One of the perks that comes with being DNR secretary is a vehicle. So when the time came for DNR secretary John Griffin and his deputy, Eric Schwaab, to choose their "company" car, the two consciously chose to wear their politics on their sleeves. They both got hybrids.

But not that best-selling-hybrid-in-America Toyota, the one that seems to be ubiquitous on the state's highways and the one you can spot from several car-lengths away because it looks like nothing else on the road. No, you won't see these guys in birght red Priuses, making bold statements about who they are and how they live.

Instead, the two administrators got Honda Civic Hybrids, which look, well, just like the regular Honda Civic except they say "hybrid" in small letters on the back. Griffin, naturally, got the newer one, a 2005; Schwaab got a 2004, which I believe says "hybrid" in even smaller letters than the newer model.

So, they're not going to get a lot of people coming up to them at gas stations and telling them how they're making a great choice for the environment. But if my experience is anything to go by, they're going to get about 47 mpg on the highway, and about 30-something in the city - a prospect that will help them save money when they use the vehicles for personal travel and save the state when they're driving on its dime.

I've based these estimates on my own driving record after nearly a year behind the wheel of an 06 Civic Hybrid. I love the thing,  but I have never gotten near the 51 mpg that the sticker promised for city driving. Perhaps the secretaries will be luckier.

DNR spokesperson Darlene Pisani said Schwaab and Griffin chose the cars from the DNR fleet in part because they wanted to set a good example. It is a big change from before.

Former Secretary Ron Franks drove a 2004 Ford F150 Pick up, without a DNR decal. Unlike Griffin, who lives close to the Taylor Avenue headquarters, Franks had to drive his gas-guzzler across the Bay Bridge on the days he commuted to work; the former secretary lives in Grasonville.