The College of Staten Island recently announced that it has signed on to be the latest Champion of the New York State Department of Transportation’s Clean Air NY initiative. Clean Air NY is a dynamic collaboration of organizations and individuals in the New York metro area who are taking action to improve air quality and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, which the EPA recently deemed a threat to public health and welfare.
CSI advocates alternative transportation use through a carpool matching service and free shuttle bus. The College also provides pre-tax transit benefits to employees and even gave away free metro cards at an alternative transportation fair in November.
The College’s participation in Clean Air NY is one of a number of initiatives that CSI has launched as an active participant in CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein’s University Sustainability Council, which is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all campus buildings by 30 percent over the next decade. Other campus projects including recycling, LEED-certified buildings, biodiesel production, and working toward the development of an undergraduate program in sustainability, will help the campus and Staten Island to create a sustainable energy environment and reduce the College’s carbon footprint.
About 90 percent of New York residents live in areas that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency air quality standards. Every mile driven in a car drops the equivalent of a one-pound brick of carbon dioxide into the air. If just one in ten commuters in the New York metro area carpooled, worked from home, or used public transit just once a week, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by about 5,100 tons each week–that’s the weight equivalent of 720 elephants.
CSI is the third organization to sign on as a Clean Air NY Champion in FY 2010. Voila Bakery and the Grand Hyatt Hotel are also uniting with Clean Air NY in the fight to improve New York’s air quality.
Clean Air NY is an initiative sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation in support of region-wide air quality efforts. Clean Air NY’s network of individuals and businesses believes that every person has the power to help make New York’s air healthier and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Clean Air NY educates the public on simple everyday changes that reduce driving and provides real-time updates on Air Quality Action Days via text messaging, email, and media notifications. Click Here to learn more.
