SmartWay: It’ not just a clever name
Although shipping emissions are one of the largest contributors to total CO2 emissions in the U.S. and beyond, they have only been recently studied in depth. Part of the recent interest in shipping emissions and methods to mitigate them has been sparked by the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport program.
Launched in 2004 after a year of study and dialogue with various research groups and consultants, the program engages trucking companies, retailers, rail companies, and individual truckers interested in reducing their emissions and helps them with everything from practical everyday fixes such as proper tire maintenance to financing for new equipment that greatly improves fuel efficiency.
We spoke with Mitch Greenberg, Program Manager of the EPA’s SmartWay program to find out how it works, what companies and shippers can do to get involved with the program, and what it has planned for the year ahead.