Picture This! Earth Day 2009
This two-day event helps to clean and green Columbus each
year. Volunteer on Saturday (4/18) at various city-wide worksites
run by area environmental groups, including FLOW, Metro Parks, FACT,
Columbus Recreation and Parks, Sierra Club and many others. Come
for the celebration in Goodale Park on Sunday (4/19), which will
feature booths for environmental organizations, including a booth
from Ohio State, live music, local foods, speakers including Mayor
Michael B. Coleman, kids activities and much more. Visit picturethis09.org
for event details.
SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS AND FINANCE
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.
PARTNERSHIP WITH MORPC BRINGS VANPOOLING OPTION TO CAMPUS
In an effort to provide our customers with more transit options and in support of Business & Finance’s 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 vehciles 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.
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