Last month, Fleet Services, a university group that provides vehicles for use by students, faculty and staff on official business, announced that it had added four new hybrid cars to its stable of vehicles.
The four Chevrolet Malibus join a Ford Escape hybrid in providing more environmentally conscious transportation.
While Fleet Services' efforts are a step in the right direction, more can — and should — be done by the university to promote a sustainable campus.
The base, 4 cylinder Malibu earns an EPA rating of 30 miles per gallon on the highway; the 4 cylinder hybrid garners 32 mpg — a return of only an additional 2 mpg.
In this case, it seems that the hybrid purchase is more of a fashion statement than a move to protect the planet.
Fleet Services' Escape has done a bit of a better job — it has averaged 10.3 mpg more than the gasoline-only model, according to Fleet Services' Web site.
The point of the Escape was to test the waters of hybrid technology, which was a smart move.
But before buying four brand new Malibus, Fleet Services should have done more research to decide whether the additional cost and upkeep was worth a slight increase in fuel efficiency.
This is not to say that hybrid technology is not useful or worthwhile, but that there is a better way to promote responsible transportation.
Fleet Services has been doing a few things that are not as obvious. Zinc has taken the place of lead in the fleet vehicles' wheel weights, reducing the amount of lead in water.
The department now uses higher mileage tires, which cost more upfront, but reduce the amount of waste rubber in landfills.
Recycling motor oil and making vehicles that can burn on E85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) available are other ways that Fleet Services aims to move toward a greener future.
While all of these things are steps on the right track, Tech needs to continue to forge ahead and strive to find more fundamental, revolutionary changes — the world is not going to be saved by a 2 mpg increase.
The editorial board is composed of David Harries and Lauren Lee.
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