The Cincinnati Park Board has added four new Toyota Prius hybrid cars to its fleet, part of the Green Cincinnati initiative to reduce the City's carbon footprint.

The new cars, funded by a U.S. Department of Energy Clean City Grant that was obtained in partnership with the City's Department of Public Services Fleet Management Division, replace four SUVs. Each Prius emits an average of 3.4 tons-equivalent of carbon dioxide per year, compared to the 7.5 tons emitted by the fleet's SUVs.

More importantly for City taxpayers, the Park Board expects to save approximately $3,000 in annual fuel costs.

The four new vehicles join an additional four hybrids purchased for the Department of Public Services and six hybrid Toyota Highlanders purchased by the Cincinnati Police Department.

The City also is utilizing synthetic oil and bypass oil filter systems to reduce oil change intervals on police pursuit vehicles, solid waste packers, and other municipal vehicles.

For its part, the Park Board is implementing 31 green projects, including solar-powered Big Belly trash cans and rain gardens. Later this year, it will deploy eight trucks powered by propane fuel.

Photo courtesy of Rudolf Stricker (CC-BY-SA-3.0)