• Determine vehicle fleet baseline
• Evaluate fleet use and consider green fleet policy, if you have one
• Identify potential areas of improvement (see Section 10 for ideas)
• Create a list of options

Regardless of whether you developed a policy in Step 3 or not, you now need to take action to green your fleet. If you have a policy, then these actions constitute implementation of your policy. In brief, the actions involve determining where you are, setting goals for improvement and developing plans to reach these goals. The next sections walk you through each step necessary to be successful with this process. Some of these steps will not be necessary for some organizations, especially smaller agencies or those with more centralized control. Keep in mind as you read this section that this guide is intended to be flexible so that you use the pieces of it that make sense for your organization.

4.1 Determine your fleet baseline

We recommend fleet managers gather what information they can on the current status of the fleet – the baseline. The specific data collected will depend on the fleet, but there are some major pieces of information that are good for all fleets to collect. The following is a list of these major pieces:

• fuel use, broken down by type of fuel
• fossil fuel use, if you are already using biofuels
• fuel cost
• number of vehicles, broken down by class
• number of alternative fuel vehicles, broken down by class
• miles driven per year, broken down by vehicle class, if possible
• miles per gallon – either by vehicle or an average for each vehicle class
• vehicle acquisition, operation and maintenance costs
• fleet turnover rates and plans for the near future

While these are some of the major pieces of data, there are any number of other pieces of data that may make sense for you to gather on your organization. Don’t limit yourself to what is on this list.

4.2 Evaluate fleet use and consider green fleet policy, if you have one

In addition to the baseline, we recommend fleet managers evaluate how their organizations currently use their vehicle fleets. Clearly, vehicle fleets serve important functions for most agencies. However, there may be opportunities for reducing waste by ensuring vehicles are the right size for the intended purpose. In evaluating current fleet use, we suggest fleet managers answer the following key questions:

• How are staff members currently using fleet vehicles; e.g., are the vehicles primarily used to attend local meetings, transport large materials, or attend meetings outside a business center where public transportation or other alternatives are not available?
• How frequently are vehicles used?
• Have there been any conflicts over or complaints about the existing fleet?

For most fleet managers, reviewing vehicle logs will provide most of the information needed to assess fleet use. In addition, individual conversations or a brief email survey may provide insights into current fleet issues for staff. We recommend that you also document your fleet use evaluation in some way. Having this information recorded will save you time when you revisit your baseline in the future and when you attempt to document your progress.

By considering the fleet use and baseline information together, managers should begin to identify opportunities to meet vehicle and transportation needs more efficiently. These areas then provide the starting point for setting fleet goals and developing the Green Fleet work plan, as discussed in the next two sections.

4.3 Identify potential areas of improvement

Next, identify areas in which you see opportunities for improvement. Hopefully, when you determined your baseline and evaluated your fleet use, you noticed certain areas that were ripe for improvement. Going after these low-hanging fruit first is a great way to start greening your fleet. Maybe you noticed that your organization has many more full-size SUVs than are really needed for your operations. In addition, your policy statement may mention specific areas that need to be improved. In the example above from the City of Arcata, the policy required reductions of energy use and emissions among other things.

You should also consider the context in which your organization operates. Look for opportunities to integrate your green fleet efforts with other efforts that are important to your organization or in the area where you operate. For instance, if you are in a rural area where farming is important and there are opportunities to use biofuels from local crops, consider the use of locally produced biofuels as a potential area of improvement. As another example, if you are in an organization that takes global warming very seriously, consider whether you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from your fleet. Anything you can do to integrate your green fleet plan with other organizational initiatives will increase the acceptance of your plan and help you be successful. One last note, think big at this point, in a future step you will evaluate these options to see if they are feasible so don’t worry about being overly inclusive here.

If you have a policy document, consider any specific recommendations or requirements contained in it. The policy may or may not list specific things that you need to achieve through your green fleet plan. Even if the policy does not list specifics, consider the spirit of the policy when going through this process to ensure your efforts are in line with the philosophies included in the policy.

4.4 Create a list of options

Now you need to make a list of options for improvement in the areas you identified in the last step. The list should be as specific as possible, but you likely won’t be able to be specific about everything on your list and that’s OK at this point. You will likely be able to make things more specific as you continue through the process. As when you were considering potential areas for improvement, don’t be afraid to think big. In the next step you will evaluate your list of options and be able to hone or eliminate things based on feasibility. An example should help explain this process. Let’s say you identified fuel use as a potential area of improvement. When you are making a list of options, you could include “reduce petroleum-based fuel use by 10% by 2010.” You might also just write on your list that you will “reduce fuel use by 2010.” As you go through the evaluation process in the next step, you should be able to nail down a specific % reduction that is feasible for your organization.

Your options are obviously up to you, but here are some examples to help get your thinking started.

• Increase fleet fuel efficiency by 15% within 5 years
• Decrease fleet fuel use by 10% within 10 years
• Decrease the size of the fleet by 5% by July 1, 2011
• Alternative fuel vehicles will make up 10% of annual light-duty vehicle purchases starting next fiscal year
• Hybrid vehicles will make up 50% of annual light-duty vehicle purchases within 5 years
• Replace 10% of the fleet’s overall diesel consumption with biodiesel
• Develop and implement a pilot idle reduction campaign within 12 months
• Develop and implement an optimal vehicle maintenance plan within 18 months
• Research the feasibility of acquiring a medium-duty hybrid vehicle within 6 months.