SUSTAINABILITY IN ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING
Transportation & Parking Services is committed to delivering
valued products and services in a manner that meets the University's
present needs without compromising the needs of future Buckeyes.
Below are some of the new Sustainability initiatives in Transportation
& Parking Services:
IDLING GUIDELINES FOR UNIVERSITY VEHICLES
University employees have been asked to help minimize air
pollution and maximize fuel efficiency by operating University vehicles
and equipment in an environmentally and economically responsible
manner. As of March 1, 2007, operators of University vehicles are
being asked to follow the new Idling
Guidelines, approved by the President's Cabinet.
ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Recent legislation in the State of Ohio requires State Agencies
to procure Flex Fuel Vehicles and B20 powered diesel vehicles as
well as set requirements on using the fuels. While the university
is exempt from the legislation, we have made a commitment to purchase
more alternative fuel vehicles as well as increase our use of alternative
fuels. Many of the University’s vehicles are capable of running
on E85 (85% Ethanol and 15% Gasoline) and all of the University’s
diesel vehicles are capable of running on B20 bio diesel. Transportation
& Parking Services is currently exploring the possibility of
offering E85 at our Columbus Campus fueling facility to the university
as the procurement of Flex Fuel Vehicles increase. In the mean time,
we encourage the use of alternative fuels whenever possible. To
determine if your vehicle is capable of running on E85, consult
your owner’s manual or contact Transportation & Parking
Services at 614-247-7808 for more information.
For a list of vehicles that participate in the Scarlet,
Gray and Green Flexible Fuel Program please click
here (pdf).
If you have questions, concerns or need additional information,
please refer to our Contact
page or you can e-mail tpinfo@osu.edu.
CABS EARNS OHIO GREEN FLEET DESIGNATION
CABS received a one star green fleet certification from
the Ohio Green Fleets Program on August 13, 2009. The Ohio Green
Fleets program recognizes fleets that have made significant progress
in reducing their emissions and petroleum use. Click
here for additional information on this achievement.
TRANSPORTATION ROUTE INFORMATION PROGRAM (TRIP)
TRIP takes the guesswork out of your bus ride with GPS
tracking and next bus arrival times at home, on a mobile phone,
or on electronic signs at bus stops on campus. The GPS technology,
installed in the Summer of 2008, allows CABS to calculate the approximate
arrival times of buses to selected stops. Information is available
via electronic signs located at 11 campus bus stops (with 4 more
on order), on the Transportation & Parking Services web site
or via text. For more information, please visit: http://tp.osu.edu/cabs/trip.shtml.
It is believed that the easier campus transit is for riders to understand
and use, the more likely riders will be inclined to use alternate
modes of transit, thus reducing emissions and energy consumption.
PARTNERSHIP WITH MORPC BRINGS VANPOOLING OPTION TO CAMPUS
In an effort to provide our customers with more
transit options and in support of the University Scarlet, Gray and
Green initiative, Transportation & Parking Services has partnered
with MORPC (the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission) to provide
OSU faculty and staff a new alternate transit option, vanpooling.
Vanpools can save riders money since several people will be sharing
a ride to work, instead of the one rider per vehicle standard. Riders
will share the cost of the ride, saving wear-and-tear on their vehicle
and reducing the amount of money spent on gas. Participants ride
in a comfortable van that is driven by a volunteer from the group,
and a parking space is reserved for the vehicle in a location near
the driver’s job site. In case of an emergency or unexpected
overtime, a Guaranteed Ride Home service is also provided with this
program. Interested? For more information, please visit osuvanpooling.morpc.org.
CAR SHARING
The University, through a competitive bid process, has
selected "Connect by Hertz" as the new provider of car
sharing services for OSU. Connect by Hertz ( a division of
Hertz Corporation) offers vehicles by the hour or by the day for
low rates that include fuel, insurance, maintenance and campus parking.
The OSU fleet currently consists of Toyota Camrys, Ford Escapes
and Toyota Prius Hybrids, all of which are EPA SmartWay certified
for low emissions. Ten vehicles spread out over four locations around
campus with more locations possible as use dictates, ensures that
a vehicle will be close to you when you need it. For
more information, please visit http://tp.osu.edu/carsharing/index.shtml.
LIGHTMASTER TECHNOLOGY
The lightmaster technology that is installed in many campus
parking garages is just one way Transportation & Parking Services
is striving to reduce energy consumption within our facilities.
This technology reduces energy consumption and costs by up to 25-28%,
through power monitoring and optimization and does so without reducing
lighting levels in the garages. Currently, the lightmaster technology
is available in the Northwest, 11th Ave., 9th Ave. West, 9th Ave.
East, and Tuttle Park Place parking garages. It will also be available
in the Lane Avenue Parking Garage which is scheduled to open Winter
Quarter 2010.
RECYCLING CONTAINERS IN CAMPUS PARKING GARAGES
In June 2009, Transportation & Parking Services, in
support of FOD’s campus-wide recycling efforts, implemented
a pilot recycling program in our parking facilities. This program
provides a place for the campus community to dispose of recyclable
materials and helps reduce solid waste. One 55 gallon container
has been placed on the first floor of every campus garage. The recyclables
are collected every two weeks, which has the potential of removing
20,000+ gallons of materials from local landfills.
SOLAR-POWERED PAY-N-DISPLAY MACHINES
The implementation of the visitor Pay-n-Display machines
within the parking lots has provided another sustainability avenue
for Transportation & Parking Services. Many of these machines
run off of charges from solar power, reducing energy consumption
and providing an energy cost-savings to the University. The initial
program started with 23 machines and has grown to a total of 43
Pay-n-Display’s on campus. For more information, please visit
the
Pay-N-Display
web page.
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