Contact: Nancy Lindemeyer
Phone:  373-2105

City Receives Grant to Reduce Vehicle Pollutants
NC Solar Center provides funds for 20 diesel oxidation catalysts

GREENSBORO – The City of Greensboro has been awarded a $12,000 grant from the NC Solar Center to purchase and install 20 diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) on heavy-duty trucks. A DOC is a device that uses a chemical process to break down pollutants in the exhaust stream. DOCs reduce emissions of particulate matter by at least 20 percent, hydrocarbons by 50 percent and carbon monoxide by 40 percent.

The DOCs will be installed on City trucks this spring. Mileage on the trucks will be recorded and monitored for at least one year to determine the amount of reduced emissions.

“We look forward to positive results from this environmentally-friendly technology,“ said Gary Smith, equipment services manager for the City. “Because the City operates such a large fleet of motor vehicles, we strive to find opportunities like this to protect the environment and to be a conscientious business partner in our community.”

The new DOCs are just one way the City of Greensboro works to protect our environment. The City’s vehicle fleet also includes six Toyota Prius hybrids that combine gas engines with electric motors. In addition, the City has been using biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel made from 20 percent soybean oil for its fleet of 700 diesel trucks since 2002. 

The City’s DOC proposal was one of more than a dozen sent to the NC Solar Center at NC State University. Created in 1988, the North Carolina Solar Center is operated by the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University. Its mission is to advance the use of renewable energy resources to ensure a sustainable economy that protects our natural environment, encourages energy independence, and lowers energy costs for consumers.
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The City of Greensboro exists to partner with the community to build a better quality of life for Greensboro. Critical to the City of Greensboro’s success is building trust, maintaining employee commitment to public service, and making a difference in the lives of our citizens. The City of Greensboro has a dedicated professional staff of more than 2700 employees that work to deliver programs and policies that reflect its four core values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect.

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