South Pas Clean Air Car Show exhibits sustainability

Written by Isabella Tsai 
Staff Writer

Photo by Alicia Alderete
Staff Photographer

The City of South Pasadena promoted sustainable living Saturday, August 10 during the Clean Air Car Show and Green Living Expo. The car show begins National Drive Electric Week, a national event from September 9-17 that advocates for the use of plug-in vehicles. Attendees discussed water conservation, energy sources, and transportation alternatives with sponsors and vendors around Garfield Park.

Plug In America, a nationwide grassroots movement dedicated to educating people about vehicle electrification, set up the lawn’s car show. Dealerships and Plug In America volunteers brought their own electric vehicles, allowing visitors to examine the cars and ask any questions about cost, mileage, and upkeep.

“There’s much less of a salesy atmosphere at the National Drive Electric Week events and that’s deliberate because people hate shopping for cars,” Plug In America project manager Mary Kathryn Campbell said, “We have drivers who’ve driven a number of electric vehicles who can talk to you about how cheap they are to maintain, to fuel, how you don’t have to spend time at the local mechanic all the time, and how much fun they are to drive.”

Vendors also set up tents on the park lawn, advocating for eco-friendly lifestyles. Bike San Gabriel Valley, the organization that helped produce 626 Golden Streets, encouraged attendees to consider biking or walking as a form of transportation. Southern California Edison(SCE) also had a booth, promoting ‘transportation electrification.’

“We want our customers to understand what we’re doing to help make it easier for them to purchase electric vehicles,” SCE Government Affairs Representative Joshua Torres said, “There’s a lot of misperceptions that we are working to try to correct. A lot of people assume that they have to get a special meter for electric vehicles, which is not true. A lot of customers think that it’s more expensive to fuel their vehicle with electricity than gasoline when the reality is actually the opposite.”

National Drive Electric Week will host another event in Downtown LA at the L.A. State Historic Park on Saturday, September 16. Test drives will be open to attendees and organizations will continue similar promotions.

One Reply to “South Pas Clean Air Car Show exhibits sustainability”

  1. KT

    Hi Isabella,

    This was a fun event! Will there be more photos posted here soon? I know two of your colleagues were walking around, talking with people and snapping a few photos. Thank you!

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