In Brighton, Ontario, journalist members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) will be driving 23 “green” vehicles from Brighton to Oshawa, Oshawa to Toronto, then Toronto to Hamilton, and finally onwards to London where the green convoy arrives Thursday, May 10th. The Mayor of Brighton, Mark Walas, officially launched the EcoRun and Mayor Joe Fontana of London will close the event Thursday.
AJAC’s EcoRun media event has one purpose: demonstrate to Canadians the latest in fuel-efficient technologies being introduced by automobile manufacturers, says event organizer AJAC.
The concept is loosely based on England’s historic London-to-Brighton run for vintage cars; our own version will be focused on “green” cars with Brighton, Ontario as the starting point.
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) are event partners. They will join AJAC in providing tips and expert advice to consumers on ways to combat rising fuel prices. Schneider Electric is providing mobile charging stations for the EVs.
The CAA will use AJAC’s EcoRun event to promote its various fuel-efficiency programs (e.g. Autogreen, and their ecoDriving tips)
Natural Resources Canada will use the AJAC event as a platform to launch its AutoSmart III program. Their message is that driver behaviour influences fuel-efficiency.NRCan is also monitoring and reporting on energy use so as to demonstrate the fuel-efficiencies attainable in a real-world driving situation.
Finally, the event intends to encourage the “handprint” vs. “footprint” philosophy of making a difference through educated choices and behaviour.
Along the route, journalists will make stops at a few community colleges, universities and the Evergreen Brick Works Environmental Centre to promote their respective fuel-efficient projects.
Photos and videos of the EcoRun will be posted daily to the AJAC EcoRun web site: www.ajac.ca
You can follow the day-to-day progress on Facebook and Twitter #ajacecorun.
