‘ THE Summer 11 publication Issue #11 GREENSCENE CREATING THE FUTURE FOR THE KANKAKEE RIVER VALLEY Sponsored by Court Street Ford, River Valley Recycling and Security Lumber Company, For sponsorship opportunities Copyright ©2011 Kankakee Daily Journal Company, L.L.C. All rights reserved. All works herein are property of The Daily Journal unless otherwise indicated. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any manner of retrieval system or transmitted by graphic, electronic, mechanical or other means including photocopying, computer scanning, etc. without the prior written permission of the copyright owner(s) or the publisher. Please contact Susette Cole at 815.937.3386 or [email protected] For editorial content opportunities Please contact: Rich Schultz at 815.802.8243 or [email protected]. Transportation Alternatives and Sustainability – Every day we make choices which impact how sustainably we live. Turn off the lights, conserve water, recycle, use both sides of the paper, turn down the heat in the winter and set the A/C a few degrees higher in the summer. These are all things we can do. We can also make choices about how we get to work, school, the Mall – wherever we need to go. This issue will present some information regarding alternatives to just jumping in the car and going. If you must drive your own vehicle, plan your trips to minimize your travel time and distance. Read about carpool and rideshare options for commuting to work or school. Maintain the car you have and consider a “greener vehicle” when it’s time for a new one. Take the bus or other mass transit if possible. Ride a bike or walk if you can. Each of these alternatives can reduce your carbon footprint and can save you money. Remember, you have choices. The Impacts of Commuting: An Example from KCC Typically, community colleges do not have residence halls or other on-campus student housing, so all students along with the faculty and staff are commuters. Kankakee Community College conducted a “greenhouse gas” inventory of its operations for the period July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. This evaluation took into account all known energy uses associated with college activities, including commuting to campus and estimated the “greenhouse gas” emissions resulting from that energy use. The annual total “greenhouse gas” generated by campus operations was estimated at 13,419 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (eCO2).The study indicated that 47.56% of the total estimated greenhouse gas emissions from KCC are the result of commuting to the campus to work, teach, and attend classes. A review of the zip codes associated with KCC’s students, faculty and staff revealed that they come to campus from all sectors of the college’s district, which takes in all or part of Kankakee, Iroquois, Ford, Grundy, Livingston and Will counties. So, in some cases the trip to KCC is more than a short hop. Full and part time students travelled 13,769,918 miles and consumed 623,073 gallons of gasoline in FY 2010. In the same period, faculty and staff used 91,638 gallons of fuel and travelled 2,025,195 miles to come to work and teach at the college. This presents a challenge to KCC’s sustainability initiatives and commitment to shrinking its “carbon footprint.” The college has direct control over energy consumption related to operational activities such as heating and air conditioning and lighting, but not the transportation habits of its faculty, staff and students. The college can encourage less energy intensive commuters who may carpool, ride their bikes, walk, or take the bus to campus. It can even “reward” some who make greener choices. The encouragement can be in the form of providing information about the benefits of considering alternatives to just taking the car. It can be providing adequate bike racks for bicyclists and supporting the installation and use of the new Riverfront Trail, which enables everyone to ride or walk to campus. Rewards can be designated “Sustainable Vehicle” parking spaces to encourage such vehicle use, discounted monthly student bus passes, and monetary incentives to those who frequently travel by bicycle. None of these choices are solutions for everyone, but it is important to make everyone aware that there are alternative ways to commute to the campus to study, teach, and work. The Value of Public Transportation The benefits of public transit are many. According to the American Public Transportation Association (www.publictransportation.org), public transportation includes all vehicle services designed to transport customers on local and regional routes. Depending on the location and community, there are many options: public and private buses, vanpools, demand response vehicles, heavy, light and commuter rail, even ferry boats, helicopters and planes in some areas. Public transit has definite economic development, energy efficiency, environmental, and quality of life benefits: UÊÊ*ÕLVÊÌÀ>ëÀÌ>ÌÊVÀi>ÌiÃÊLÃÊ>`ÊÃÌÕ>ÌiÃÊiVVÊ growth. Each dollar invested in public transportation generates $4 in the local economy. An individual can save $9,000 a year by choosing public transportation and living with one less car. This leaves more to support other living expenses. UÊÊ*ÕLVÊÌÀ>ëÀÌ>ÌÊÀi`ÕViÃÊiiÀ}ÞÊVÃÕ«Ì]Êi>Ì}ÊÌ iÊii`ÊvÀÊää]äääÊ>ÕÌLiÊwÊÕ«ÃÊi>V Ê`>Þ°Ê/ iÊ leverage effect of public transit use saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline each year, the equivalent of 3 times the amount of gasoline refined from oil imported from Kuwait. UÊÊ*ÕLVÊÌÀ>ëÀÌ>ÌÊLiiwÊÌÃÊÌ iÊiÛÀiÌÊLÞÊÃ>Û}ÊÎÇÊÊiÌÀVÊÌÃÊvÊV>ÀLÊ`Ý`iÊ>Õ>Þ]ÊÌ iÊiµÕÛ>iÌÊvÊ the emissions generated by 4.9 million households in a year. On a personal level, using public transportation reduces individual carbon emissions by 20 lbs. per day or 4,800 lbs. per year. FEATURED Business River Valley Metro Mass Transit System Public transportation in Kankakee County continues to grow and provide a much needed service to area residents. Operating 11 fixed routes, a commuter route to University Park’s METRA station, and complimentary ADA service through Metro Plus, River Valley Metro Mass Transit District is meeting the transportation needs of the area. With fixed routes serving from Aroma Park to Manteno and covering Kankakee, Bradley, Bourbonnais and portions of Kankakee County and Manteno Township, Metro will provide more rides this year than any other year in its 12 year history. Metro is on track to exceed 830,000 rides this fiscal year. That is 90,000 additional rides in a single year. Ridership numbers are a testament to the need for public transportation in the Kankakee area. With buses operating every day of the year and rides costing $1 each direction, public transportation is an economical way to get where area residents need to go any day of the year, including major holidays. Metro provides independence to individuals who used to have limited transportation options. Children 5 years and under and those who qualify for the government’s “Circuit Breaker” program ride at no cost. The already low cost for system use can be further reduced by purchasing $30.00 monthly passes, which are discounted to $20 for students and $15 for disabled persons. In addition to its local service, River Valley Metro provides daily transportation to University Park to link up with the METRA train system for trips to downtown Chicago. The fare for this service is $3 each way during the week and $2 on weekends. Children 5 and under ride free and monthly passes are available for $60. A special curb to curb service is available for individuals who cannot independently ride the fixed routes. About 1,700 such rides are taken each month. River Valley Metro is a great way for individuals to get to places like work, school, appointments and various social events. For more information go to: www.rivervalleymetro.com or call 815/937-4287 UÊÊ/ iʵÕ>ÌÞÊvÊviÊÃÊi >Vi`ÊLÞÊÌ iÊ>Û>>LÌÞÊvÊ«ÕLVÊÌÀ>ÃÌÊÃÞÃÌiðÊÊ>À}iÊÃi}iÌÊvÊÌ iÊ««Õ>ÌÊÕÃiÃÊ«ÕLVÊÌÀ>ëÀÌ>Ì°ÊÀiÊÌ >Ê£{ÊÊiÀV>ÃÊÌ>iÊ more than 34 million public transport trips each weekday. The commuter population is diverse with 7% of them age 65 or older and 10% of the riders 18 years and younger. Women make up 52% of the commuter population. Eighty-three percent of older Americans say that public transit provides easy access to the things they need in their everyday lives. These systems provide job opportunities for millions of Americans and allow them a way to get to work, go to school, visit friends, shop, and go to doctor’s appointments. So for economic, energy efficiency, environmental, and quality of life reasons, everyone should consider using public transportation wherever and whenever they can. It’s part of living more sustainably. 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