Transportation

Barb Thoman

Transit for Livable Communities

Transportation is a means of gaining access to the goods and services. Access can be provided by trains, planes, buses, bicycles, private automobiles, taxi cabs, or just by walking. The most environmentally-friendly forms of transportation are walking and bicycling. Unfortunately, government spends little on these two forms of transportation in comparison with what it spends on roads and parking. Many of our new communities aren’t even built with sidewalks today!

In the Twin Cities region, individuals and government spend about $25 billion dollars annually on transportation. Most of this money is spent by individuals on car ownership and maintenance. Some of the money government spends on transportation is raised through fuel taxes and license tab fees, but a large percentage of it comes from property taxes.

The Twin Cities region is very auto-dependent and local residents have limited alternatives to driving. The regional transit system is small compared to similar size regions – on average comparable regions invest 70% more on transit than we do. Despite its size, Metro Transit is consistently ranked as one of the most efficient large bus systems in the nation.

Light rail is coming to the Twin Cities. The Hiawatha Corridor LRT line will connect downtown Minneapolis with the U of M West Bank campus, the Airport and the Mall of America. Light rail will be quieter, more comfortable, more reliable, and faster than the buses. It will also provide opportunities for new development at the station stops. If the $675 million cost of the project is considered as a one year investment, not as the 20 – 40 year investment it is, the cost would be only three percent of annual transportation spending in our region.

Many Twin Cities municipalities are making investments to encourage walking and biking. Minneapolis has built bike paths, on-street bike lanes, and bike parking. St. Paul has made street design changes and done public education to make walking safer and more pleasant. Unfortunately, spending on biking and walking is dwarfed by spending on roads and parking. Here are a few things that you can do to support green transportation:

Locate your home or business in a location where you can commute easily without a car.
Be the resource person on transit or biking at your workplace.
Drive courteously. Give pedestrians, bikes, and buses the right of way.
Support construction of sidewalks, bike lanes and bike parking.
Don’t let usable buildings be torn down for the construction of parking lots.

Editors: Jennifer Peterson, Blooming Prairie Natural Foods & Yuichiro Onishi, U of M Graduate Student in American History

Transportation

Green Tips

Host a Clothing Swap

Swapping is a great way to eliminate waste and engage in reuse. Instead of throwing away items that you no longer want, you give them to someone who does, and instead of purchasing brand new items, you can reuse items you receive from others. Swapping can also be a way to provide items to people who cannot afford to purchase them, and it is a wonderful way to meet new people and build a sense of community.

Check out Swapping Made Easy for a full list of tips to hosting your own swap!

Purchase Sustainable Lumber and Wood Products

Minnesota’s forests are vital to the state economy and environment. The Minnesota wood products industry provides employment to rural communities and serves markets throughout the world. As global trade in forest products grows, forest certification has emerged as a mechanism for consumers to identify wood products produced from sustainably managed forests. Nearly 50 different companies in Minnesota manufacture and market certified products. Retailers and distributors sell a variety of lumber, paneling, and decking products. Numerous local paper and printing companies also offer certified products.

More info here!

Think Twice About Bottled Water

If you live in an area with clean drinking water, fill a reusable bottle with tap water and bring it with you wherever you go to avoid buying bottled water. The U.S. sends 2 million tons of plastic water bottles to landfills each year—and producing those bottles requires oil and emits carbon dioxide. Some restaurants in the Twin Cities feel so strongly against bottled water that they refuse to sell it. Learn more.

Learn from Woodbury

Is it possible for one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota to be sustainable? The City of Woodbury has committed to try. Since adopting its initial Sustainability Resolution in 2006, the City has progressed toward becoming a sustainable community through several initiatives. You can read more about them in here. Can your city follow suit?

Install a Solar Water Heater

Solar water heating is one of the least publicized but most cost-effective renewable energy options. According to Windy Dankoff of Conergy, solar water heaters capture six times more energy than solar electric at a third the cost.

Read our full article on Solar Water Heaters for more information.

Start a Recycling Program at Work

If your office doesn’t have a recycling program, consider being a catalyst for big change by starting one yourself. See our full list of tips on how to get started (including identifying a Recycling Coordinator and selecting a Recycling Company) in our article, Green Your Office.

Unplug to Avoid Phantom Load

Did you know that you have electronics in your home leaking electricity—electricity that you pay for—24 hours a day, 7 days a week? The power drain is called “phantom load,” and it is a big problem with a simple solution.

The easiest strategy is to use power strips to cut the power to your electronics. When you turn off a power strip, it stops phantom load leaks. Start with your entertainment center and home office where you can find the biggest leaks: televisions, game consoles and computers. Make sure your power strip is located in an easy-to-reach place so you can easily turn it on or off. Set up a power strip as a charger station where your family can plug in all their cell phones, PDAs and music players. Most importantly…turn it off when you’re not using it!

Support Strong Towns

The automobile era spurred the expansion of highways and the fragmentation of natural habitats and communities. Now, the suburban American lifestyle had led to an obesity epidemic, high levels of resource consumption, and oil dependency. Strong Towns is a nonprofit that helps cities focus on resiliency instead of growth. Find out more.

Plant a Seed, Grow a Community

Community Gardens are community spaces that are communally cultivated and cared for; these spaces may consist of individually-worked plots, multiple person caretaker areas, sitting areas, and small-scale children play areas. Some say community gardens are the last existing opportunity Americans have to reclaim common spaces. This article offers great information about the many benefits community gardens provide.

Reduce Paper Waste at the Office

Office paper is highly recyclable, but reducing or preventing paper waste is even more cost effective than recycling. Some ideas for reducing office paper waste:

Double-sided copying and printing.
Reusing paper. Keep a collection box by the copy machine for bad copies so the second side can be reused.
Make use of electronic communication.
Use smaller cover sheets or eliminate the cover sheet all together.
Reuse items from old packaging.
Reuse materials in-house, through clients, customers and consumers.
Consider buying the most environmentally-friendly paper (100% post-consumer recycled) to stock in your printers, copiers and fax machines.

Check out our full article Green Your Office for more great ideas.

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