Overview

Environmental is focused on reuse/recycle activities at Metro – both at divisions and at Gateway.  Reducing electricity use, recycle paper, posting “No Dumping/Drains to Ocean” at storm drains, etc.

Sustainability is focused on transportation strategies to reduce single occupancy autos – trying to get them to change modes by:

• Creative ways to incorporate land use & transportation, such as, bikeways next to a transit corridor, bike parking at rail stations or car sharing/electrical vehicles or pedestrian enhancements
• Focus on Increasing bus ridership by improving service and amenities and offering  reliable clean service

Environmental Choices

Metro's 3P's of Sustainability

People
Engage in fair and beneficial business practices toward labor, communities and the Greater Los Angeles region.

Planet
Identify, incorporate and encourage sustainable environmental practices.

Profit
Benefit the region through responsible stewardship of public transportation planning and implementation.

Metro's Sustainability Goal

Metro will be the transportation industry leader in maximizing sustainability efforts and its benefits for Los Angeles County’s people, economy, and the environment.

Metro’s commitment to a better environment begins with public transit but goes well beyond bus and train service to alternative fuels, emissions controls and other resource programs.

These pages will acquaint you with the personal and environmental impacts of choosing public transit, and inform you of Metro’s resource management and sustainability initiatives. In addition, we’re pleased to present all the big and little things we’re doing – and you can do – to practice good stewardship of our environment. It’s as simple as switching to bus or train service, using carpool lanes, combining bicycles with commutes, or trying other alternative ways to travel.

Count the Cost

When travelers choose public transit they benefit themselves as well as our communities and region. Metro always emphasizes the cost savings associated with reduced use of personal vehicles – savings in gas, insurance, maintenance, etc. But choosing transit offers additional benefits that are sometimes hidden or otherwise not recognized.

For example, daily walks are recommended by healthcare professionals and a five or ten minute walk to a bus stop or rail station can be healthful and even invigorating.

Walking down the block to catch the bus or train instead of driving to your destination is a way to familiarize yourself with your environment, your neighbors and neighborhood, becoming a vigilant citizen and trusted neighbor in the process. These examples point out just a few of the many positive benefits to using public transit.

Go Green

Here are some simple ideas for the home an the office on how to conserve our natural resources, reduce energy costs, and help preserve the environment:

Home

1. Don't Wait to Insulate. Upgrading your insulation to a higher R-value can lower energy costs dramatically. Start with insulating the attic and unheated crawl spaces. Sealing ducts, caulking, and weather stripping reduce energy loss even more.

2. Lower the Flow. Turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth. Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool. Your old shower head probably delivers a lot more water than you really need. Reduce that to 2.5 gallons a minute or less with today's standard shower head – it can make a difference in your water bill. For even greater savings, replace your old toilets with today's standard low flush models that use 1.6 gallons or less per flush.

3. Reduce the Runoff. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems can lower your water bills by delivering water directly where you need it. By reducing or eliminating runoff, you also reduce the burden of fertilizers and pesticides on our lakes, streams, and oceans and still have a gorgeous garden or lawn.

4. Keep Your Cool. Ceiling fans can make you feel cooler while reducing air conditioning costs by as much as 40% in summer. In winter, they can save up to 10% in heating costs by circulating warm air from the ceiling to the floor where you can enjoy it. Learn more about reducing your energy bills.

5. Try Branching Out. For an all-around environmental boost, plant a tree. When properly sited, trees and other landscaping can save up to 30% in home cooling and heating costs. They also help cool your community and make your Smart Choice home even more enjoyable.

6. Look for the Energy Star Label. Replace your old, inefficient appliances with Energy Star qualified appliances and save energy and money.

7. Something Bugging You? Stay in control by starting with nature's own methods to beat the bugs. Attract birds with birdhouses, feeders, and natural backyard wildlife habitats to help reduce pests. Bug lights, screening, citronella candles, and insecticidal soaps are other less-toxic alternatives.

8. Clear the Air. Tune up your systems to make your family more comfortable while you save on heating and cooling costs. Upgrading and properly maintaining your home air filters is easy and helps improve indoor air quality. Vented range hoods and room exhaust fans also help remove smoke, moisture, airborne bacteria, and other indoor air pollutants.

9. Get the Lead Out. In the U.S. and Canada, over 58 million homes built before 1978 contain lead-based paints. To reduce lead hazards in your home and protect your family during any home renovation, ask our Paint Department for the free information sheet "Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home."

10. Make Your Own Mulch. Composting is the smart way to dispose of leaves, yard clippings, selected food scraps, and other organic wastes. Instead of burdening landfills, you'll produce rich nutrients to fertilize your garden the natural way. And it's free. Make it a habit to recycle your glass, cans, cardboard, and newspapers, too.

Business

1. Be bright about light. Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings. Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can and make it a policy to buy Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures,  which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting. Install timers or motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when they're not needed.

2. Maximize computer efficiency. Computers in the business sector unnecessarily waste $1 billion worth of electricity a year. Turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil. During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by up to 70 percent. Remember, screen savers don't save energy. Make sure that old equipment is properly recycled.

3. Print smarter. The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year. If you have to print, print on both sides of the paper or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible. Make it a policy to buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content, recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones.

4. Go paperless when possible. Think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item. Post employee manuals and similar materials online, rather than distribute print copies. They're easier to update that way too.

5. Ramp up your recycling. Try to recycle everything your company collects. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled. So can your old cell phone, PDA, or pager.

6. Close the loop. Purchase office supplies and furniture made from recycled materials.

7. Watch how you eat. Bring your own mug and dishware for those meals you eat at the office and provide your employees with reusable dishes, silverware, and glasses. Provide filtered drinking water to reduce bottled water waste.

8. Rethink your travel. Check out Metro and take the train, bus, or subway when feasible instead of a driving your car when traveling locally on business. If you have to rent a car, a growing number of rental agencies now offer hybrids and other high-mileage vehicles. Invest in videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel.

9. Reconsider your commute. Promote carpooling, biking or taking Metro to work. If you need to drive occasionally, consider joining a car-sharing service like Zipcar or Flexcar instead of owning your own wheels. Encourage telecommuting and make it easy for employees to take alternative modes of transportation by subsidizing commuter checks, offering bike parking, or organizing a carpool board.

10. Create a healthy office environment. Use non-toxic cleaning products around the office. And brighten up your cubicle with plants, which can absorb indoor pollution.

News & Info

• Civic Leaders Explore Climate Change, Mitigation Efforts at Sustainability Summit (May 29, 2008) A legion of stakeholders took the first steps May 28 in a collaborative effort to develop a region-wide sustainability policy at the first Sustainability Summit hosted by Metro.
• Metro, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition to Conduct Community Meetings on Bike and Pedestrian Access to Transit Hubs
  (May 28, 2008)Metro and the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition (LACBC) are holding a series of community meetings to discuss bike and pedestrian access to several Metro Rail stations and the Metro Orange Line.
• Board Agrees to Purchase Greener Metro Sedans
  (April 1, 2008) Nearly 150 of the oldest sedans in Metro’s fleet will soon be replaced with new Toyota Camry hybrids. The new hybrids will replace Ford Taurus sedans more than six years old or with more than 100,000 miles traveled.

Projects

Metro has been 'green' for years. Now that there's greater public interest in the sustainability aspects of an enterprise, we're more than happy to point out many of our ongoing projects that have significant benefits to the triple bottom line of sustainability: people, planet, and profits. Our projects and programs with sustainability significance fall into three categories: Clean Air and Greenhouse Gas Initiatives, Energy Related Activities and Program Support.

• Clean Air and Greenhouse Gas Initiatives
• Energy Related Activities
• Program Support

Clean Air and Greenhouse Gas Initiatives

Integrated Planning and Management
Metro is responsible for the planning of all transportation projects within Los Angeles County. An integrated approach to improving air quality includes coordinated planning of sustainable transportation corridors within the region. Projects and Studies | Long Range Transportation Plan

Commuter/Employer Programs
Metro's Commute Services Department coordinates a region-wide effort to promote the use of transit and other alternative ways of reducing car dependency in Southern California. Commute Services

Emission Reduction Efforts
Metro operates the nation's largest compressed natural gas fleet. Metro will continue to be the leader in exploring cleaner ways to operate its transit system. Service Sectors | Clean Fuel Program

Legislative Coordination
The pace of the development of greenhouse gas reduction regulations and initiatives has significantly accelerated in the last year. Close monitoring of legislation will help to ensure Metro's accurate response to the evolving greenhouse gas reduction landscape. Government Relations

Trade Group Coordination
Metro has been coordinating with various non-profit organizations regarding sustainability and climate change management actions. One of the most important tasks we are currently involved with is the development of appropriate protocols so that transit agencies like Metro can more accurately report and better represent their carbon footprint calculations.

Clean Air Task Force
Created in December 2006 to maximize Metro's efforts in improving air quality.

Congestion Reduction Task Force
The Board of Directors directed the CEO in June 2007 to work with Caltrans and other agencies, as appropriate, to develop a detailed operating plan with at least three options for implementing congestion pricing in Los Angeles County by 2010. Congestion Reduction Choices

Energy Related Activities

Energy Efficient and Sustainable Buildings
Metro is committed to designing and building structures that are greater than 10,000 square feet in area to meet or exceed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating. LEED certified buildings are manifest to our agency's efforts in promoting and adopting sustainable construction and development. Metro is Getting Greener | link | News 1/25/08 | News 2/02/06

Installation of Additional Solar Panels
Installation of renewable energy infrastructure such as solar panels in various Metro facilities is taking place to relieve Metro's reliance on supported electrical power. Metro has the largest solar panel installation in the transit industry. Metro is Getting Greener | News 9/20/07

Renewable Resource Exploration
Development of Wayside Energy Storage Substation (WESS) pilot project. A WESS in an energy storage system to store energy from train braking that can be brought back to the grid and can be reused by the trains when needed. Metro is also exploring the possible use of wind energy. Metro is Getting Greener

Program Support

Recycling and Reuse Policy
Metro has developed a policy to consider in all aspects of Planning, Construction, Operations, Procurement the reuse and recycling of materials in Metro and Metro-funded construction projects.

Sustainability Design Guidelines
Metro is currently developing Sustainability Design Guidelines that will be used for agencywide. The design guidelines shall incorporate sustainability elements, such as low impact development, recycled material usage, drought tolerant landscaping, reclaimed water use, etc.

Sustainability Transportation Corridor Development
Transit oriented development is currently being implemented system-wide.  There is also an on-going effort to incorporate sustainable elements in the design of the Canoga Transportation Corridor Locally Preferred Alternative.  Sustainable elements can include the use of drought tolerant plants, reclaimed water use, recycled or recyclable materials, non-structural stormwater treatment methods, energy conservation techniques, etc.

Sustainability Management System (SMS) Pilot Study
Develop a Sustainable Management System that incorporates the ISO 9001 (Quality), 14001 (Environment), and OHSAS 18001 (Safety) standards. This is a holistic approach towards creating a sustainable environment within the agency. Once implemented, secure ISO 9001 and 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification.

FTA Environmental Management System (EMS) Grant Application
FTA will assist Metro in developing an Environmental Management System for at least one "Fenceline" site.

Region-wide Sustainability Program Coordination
Metro recognizes that various City and County governments are doing their own sustainability efforts, and in order to be successful must align plans, actions, and programs with the other government agencies within the Los Angeles Basin.

Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Coordination
Ensure that Metro's Sustainability Efforts are in line with SCAG's Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP).

Smart Growth Partners Reducing Regional Carbon Footprint
Coordinate with Metro's Planning and Joint Development groups on Transit Oriented Development Partnerships.

Public/Private Partnership Sustainable Product Demonstrations
Coordinate with private entities to conduct sustainable product demonstrations.

Metro Communications Coordination
Metro Communications has a significant role in both capturing Metro's current sustainability efforts as well as communicating to the general public our specific views and actions on sustainability. Communications is the voice of Metro's sustainability efforts.

ADA Compliance Coordination
Staff must ensure compliance of sustainability projects with American with Disabilities Act requirements.

Procurement and Material Management Coordination
Metro's ability to influence sustainability efforts throughout the region can be implemented through the proper leverage of our procurement practices. It is imperative that Metro look into developing policy details to comply with GEN 51 and our sustainability Vision and Mission Statements.

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