Ferndale gets eco-friendly loaners

By Jennie Miller
C & G Staff Writer

FERNDALE — A Canadian car company has granted the city of Ferndale a couple loaners: two zero-emission electric vehicles to ride around in for several weeks.

ZENN Motor Company, headquartered in Toronto, invited the city to participate as a signatory of the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement that was passed by the Ferndale City Council in 2006.

“You don’t have to hang around here too long to understand that the environment is something that is important to this council and this community,” said Ferndale City Manager Bob Bruner, who has been at his post since February. “It really seemed like a perfect fit for our community because it’s something people care about here.”

The vehicles will arrive during a special event at 1 p.m. on July 26 at Ferndale City Hall, 300 E. Nine Mile Road.

City staff will test drive the vehicles for several weeks to determine how to best incorporate fully electric, low-speed vehicles into the city’s fleet, according to Catherine Scrimgeour of the ZENN Motor Company.

The electric vehicles the city will be receiving have a maximum speed of 25 mph. They will be used by the parking enforcement officers and the Community Development Services Department, which includes code enforcement.

The vehicles will be in the city’s possession just in time for the third annual Sierra Club Green Cruise, which is set for 1 p.m. on Aug. 11, to celebrate alternative forms of transportation that do not burn fossil fuels.

“Even though it’s still a vehicle, it’s using non-fossilized fuels, and that’s electricity,” said Leigh Fifelski of the Sierra Club. “In the long run, we hope to have it run off of wind power and solar power.”

This news comes on the heels of several recent efforts made by the city to become more environmentally friendly.

Last fall, the Ferndale City Council approved the creation of a low-cost parking pass for residents and non-residents who drive hybrid or high-mileage, fuel-efficient vehicles.

Earlier this month, the council approved the formation of a volunteer committee to study such subjects and make recommendations to the council.

On July 19, as part of the Sierra Club’s Global Warming Day of Action, Sierra Club members celebrated the commitment of local mayors, including Ferndale Mayor Bob Porter and Berkley Mayor Marilyn Stephan, to reduce their cities’ global warming-causing pollution.

Porter spoke about Ferndale’s energy audit conducted by Siemens, which gave a list of energy-efficient changes, including better insulation and more efficient lighting.

“No HVAC operation when no one is in the buildings,” said Porter in regard to a system that is programmed to shut down and turn on the heating and cooling systems throughout city buildings. “It saved as much money as it took to initiate.”

The Global Warming Day of Action was part of the Sierra Club’s national Cool Cities campaign to encourage officials to take action to solve global warming one city at a time.

You can reach Jennie Miller at jmiller@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1108.