Elected Officials Drive Climate Solutions!

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had representatives from both the City and County join our Driving Climate Solutions campaign. Ann Mallek, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors representative for White Hall, and Heather Hill, Charlottesville City Councilor, enjoyed our all-electric CMA’s Colonial Nissan Leaf.

Heather Hill

Last week, we caught up with the busy City Council member and mother of three Heather Hill, to participate in Driving Climate Solutions by taking our all-electric CMA’s Colonial Nissan Leaf for the day.

Heather has served as a City Council member since 2017. Prior to serving on council, she worked professionally as an independent business consultant, brand manager, process analyst, and lead industrial engineer. She has served multiple community leadership roles, including President of the North Downtown Residents Association, Building Committee Chair for the International School of Charlottesville, member of the Belmont Bridge Steering Committee, member of Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Board of Directors, and Marketing Chair for the Charlottesville Design House benefiting Shelter.

The morning I arrived to drop off the Nissan Leaf, she and her 8 and 10 year olds were bright-eyed and ready to get in the car! Heather had driven hybrid vehicles in the past, but never an all-electric vehicle. She first asked about the driving range and was impressed to learn the range was over 200 miles per charge. She placed the booster seats in the back so they could drive to the voting polls and run errands, and they were off!

The next day her first comment was, “What a fun car to drive! This definitely has me thinking -- about my daily routine and how such a vehicle could fit into our lifestyle.” 

This vehicle is well-suited for her in-town travel needs that are largely within a short 8-mile radius of downtown.  “I was surprised at how the charge was maintained with the “in town” driving. [The LEAF] actually does conserve energy… when you’re on those short trips. Whereas in my regular gas car, it’s least efficient when I’m driving in town.” Another surprising part for her was how quiet it was.

When I asked her about what gives her hope when it comes to climate action in 2020 she said, “"I think we're going to engage so much more of a diverse and broader group of folks at the table, from the things we're trying to do to help with affordable housing relative to reducing the cost of utilities for those that are needing that the most to just these everyday things… I just think it's really encouraging and it's gonna help us to accomplish those goals together!”

Thanks, Heather, for driving the EV for the day and sparking dialogue on this issue. We look forward to getting more City leaders in the LEAF this Spring.

Ann Mallek

Ann’s background in farming and involvement with climate-oriented organizations led to her political work surrounding climate action. Hear her thoughts before and after taking the Leaf for a spin below.

Ann is a farmer, owner and operator of Currituck Farm Grass Fed Beef in Earlysville, as well as an educator and program coordinator for Central Virginia for the Virginia Museum of Natural History.  She has served on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors for over 12 years now. Ann’s background in farming and involvement with climate-oriented organizations has made her a stand-out leader and local advocate for land protection, conservation, and action to address the climate crisis. 

Ann drove a Prius once several years ago, but never experienced driving an all-electric vehicle. She was excited and had a lot of great questions. We met her at the County Office Building where she took the Leaf for a spin around the parking lot, getting a thorough orientation from CMA’s Robert Tucker on the regenerative braking and other components, including a safety feature that keeps you centered in your lane and brakes if you come too close to another vehicle. "We'll see how it handles,” she said. “I look forward to it."

Her plan for the vehicle was to do her in-town driving errands to the feed store and a couple of other stops before taking it out to the farm in Earlysville.  She invited her daughters (with grandchildren in tow), and her husband, a retired dentist, to take a turn. 

“I love this vehicle!” was the first thing she said when we met her to pick up the LEAF. "I was wondering how the vehicle would do in the pouring rain, and it did beautifully well. I was able to handle the technology after receiving instructions without too much trepidation." She also commented on how smooth, quiet, and great the pick-up was. 

Though the driving range is more than adequate for her, even living out in Earlysville (the range is over 200 miles), the experience did get her thinking about local and regional investments in  EV infrastructure. We love hearing that, especially given the County commitment in 2019 to a bold community-wide greenhouse gas reduction goal of 45% by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. "We had almost a perfect storm of good things in 2019-- a lot of community outreach; many young people; my children who are now 38 and 44, their generation, but also their children's generation [taking action] ... it really helped to change the conversation."

In parting she said, "It's not just enough to do okay right now. We've got to do better than okay so that we can try to offset the things we haven't done. Thinking of our grandchildren is what my Grandma did in the fifties. Now it is our job!” 

Thanks, Ann, for helping us drive climate solutions in our community.