national park's fleet and encourage visitors to reduce the environmental impact of their own vehicles.

Clean Energy Coalition and Sleeping Bear Dunes staff will review new materials developed by the United States Department of Energy and National Park Service before they are introduced to parks across the country. This "Green Rides Toolkit," developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will support training and
outreach programs to educate staff, concessioners, volunteers, and visitors about the benefits of alternative fuel vehicles, as well as idle reduction and other efficient driving habits.

"This project is an important step toward using alternative fuel technologies in our fleet and complements our plan to become a climate friendly park by reducing our impact on the environment and operating more efficiently," said National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz. "Our new alternative fuel vehicles will emit fewer greenhouse gases, reducing air pollution and helping preserve the park's natural environment."

The partnership is made possible through the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities National Parks Initiative, which was developed to demonstrate how technologies and expertise from the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program can help complement the mission of the National Park Service, promoting the use and enjoyment of national parks while preserving natural and historic resources.

The Clean Energy Coalition manages three Clean Cities coalitions in Michigan: Ann Arbor, Detroit Area, and West Michigan. Since 2005, Clean Energy Coalition has implemented, managed, and evaluated cost-effective, market transformation projects and programs in the building and transportation sectors valued at more than $60
million. For information about Clean Energy Coalition, visit www.cec-mi.org.

For more information about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, visit www.nps.gov/slbe/.

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