Brandon Walton: Using Your Passion to Power a Cleaner Fleet

The City of Pittsburgh is leading local efforts to drive climate solutions in many ways, including electrifying the city’s vehicle fleets, from police cruisers to garbage trucks and other city-owned vehicles. Brandon Walton is the fleet manager for the city of Pittsburgh and is driving efforts to reduce emissions across Pittsburgh by investing in alternative energy sources and transitioning to a cleaner fleet. Brandon takes pride in his work and shares that, regardless of your past, “you can always make a difference and a change for the better because there is no guideline for who leads climate solutions,” and it should be all of us. 

One of the most important things you can do when it comes to climate change is talk about it.

• What are the differences between the alternative energy sources that Brandon talks about: compressed natural gas (CNG), hybrid, electric? How are they each helping to draw down emissions that cause climate change?

• A study in 2012 showed that the police fleet in Pittsburgh was the second dirtiest fleet among the city’s vehicles. Going hybrid in the police fleet is helping to draw down 60 percent of the emissions that would have been created. What are the connections between reducing vehicle emissions and improving people’s lives in the community?

• The city of Pittsburgh operates nearly 1,000 vehicles. Brandon sees his job as “working for the people, the taxpayers of the city of Pittsburgh, the folks that live here and need the services that the city provides.” He feels that it is simply a responsible choice to transition the fleet to more energy-efficient alternatives, such as electric and hybrid vehicles. Do cities have a responsibility to use taxpayer dollars toward climate solutions that will impact the collective good? Do you think this example could inspire other communities to draw down emissions created from their fleets?

• Brandon explains that sometimes people are afraid of switching to electric, and they have questions like, “Where will I charge the vehicle?” and “Will it be as capable and reliable as a gas-powered vehicle?” He shares that overwhelmingly, once people make the switch, there is no comparison. The benefits of electric vehicles are that they are more powerful and more comfortable to drive, have a quicker acceleration, and are quieter to drive. What questions do you have about electric vehicles? What do you think it will take for more drivers to make the switch?

• Addressing climate change must work across multiracial, cross-class lines. Brandon explains that his background allows him to understand diverse perspectives, to be able to understand all levels of fleet management, with the ability to relate to the people across blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Having this understanding allows Brandon to work effectively with everybody with a lens on equity. What is the importance of having a diverse range of professions, regardless of education level and economic class?

Learn about the solutions in this story.

• Solution Sector: Transportation

• Solution Sector: Electricity

• Solution: Electric Cars

• Solution: Hybrid Cars

• Solution: Efficient Trucks

• For more on all of the Drawdown climate solutions, visit drawdown.org/solutions.

• Learn more about the work Brandon does: Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan

Explore Climate Solutions 101, the world's first major educational effort focused solely on solutions. This video series combines Project Drawdown’s trusted resources with the expertise of inspiring voices from around the world: drawdown.org/climate-solutions-101.

• Drawdown Ecochallenge is a fun and social way to take measurable action on the top solutions to global warming. Take the challenge, and see how a few weeks of action add up to a lifetime of change for you and the planet. If you want to take action on Electricity and Transportation like Brandon is, visit drawdown.ecochallenge.org/challenges/electricity and drawdown.ecochallenge.org/challenges/transportation.

• ChangeX connects people with proven ideas for strengthening communities with the resources needed to start them. Explore countless ways to improve your community and help the world reach drawdown.

• Climate Generation's Green Careers for a Changing Climate Instructional Supplement (for Grades 6-8) contains resources to help young people learn about Green STEM Careers — careers that can help solve the impacts of climate change using STEM skills. Throughout this instructional supplement, students will be using the resource Drawdown to make important connections to solutions that these careers will implement.