Thomas Built Buses Wins Environmental Award for Manufacturing, Alt-Fuel Options

Thomas Built Buses received a 2011 North Carolina Mobile Clean Air Renewable Energy (CARE) award for becoming the nation’s first “Zero-Waste-to-Landfill” school bus manufacturing plant earlier this year and for producing CNG and hybrid-electric school buses.

On behalf of Thomas Built Buses, Alice Rimmer, environmental manager (center) and Richard Curry, environmental technician (right), accept the 2011 NC Mobile Clean Air Renewable Energy (CARE) award in the category of Technology/Fuel Provider.

Thomas won the award in the “Technology/Fuel Provider” category. The fifth annual awards were selected by the North Carolina Energy Office, the Division of Air Quality and the North Carolina Department of Transportation. 

The other three categories were Individual, Fleet and Policy/Organization. More than two dozen nominations were judged on the criteria of: expanding educational opportunities; conducting outreach; changing policies; length of involvement in alternative fuel/vehicle activities; perceived risk related to involvement; and diversity of strategies/technologies employed.

The Mobile CARE awards were created in 2006 to recognize outstanding individuals and organizational efforts at reducing transportation related emissions. The North Carolina Solar Center/North Carolina State University, with support from the state Department of Transportation, organized the awards as part of the Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Project.