The national environmental non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has released a framework designed to help corporations be more energy-efficient and reduce their carbon footprint. The report, called Greening Fleets: A Roadmap to Lower Costs and Cleaner Corporate Fleets, draws on EDF's experience working in partnership with PHH Arval, North America's second-largest provider of commercial fleet management services, to help corporate fleets reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. On average, companies using the PHH Greenfleet program reduced GHG emissions by 14% while reducing operating costs by 4%.

EDF's pitch uses bottom-line logic. Specifically, it cites three benefits: 1) cut costs (as per the above), 2) improve corporate results ("Companies today are expected to set and achieve environmental goals. Green fleet management can provide measurable results."), and 3) reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which will be a cost-saver when regulatory carbon-reduction schemes kick in.

EDF's program helps corporations kick the carbon habit in five steps, making it a whole lot easier to do than stopping drinking, which requires twelve steps:

1. Measure Emissions and Set Goals

2. Improve Vehicle Selection

3. Improve Vehicle Use

4. Consider Carbon Offsets

5. Report Progress

It's a very straightforward protocol, albeit one with lots of moving parts at the implementation level. The challenge lies in getting companies to apply it. To help with this, EDF will be hosting a conference call on January 14th, 2009 to review best practices and answer questions from fleet managers.

The report won't earn any points for creativity, but it will help companies reduce their carbon footprint, and that's nothing to scoff at. It's the sort of important, nuts-and-bolts technical work that has been earning EDF kudos for years.

Plus, it's got another benefit: managers can apply the protocol without having to submit to a higher power.