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North Carolina business Recognized for Improving Fuel Economy, Reducing Greenhouse Gases

Release Date: 10/24/2007
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, EPA Media Relations, (404)562-8421

(Atlanta, GA – Oct. 24, 2007) – Lowe’s, based in North Wilkesboro, NC, was among 34 businesses honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a ceremony this week during the annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in Philadelphia. The 2007 SmartWay Excellence award winners were recognized for environmental leadership in reducing fuel consumption and lowering greenhouse-gas emissions from big trucks.

Lowe’s is part of EPA’s SmartWay® Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.

In 2007 Lowe’s, a home improvement goods retailer, increased its use of SmartWay carriers to 62,--a huge increase from only 4 when Lowe’s first joined SmartWay in 2004. Lowe’s also incorporates the SmartWay logo and program information in its communications with its carriers to promote and encourage participation in the Partnership. Lowe’s increased its intermodal shipping by over 4000 shipments in 2007. Other measures adopted as a result of its involvement in SmartWay include increasing drop and hook use from 43% in 2004 to 83% in 2006, and increasing their use of full trailers, reducing approximately 36,000 truck loads and reducing highway mileage by over 25 million miles per year.

EPA launched SmartWay in 2004 to address the environmental and economic challenges surrounding growth in the freight industry. Through the program, EPA is now working with more than 600 businesses to improve both their bottom line and the environment by offering technical assistance, tools for evaluating opportunities to lower fuel use and emissions, and help in locating financing for the purchase of fuel-saving equipment and technology.

Because of three-year commitments to upgrade their trucks with auxiliary power units, energy efficient tires, enhanced trailer aerodynamics, and other improvements, SmartWay partners are saving 600 million gallons of diesel fuel -- a cost benefit of almost $2 billion -- and eliminating nearly seven million metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.

For more information on the SmartWay Transport Partnership and the achievements of its awardees: epa.gov/smartway/awards07.htm