For Immediate Release:
 April 22, 2009

Media Contact:
Juan Carlos Flores
jcarlos@miamidade.gov
 305-803-0007



Commissioner Carlos A. Gimenez celebrates Earth Day with unveiling of new hybrid waste collection vehicle, tree planting


(Miami-Dade County, FL) -- Commissioner Carlos A. Gimenez joined Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Commissioner Katy Sorenson to celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at the Stephen P. Clark Center (SPCC) in Downtown Miami. Commissioner Gimenez was on hand to witness the unveiling of the County's new fuel-efficient hybrid waste collection vehicle, which is being pilot tested on two collection routes.

The vehicle, brought to fruition by the efforts of Miami-Dade's Solid Waste Management (SWM) and General Services Administration (GSA), is a hybrid with a unique energy recovery system that uses stored hydraulic energy rather than diesel fuel to power the truck as it makes house-to-house stops for waste collection. Major benefits of the hybrid vehicle include a reduction in diesel fuel consumption and cleaner air emissions. SWM is the first municipal solid waste agency in the country to be given the opportunity to test this hybrid vehicle in its waste collection operation.

"This hybrid truck is just one of many steps the County is taking in order to be more environmentally conscious," said Commissioner Gimenez. "We live in a beautiful community and government officials and residents alike need to do all they can to preserve it."

To close the event, Commissioners Gimenez and Sorenson also took the opportunity to plant a tree at SPCC's pavilion.

To learn more about the County's green initiatives and what you can do to "go green," visit Miami-Dade's website at http://www.miamidade.gov/earthdade.


Photo Caption 1: Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos A. Gimenez comments about the County's new hybrid waste collection vehicle outside the Stephen P. Clark Center in Downtown Miami on Earth Day, April 22, 2009.

Photo Caption 2: Miami-Dade County Commissioners Carlos A. Gimenez and Katy Sorenson plant a tree outside the Stephen P. Clark Center in Downtown Miami in celebration on Earth Day on April 22, 2009.
 

# # #

 

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONER CARLOS A. GIMENEZ DISTRICT 7
Stephen P. Clark Center
111 NW 1st Street, Suite 220 Miami, Florida 33128
(305) 375-5680