With access to information about anything you could possibly imagine literally at our fingertips at any given moment of the day, it can be hard to imagine how misinformation has become so rampant.
It is why it becomes so important to check the source of the information. Is the person an expert in their field published in a credible business publication or is it the opinion of your cousin’s high school prom date in a Facebook post?
When it comes to issues of sustainable transportation, misinformation runs rampant as well. There are myths about job loss, affordability, strain on the electrical grid, compromising food crops for fuel and more. The list goes on and on.
The best people to get the information from are those who have the most experience. Drive Clean Indiana likes to connect public, private and nonprofit stakeholders interested in adopting alternative fuels, alternative fuel vehicles, electric vehicles and their charging and fueling infrastructure with their peers who have achieved success with sustainable transportation methodologies so they can hear firsthand about the experience.
Hearing from different sectors about the benefits and options can help as well. Hearing from governmental agency representatives with grant funding opportunities or programs that can help with support along the way to companies selling a variety of options to meet different needs can also help with making the best decision for your individual organization.
Often hearing the perspective of others with different experiences and beliefs can help break down barriers as well. Hearing about barriers to adoption such as a lack of funding or a lack of access is important to making connections that allow for collaborative solutions as well.
Drive Clean Indiana is fortunate to have stakeholders and partners in a variety of different arenas that come together around our common goal of increasing the use of clean, domestic transportation solutions that reduce our nation’s dependence on imported petroleum and support clean air, reduced emissions and a better quality of life.
Our Annual Conference & Expo on August 9 at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City does just that. We will be bringing together experts in the field to discuss a variety of sustainable transportation topics including government and commercial strategies, school and transit fleet solutions, electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging, creating ESG plans, options for alternative fuels and much more. We’ll have two expo halls full of exhibit booths with information from the top companies in the sustainable transportation realm as well as indoor and outdoor vehicle displays for some hands-on experiences.
Our luncheon panels will feature information on Indiana’s electric vehicle charging network plan with representatives from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Indiana utilities as well as a panel on sustainable transportation’s connection to economic development in Indiana with representatives from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and One Region.
Registration and sponsorship is available on our Website at www.drivecleanindiana.org.
What are you doing to help spread accurate information about sustainable transportation? Come learn more and become part of the solution.
Remember, it’s never too late to begin your environmental legacy.
This column originally appeared in The Times of Northwest Indiana. Carl Lisek is the Executive Vice President of Legacy Environmental Services and the Executive Director of Drive Clean Indiana.
