From the compostable containers provided at the Tuck Shop to the recycling bins scattered around campus, Choate has taken many steps towards becoming more environmentally friendly over the past decade. Excitingly, the School’s purchase of all-electric Community Safety cars is the newest addition to this initiative.
These all-electric Community Safety cars, Hyundai Ioniq 5s, are among the first of Choate’s growing fleet of environmentally-friendly vehicles. Over the past few years, Community Safety has been working in accordance with the sustainability mission at Choate. Though hybrid vehicles have been used for many years, Choate decided to make the switch to all-electric this year. Mr. Patrick Durbin, the Chief Financial Ofwficer at Choate, said, “I can tell you that it is [the] Community Safety officers’s favorite car to drive — they love it.”
The new cars have certainly proved to be more sustainable: Mr. John Finelli, Choate’s Community Safety Manager, stated, “In an eight-hour shift, we use just 8-10% of the power. This means these cars can be used for up to six days without a new charge.”
The shift towards a more environmentally-friendly community at Choate is visible not only in changes within Community Safety, but also around campus. For instance, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was not the first electric vehicle on campus. “It started last year with the purchase of two hybrid Chrysler Pacificas to replace two gasoline-powered Suburbans, one of which was dedicated to the Kohler Environmental Center (KEC) shuttle,” said Mr. Durbin. The change to these electric vehicles won’t stop at the new additons. According to Mr. Durbin, plans to buy an electric pickup truck this coming year, along with electric golf carts for the grounds and facilities teams are in the works.
The new Community Safety vehicles are an important step for Choate as it continues to move toward all-encompasing green policy on campus.
All-electric Community Safety cars make their appearance on campus.
