PASADENA, CA — CALSTART North America’s advanced transportation technologies consortium has announced the 2005 winners for its Blue Sky Awards, recognizing leadership and action in advanced transportation. The awards acknowledge groundbreaking work by large and small companies as well as individuals for their outstanding marketplace contributions to clean air, energy efficiency, and to the advanced transportation industry overall. Winners of the awards this year included:

• FedEx Express and Environmental Defense were awarded the 2005 Blue Sky Award for their joint efforts at putting commercial hybrid trucks “on the map for corporate America,” which led to the commercial truck market’s interest and efforts into the hybrid market.

• Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle, WA, was awarded the Blue Sky Innovation Award for committing the City of Seattle to the goals and agenda of the “Kyoto Protocols” regarding global warming, including reductions in emissions and energy use from transportation.

• New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) was awarded a Blue Sky Merit Award for its leadership in the transit industry in the early use, commitment to, and support of fuel-saving hybrid technology. It has committed to purchasing an additional 500 hybrids — nearly tripling its fleet size in advanced driveline buses.

• EJ Harrison & Sons was given a Blue Sky Merit Award to recognize its aggressive approach toward minimizing vehicle emissions from its fleet by adopting a range of technologies, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), dual-fuel, clean diesel, and engine retrofits.

• Hyperion Solutions received a Blue Sky Merit Award for its first-of-a-kind initiative to help its employees purchase fuel efficient cars for their personal use. Called “Drive Clean to Drive Change,” the company reimburses its employees $5,000 for purchasing vehicles that achieve at least 45 mpg.