Eco-tip: Electric cars roll into Earth Day spotlight

A massive oil spill off our local coast was one of the major events inspiring organizers to launch the first Earth Day in 1970.

So as Earth Day grew into the one of the largest internationally commemorated occasions, it did not seem likely to be combined with a car show.

But cars have changed, and so have Earth Day events.

At Ojai’s Earth Day event in Libbey Park, a car display featured electric cars, with promotional material and drivers willing to share their experience. Oxnard’s Earth Day event has featured electric car displays in each of the past five years, and its event last weekend did not, but displayed a different type of vehicle in Plaza Park. The city showed off one of its refuse trucks fueled by compressed natural gas.

More Earth Day coverage:

• Earth Day events planned all month in Ventura County
• At Ojai Earth Day, an owl, a dragon and a box of maggots were all part of the fun

Next Saturday, April 27, there will be car shows at both the Ventura and Thousand Oaks Earth Day events.

Ventura’s Earth Day Eco Fest, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown’s Plaza Park, will include a feature called the Green Car Expo. The Ventura EcoFest has at least 18 electric vehicles registered for display, representing 11 different models. Vehicle owners, who have collectively driven more than 550,000 miles on electric power, will be present to answer questions. For more information on Ventura’s Earth Day, see http://www.venturaearthday.org.

The Thousand Oaks Earth Day/Arbor Day event will also be April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Grant R. Brimhall Library, 1401 E. Janss Road. The auto-focused portion of the event, called Drive Electric Earth Day, is being coordinated primarily by Plug In America and the Electric Auto Association, nonprofit advocacy groups promoting electric cars. The Sierra Club is also assisting, along with sponsorship from Audi of America and FLO, an operator of electric vehicle charging networks. These sponsorships are responsible for making a $250 prize available for electric vehicle owners who register for the event, display their vehicles and complete a short survey.

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In addition to the transportation exhibit in the parking lot by local owners and dealers of electric vehicles, presentations in the community room at the library will help people decide whether an electric car is a good option for their lifestyle. From 10:30-11:20 a.m., a session called “Electric Vehicle Curious” will explore whether to lease or buy, what rebates are available and which cars qualify for carpool lane usage. The promotional material for the workshop says it will also explain that EVs “are safer, cost significantly less to maintain and are cheaper and more fun to drive.”

Another workshop, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., will cover solar power and battery storage. The presenter, Helen Cox, the city’s sustainability division manager, will explain “the newest trend of adding solar combined with battery storage to power your home and electric vehicles” including “recent changes in how homeowners will be charged for energy by their utility and why 2019 might be the best time to go solar before the tax credits expire,” according to the event’s website. For more information, see https://driveelectricearthday.org/event.php?eventid=1717.

Before electric cars, biodiesel and compressed natural gas vehicles were displayed at Earth Day events. Since 2011, electric vehicles have been featured and now offer the most viable option for environmentally conscious drivers, according to Kent Bullard, a founding member of the EV Advocates of Ventura County. Bullard started out as a biodiesel advocate but since 2011 has been driving electric vehicles powered by the solar panels on his home.

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Public transportation can be an even more environmentally sensitive option than alternative fueled vehicles, and in honor of Earth Day, Metrolink is making two offers available to its riders.

On Monday, April 22, riders can use Metrolink free all day; tickets are not required. Also, as a reward for downloading the Metrolink app to a smartphone between April 8 and Monday, you can receive a free Metrolink round-trip mobile ticket for use at a later date. Metrolink’s website, https://www.metrolinktrains.com/freerides, says 85 percent of Metrolink riders own a car but prefer to ride Metrolink.

The Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura Metrolink stations all have electric vehicle charging stations so you can charge while you get a ride.

Eco-Tip is written by David Goldstein, an environmental resource analyst for the Ventura County Public Works Agency. He can be reached at 805-658-4312 or david.goldstein@ventura.org.