Transportation

This is a much more open-ended campaign than either renewable energy purchasing or green building design. How can you get people at your school to reduce the impact of their transportation choices? There are many different approaches, and the best way will differ for each campus. Below we present an overview to get you started, but we have certainly not thought of everything! Contact a member of our Energy Team for help on developing any of these ideas.

Green vehicle fleets

Right now, Energy Action, of which the SSC is a member, is currently developing a guide to effectively run a Green Fleets campaign. Once the materials are finished we will post them on the website.

Reduce commuter traffic

In order to reduce the car traffic from faculty and staff commuting to your university, some incentive must be provided for carpooling or using mass transit. Less popular (and therefore more difficult) measures include: limiting parking spaces or increasing parking fees. Banning freshman and/or sophomore parking is also an option. Incentive programs include:

Many communities have “Ride Share” programs, which help people find others to carpool with on their daily commute. For examples, see rideshare.511.org or rideshareonline.com. Look online to see if there is one for your town. This program makes it easier for people to find carpools. In addition, some rideshare programs have “emergency ride home” programs so that people can get a free cab ride home in the event of a family emergency. If the rideshare program in your area does not have this feature, encourage your university to step in and offer that option to employees. Many people are reluctant to carpool because they feel that they have no option if their child suddenly becomes sick or they suddenly need to leave work for some other reason.
You could also work with your university to subsidize the cost of public transportation for employees, or to provide other incentives for employees to take public transportation to work.
Publicize public transportation options for students seeking to get off campus on weekends.
For an example of a fantastic, comprehensive plan to reduce vehicle traffic at the University of British Columbia, see trek.ubc.ca

Encouraging biking

Make your campus more bike-friendly for students, faculty, and staff. Work to ensure that there are enough bike racks (especially in covered areas so bikes don’t get rusty), encourage the university to provide free bike locks, and work to reduce safety hazards (such as busy intersections).

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