Green Fleet Maintenance:

Weekly fill-ups and maintenance: According to Buddy Burnham, Fleet Maintenance Director, "We encourage operators of City vehicles to fuel up once a week.”   This step has contributed to labor reduction fuel savings and greenhouse gas reduction.  Maitland has also implemented a regular headlight to tail light inspection for all City vehicles.  By thoroughly inspecting each vehicle, the City can identify and repair minor problems before they become major repair jobs.  This program saves the City thousands of dollars per year, increases fuel efficiency, and ensures driver safety.

Here are tips from Buddy used to educate driving employees:

Maitland's 3 Minute Idle Rule:  No operator of a Public Works vehicle/equipment shall permit the engine to idle for more than 3 minutes and may not be permitted to idle for loading and unloading, when vehicle is unoccupied, or to run heating or cooling.

Fuel Efficient Driving: Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas and can lower fuel efficiency by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. As a rule of thumb, each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas (assuming gas costs ~$3 per gallon). Also, avoid keeping unnecessary items in vehicles; an extra 100 pounds in a vehicle can reduce fuel efficiency by up to 2 percent.

Click here to view the Green Fleet Policy.

Green Boat Maintenance:

Fact: A single gallon of fuel can contaminate over a million gallons of water. The cumulative effect of small spills has a serious impact on coastal and fresh water areas.

Petroleum Control:
GOAL:
Reduce pollution in Florida’s surface waters and maintain a healthy and esthetically pleasing recreational environment that can be enjoyed by all boaters.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE WHILE FUELING:
• Use caution in filling your fuel tank to avoid spillage into the water.
• Listen to your boat, it gurgles before your tank is full.
• Use a vent collection device to capture escaping fuel.
• While fueling your vessel attend the fuel nozzle at all times.
• For safety, have all passengers exit the boat during gasoline fueling.
• If you over fill your fuel tank, wipe it up with a rag. Do not hose down the fuel into the water. Give the soiled rags to your marina operator for proper disposal.
• If a spill occurs, do not apply detergents or soaps. This only spreads the problem and is a violation of Federal law.
• If a spill occurs in a marina, notify marina management immediately.
• No smoking while fueling.
• Use containment while fueling Personal Water Craft (PWC) (absorbent pad, nozzle pad or vent cover to catch overflow.