UAW 5810 Postdoc Bargaining�
Public Transit and Climate Change�
7/21/2022
Climate Change Is Getting Worse - Headlines from the past 7 days
Climate Change Is Getting Worse - Headlines from the past 7 days
Climate Change Is Getting Worse - Headlines from the past 7 days
Transportation is the largest source of emissions in California
Transportation emissions are higher than they were 10 years ago
Presidents Napolitano and Drake have made addressing climate change a priority
UC is making investments to combat climate change. However, the initiative being described excludes emissions from employee commutes.
UC has made important goals on reducing single-occupancy vehicle commuting
Excerpt from UC Presidential Policy on Sustainable Practices
2. The University recognizes that single-occupant vehicle (SOV) commuting is a primary contributor to commute-related GHG emissions and localized transportation impacts. a. By 2025, each location will strive to reduce its percentage of employees and students commuting by SOV by 10% relative to its 2015 SOV commute rates;
b. By 2050, each location will strive to have no more than 40% of its employees and no more than 30% of all employees and students commuting to the location by SOV.
Most UC campuses are not on track to meet their goals
2020 UC sustainability report: Less than half of UC locations have made progress in reducing the single-occupancy vehicle commute rate of students and employees
“Public transit saves the U.S. the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually. If an individual switches a 20-mile round-trip commute to public transit, his or her annual CO2 emissions will decrease by 4,800 pounds per year, equal to a 10 percent reduction in a two-car household's carbon footprint. And, an individual can achieve an average annual savings of more than $10,000 by taking public transit instead of driving and by living with one less car.”
UC Riverside has implemented a transit program that includes free transit passes
July 5: UCSD announced new transit subsidy program funded by campus funds
Excerpt from 7/5 email ‘New Public Transit Pilot Program to Support Campus Sustainability and Provide Savings to Employees’
“We are pleased to announce the launch of VC-50 for Transit — a new transit pilot program that will reduce the number of cars on campus, increase pedestrian safety, contribute to cleaner air, and advance campus sustainability efforts. To encourage staff and faculty to explore cost-effective alternatives to driving to campus and to encourage use of two new convenient campus stations on the UC San Diego Blue Line trolley, financial incentives are now available.”
July 5: UCSD announced new transit subsidy program funded by campus funds
Excerpt from 7/5 email ‘New Public Transit Pilot Program to Support Campus Sustainability and Provide Savings to Employees’
“As part of the VC-50 for Transit pilot program, vice chancellors sponsor 50% of their eligible employees’ transit pass costs, up to $27 per month. To make it even easier for first-time transit pass participants to get started, Transportation Services sponsors the employee share during a free, three-month trial period for FaSt2 and Reduced Fare Passes or one-month trial period for Coaster 2 and 3 Zone passes.”
Peer institutions are expanding free transit passes
Peer institutions that offer free transit passes for employees (partial list)
University of Florida
University of Colorado
Stanford
UNC - Chapel Hill
University of Michigan
Michigan State University
University of Illinois
University of Iowa
University of Texas
University of Kentucky
University of Oregon
University of Virginia
Oregon State University
Washington State University
University of North Dakota
University of Georgia
University of Vermont
University of Massachusetts
University of Indiana
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