Transportation and Air Quality voluntary programs aim to achieve measurable environmental results in a cost-effective and beneficial way without the need for regulation.  These programs can reduce pollution and improve air quality by means of forming partnerships with small and large businesses, citizen groups, industry, manufacturers, trade associations, and state and local governments.

Partners in these voluntary programs work together to improve environmental performance and in return receive such benefits as cost savings, public recognition, and the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to clean the air.  The results from these voluntary programs are impressive.  Learn more about our voluntary programs and see how you can participate.

Green Vehicle Guide
http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles

The Green Vehicle Guide helps consumers choose the cleanest and most efficient vehicle that meets their needs.  The Guide rates cars and trucks according to their emissions and fuel economy performance and provides consumers with information on how to make environmentally-informed choices when purchasing a vehicle.

Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit

The Diesel Retrofit Program works to reduce pollution resulting from existing diesel vehicles and equipment by encouraging fleet owners to install pollution-reducing devices on the vehicles and to use cleaner-burning diesel fuel.  This involves working with state, local, and industry partners to verify the effectiveness of pollution-reducing technology and to create retrofit projects around the country.

SmartWay Transport
http://www.epa.gov/smartway/transport

EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman unveiled a voluntary partnership with the ground freight industry aimed at reducing freight and fleet sector energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions.  Whitman recognized several environmental leaders from the trucking and shipping industries for their participation in EPA’s SmartWay Transport program.

Clean School Bus USA
http://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus

EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman unveiled Clean School Bus USA, a new national partnership to minimize pollution from school buses.  Leaders from corporate America, children's health, environmental and governmental organizations gather to design a plan to reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust by eliminating unnecessary school bus idling, installing effective emission control systems on newer buses and replacing the oldest buses in the fleet with newer ones.  For more information contact the Clean School Bus USA Team, phone:  (734) 214-4780, email:  CleanSchoolBusUSA@epa.gov.

Best Work Places for Commuters
http://www.bestworkplacesforcommuters.gov 

Offering innovative solutions to commuting challenges faced by employers and employees, the Best Work Places for Commuters is a new business/government voluntary initiative advocating employee commuter benefits.

Established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), this program address limited or expensive parking, reduce traffic congestion, improve employee recruiting and retention, and minimize the environmental impacts associated with drive-alone commuting.  Participating companies earn the designation "Best Work Places for Commuters"- a mark of excellence for environmentally and employee-friendly organizations.

Best Work Places for Commuters builds on the efforts of many top employers to help get employees to work safely, on time, and free of commute-related stress.  It provides the tools, guidance, and promotion necessary to help U.S. employers of any size incorporate commuter benefits into their standard benefits plan, reap financial benefits, and gain national recognition.

It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air
http://www.italladdsup.gov

It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air is a unique public education and partnership-building initiative developed collaboratively by several federal agencies to help regional, state and community efforts to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. It All Adds Up seeks to inform the public about the connection between their transportation choices, traffic congestion and air pollution, and emphasizes simple, convenient actions people can take to improve air quality and reduce congestion.

The voluntary initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Transportation and Air Quality, and DOT's Federal Transit Administration.

DOT and EPA developed the It All Adds Up initiative in response to requests from state and local governments for federal sponsorship of a public education initiative that would help them meet their mobility and clean air goals under two federal laws -- the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and the Clean Air Act Amendments.