Choice Environmental Services Honored by Clean Vehicle Education Foundation and Natural Gas Vehicles for America

Honored for Commitment to Natural Gas Vehicles, First Fleet in Florida to Use Natural Gas Vehicles

The Clean Vehicle Education Foundation (CVEF) and Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica) recently announced that Choice Environmental Services of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been selected to receive a prestigious 2010 NGV Achievement Award, an honor recognizing outstanding contributions to the advancement of natural gas as a vehicle fuel. Choice was recognized for their innovative example of how a small waste company can implement a natural gas vehicle program, even when there is no mandate to do so. Choice Environmental Services is a provider of solid waste and recycling services to the community of South Florida.  It is the first independent refuse fleet in Florida to roll out compressed natural gas refuse trucks.

The awards were given jointly by NGVAmerica and the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation, two organizations dedicated to increasing the use of natural gas vehicles to improve air quality, lessening dependence on foreign oil and reducing fleet operator costs.

Choice and other honorees were recognized at the associations’ joint Natural Gas Vehicle Conference-Summit August 13 in Boston. This is the 18th year the associations have presented the awards. (Photo: NGVAmerica President Rich Kolodziej honors Choice Environmental Services Chairman and CEO Glen Miller with 2010 National NGV Achievement Award.)

Choice CEO Glen Miller has been a tireless advocate of natural gas vehicle.  Miller was a speaker in May at the Waste Expo 2010 in Atlanta, and he used the opportunity educate small independent waste companies on the merits of converting their fleet to natural gas. This is what he told his colleagues in the industry: "Number one, natural gas is cleaner. Number two, it’s cheaper – with a savings of 23 percent compared to diesel. Number three, it is domestic.  Number four, it is 90 percent quieter than diesel at idle. Number five, performance and maintenance of the trucks have been great. And number six, driver acceptance has been overwhelming positive."

In early 2009, Choice approached the City of Fort Lauderdale about offering an innovative environmental way to provide residential waste and recycling services utilizing cleaner, quieter compressed natural gas powered collection vehicles.  The use of CNG powered vehicles was on the deciding factors in Choice being awarded a contract in May 2009. In October 2009, Choice began deploying 11 CNG powered collection trucks. To fuel the vehicles, Choice contracted with Clean Energy, a WASTEC member, to build a private time-fill station located at the company’s facility in Pompano Beach, with natural gas provided by TECO, Florida’s largest natural gas distribution company.

Choice is about to build a second station, and it has received a state grant from the Executive Office of the Governor of Florida and the Florida Energy and Climate Commission.  This station will be available for both public and private use. 

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