PEORIA, Ariz. (May
5, 2009) – Check out the latest in alternative-fuel, hybrid, fuel-efficient
and clean-running vehicles at Peoria’s “Green Your Ride” auto show on Saturday,
May 16, at Park West.
Several of Peoria’s
Bell Road auto dealerships will send their “greenest” vehicles, along with
representatives to answer questions. Two of the newest models – the Ford Fusion
Hybrid and Honda Insight – will be on display, along with the market-leading
Toyota Prius and vehicles from Mercedes, Nissan and Saturn.
Green Your Ride will
run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. adjacent to the established Saturday farmer’s market
at Park West, on Northern Avenue west of Loop 101. Peoria’s Public Works
Department is staging the event as an early kickoff to national Public Works
Week, which is May 18-22.
“We were looking for a
way to make Public Works relevant to the general public and realized that our
work is similar to running your household, just on a much larger scale,” said
Public Works Director Bill Mattingly. “You choose between draw-string or
twist-tie garbage bags; we deal in 32-, 60- and 90-gallon bins. You occasionally
have to seal a crack in your driveway; we maintain 559 miles of city streets.
“During the last year,
as gas prices fluctuated wildly, many people found themselves pondering the
economics of buying a hybrid, alternative-fuel or simply fuel-efficient vehicle.
Well, the Fleet Division has been doing that math for years,” Mattingly adds.
Along with the new
cars, several of Peoria’s alternative-fuel or hybrid work vehicles will be on
display in a “Touch-a-Truck” area for kids.
Carrying on the
sustainability theme, folks are encouraged to bring their used-up
compact-fluorescent and fluorescent-tube bulbs for safe, free disposal and watch
as the city’s E-Lampinator bulb eater gobbles them up. Other “green” city
divisions will be on site with information about bike safety, recycling, trip
reduction and water conservation.
Peoria is determined to
be a leader in sustainable practices and recently launched a Web page at
www.peoriaaz.gov/sustainability to explain steps it has taken – such as
purchasing cleaner-running city vehicles, modernizing climate-control systems in
public buildings and improving water management – as well as suggest things
individuals can do to reduce their effects on the environment, conserve energy
and meet their needs without compromising the needs of the future.
By working with the
Bell Road auto dealerships and staging Green Your Ride at Park West, the city
also bolsters its Peoria First initiative, which aims to encourage consumer
spending in Peoria and keep residents’ tax dollars in the community. To learn
more about this campaign, visit
www.peoriaazfirst.com.
For more information
about Green Your Ride, contact Public Affairs Specialist Stuart Robinson
(623-773-7336 or
stuart.robinson@peoriaaz.gov) or Business Development Specialist Maria
Laughner (623-773-5121 or
maria.laughner@peoriaaz.gov).
