| |
Emissions from campus fleets, commuting, and campus air travel are a major component of many institutions greenhouse gas emissions. To neutralize these emissions, institutions will have to:
- transition to more efficient campus fleets; fuel the fleet with non-fossil fuels like electricity, biofuels, or hydrogen; and use the vehicles only when necessary;
- implement transportation management strategies - including universal access transit passes, market-rate pricing, commuter benefit programs, telecommuting/flexible scheduling, bicycle sharing/rental programs, web-conferencing, car sharing, and educational outreach programs - to encourage commuters to use more sustainable transportation options;
- offset remaining emissions.
Model Initiatives
Cornell University has raised parking fees, redrawn parking systems
to favor carpooling, integrated school transit systems with the city’s, and given free public
transit throughout the county to anyone who doesn’t get a parking pass. These efforts have
saved 417,000 gallons of fuel and 10,000,000 vehicle miles traveled annually, cutting costs
by more than $36 million and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51,100 tons over
12 years. Several hundred colleges and universities are implementing plans to make their
campuses more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, thereby saving money and reducing their
ecological footprint.
Resources
|
