Climate change: How your city thinks globally
Steve Schainker sometimes makes his rounds as Ames city manager in a two-seater Zenn, an electric car.
The tiny vehicle, plugged in to an electrical outlet behind City Hall, tops out at 25 mph and gets 35 miles to a charge. It is one of the more visible elements of an EcoSmart program designed to save fuel and to cut carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.