Transportation Grounds

Sustainable Transportation and Grounds in UIC Report prepared by Transportation and Grounds Subcommittee Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Sustainable Transportation and Grounds in UIC Report prepared by Transportation and Grounds Subcommittee Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy April 2009 Committee Chair: Piyushimita Thakuriah Subcommittee Members: Pablo Acevedo Karin Allen Sayaka Araki Joseph Dijohn Darlene Ebel Daniel Fredman Cynthia Klein-Banai Danielle Inendino Kevin Monahan Wanda Perry Beth Sholtis ii Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Executive Summary The Transportation and Grounds Subcommittee, as part of the Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy, undertook the task of reviewing transportation and landscape and grounds practices on campus in terms of sustainability, efficiency and best practices. Following the recommendations of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Campus Sustainability and driven by UIC’s pledges to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and the Illinois Sustainable University Compact, the subcommittee identified issues, opportunities and concerns regarding transportation and landscape and grounds keeping on campus. The subcommittee’s comprehensive study has resulted in a set of short and long term recommendations to improve sustainability and achieve the goal of climate neutrality adopted by UIC. The policy statement and vision developed for this report dovetail with the UIC Master Plan Vision Statement and the strategies outlined in the UIC Climate Action Plan. The standards and reports which guided the subcommittee’s deliberation and analysis included university sustainability commitments, the Sustainability Tracking, Rating & Assessment Standards (STARS), Transportation Demand Management strategies and policies, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) standards and Urban Forestry and Arboriculture practices. These standards define current best practices and shape the pragmatic and wide-ranging collection of techniques and procedures recommended for UIC, maximizing the university’s advantageous location and access to services and programs. The objectives of the analysis undertaken as a part of this report are twofold; first, to understand travel and transportation use patterns by UIC students, staff and faculty and to identify areas where travel alternatives may exist; and second, to examine where opportunities may exist to incorporate sustainable grounds practices. The findings reported are based on analysis of existing data as well as a primary data collection: Sources of Data Analysis undertaken by the Urban Transportation Center: Analysis of the UTC’s Spatial Decision Support System, a market analysis of faculty and staff potential use of alternative modes of transportation. Survey of UIC U-PASS users to understand student travel behavior and incentives and programs that can be developed to encourage more transit usage by students. Information provided by UIC Facilities Management. Data on parking, vehicles and other amenities were provided. UIC Campus Commuter Survey, conducted by the Office of Sustainability looks at primary modes of transportation used to commute to UIC. iii Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Summary of Findings Assets and Services   UIC has a total of 41 parking lots with 11,944 parking spaces in the East and West campuses combined. UIC offers a variety of transportation services, including Intercampus shuttle buses, the Red Car/Off-Hour Paratransit Service, a Chauffeur service is also available and commuter buses which operate between the campus and major commuter train stations. The campus is strategically located with several city bus routes and train services that operate through the heart of campus. Campus fleet vehicles include those used for Campus Auto Rental Service, the campus police and vehicles used for on-site operations and maintenance. Currently, the institution’s motorized fleet emits 0.2 carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 e) per passenger mile traveled. UIC draws hundreds of thousands of business and academic visitors, special events attendees and patients annually, to various facilities across campus.     Demand Patterns  Overall, less than 25% of UIC faculty, students and staff who responded to the UIC Office of Sustainability Commuter Survey, reported that they drive the entire commute to campus. The remainder of the campus community uses multiple modes to travel an average of 15 miles each way per trip. Close to 38 percent of faculty and staff reside in zip codes where the transit availability is generally excellent to good. Close to 40 percent reside in areas within the six counties that have excellent pedestrian amenities; another 25 percent or so reside in areas with “Good” values of pedestrian accessibility. Employees residing in such areas, who are currently solo drivers to campus, may be considered for incentives, information and marketing to occasionally use transit to campus. Mode use has changed since 2001 due to the availability of the U-PASS and transit benefit. This has impacted intercampus shuttle ridership, decreasing usage by over 50%. Overall, there are enough “spatially clustered’ groups of faculty and staff to whom transit is not available. Employees in these spatially clustered groups may be better served with express buses, vanpools, carpools and other high occupancy modes. Almost 20 percent of UIC students live within 2 miles of campus and about 35 percent live within 5 miles. In FY2007, 3,109 students resided in campus housing in the east, south or west sides. Beginning in FY2008, 3,700 students resident on campus. Close to 90 percent of UIC students have a valid driver’s license and about 72 percent have a private vehicle available to them. More than 60 percent of UIC U-PASS users are “moderate intensity users” who ride the transit system between 32 and 106 times per semester. About 18 percent are “high intensity users” who ride the system 106 times per semester. Only 5 percent of U-PASS holders are non-users (never used the transit system at all during a semester). iv       Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Policy Statement Consistent with our mission of creating a sustainable urban campus, we recommend adopting a cost-effective, opportunistic and equitable short-term strategy towards the achieving the university’s sustainability goals and a long term strategy that incorporates modern, efficient and technologically innovative transportation and grounds systems and programs, enabling the University to respond to increasing demands while maximizing options and benefits and minimizing the negative impact on individuals, human health, and the environment. Recommendations This list consolidates the subcommittee’s recommendations by topic. Please refer to the expanded list of recommendations found on page 34. Recommendations for Transportation Transportation Demand There are numerous strategies that can be utilized to increase sustainable mode use in the UIC campus.                Boosting bicycle usage e.g. expanding the bike lane network, provide secure parking. Promote and expand UIC Transportation Benefit Program. Improve transit stop security and amenities. Adopt alternatives to air travel such as the use of videoconferencing, Hybrid rental vehicles or AMTRAK. Education and outreach. Ridesharing. Guaranteed ride home programs for emergency situations. Relieving Parking Services of the management of the Transit Benefit program. Travel training to faculty/students and students. Aggressively seek federal/state grant money. Specialized bus service such as express or subscription services. Analyze Shuttle Bus and Red Car services to improve efficiency. Review price of on-campus parking. An Ozone Action Day. Telecommuting and Compressed Work Week v Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Energy and Vehicles   Based on analyses made by the Campus Master Planning consultants, more direct routing of buses should be implemented. Engage the CTA in discussions as to whether there are opportunities to provide services to the entire campus community in more economical ways by utilizing and expanding on their existing bus routes. Continue to phase in hybrids and vehicles with higher fuel economy for the campus fleet. Evaluate whether car-sharing options such as I-Go or Zipcar could be utilized for campus travel purposes.   Recommendations for Grounds   Establishment of a Grounds Advisory Committee to assist in implementing listed tree and landscape guidelines (as in full report). Urban Forestry: adoption of an urban forestry program, such as Tree Campus USA that provides essential tools in supporting and recognizing grounds managers’ efforts, addresses long-term environmental sustainability and commits annual expenditures for tree care on campus. Utilization of the campus grounds as a resource for research, education and outreach at all levels. Sponsor outreach and educational events that engage community and support long term strategies. UIC should explore the possibility of obtaining funds for activities such as; quarterly information sessions to educate employees and hiring a grounds coordinator to manage sustainable landscape initiatives. Capture stormwater onsite Composting Reduce/eliminate irrigation       vi Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Table of Contents   Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................iii  Summary of Findings ................................................................................................... iv  Recommendations ............................................................................................................ v  Recommendations for Transportation ........................................................................... v  Recommendations for Grounds ................................................................................... vi  Table of Contents .............................................................................................................vii  Table of Figures .............................................................................................................. viii  Table of Tables ............................................................................................................... viii  Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1  Report Guidance ............................................................................................................... 3  Objectives of Analysis and Data ....................................................................................... 5  Existing Sources of Data ............................................................................................... 6  Primary Data Collection Effort ....................................................................................... 6  Major Findings ........................................................................................................... 7  Parking and Transit Benefit Use ................................................................................. 19  Campus Fleet .................................................................................................................. 24  Grounds Data .................................................................................................................. 27  Primary Data Collection Effort ..................................................................................... 28  Performance on STARS Standards ................................................................................ 28  UIC Campus Master Plan Initial Findings ....................................................................... 30  Summary of Major Findings ............................................................................................ 32  Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 34  Recommendations for Transportation ......................................................................... 34  Recommendations for Grounds .................................................................................. 44  vii Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Table of Figures Figure 1: Residential Locations of Faculty and Staff ......................................................... 9  Figure 2: Transit Availability to Faculty and Staff ............................................................ 10  Figure 3: Pedestrian Amenities available to Faculty and Staff ........................................ 11  Figure 4: Distribution of UIC Students Residence from Campus .................................... 12  Figure 5: Mode Split for UIC Commuters using one mode of Transportation ................. 13  Figure 6: Diurnal pattern of rides by U-PASS holders..................................................... 15 Figure 7: Reasons for using U-PASS.............................................................................. 18 Figure 8: Reasons for not using U-PASS........................................................................ 18 Figure 9: Total Parking Assignments by User Type ........................................................ 22 Figure 10: Parking Assignment by Location, East Side .................................................. 23 Figure 11: Parking Assignments by Location, West Side ............................................... 23 Figure 12: Transit Benefit Participation ........................................................................... 24 Figure 13: UIC Fleet Fuel Consumption.......................................................................... 25 Table of Tables Table 1: Mode Shares by commuter type for those using one mode* ............................ 14 Table 2: Mode Choice by Percentage of Use for those using three modes .................... 15 Table 3: Frequency distribution of respondent:rides taken per semester using U-PASS 17 Table 4: Parking Facility Information East Campus ........................................................ 20 Table 5: Parking Facility Information West Campus ....................................................... 21 Table 6: Daytime Intercampus, Total Passengers .......................................................... 26 Table 7: Evening Intercampus, Total Passengers .......................................................... 26 Table 8: Commuter Shuttle, Total Passengers ............................................................... 27 Table 9: Weekend and Holiday Intercampus, Total Passengers .................................... 27 viii Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Introduction The Transportation and Grounds (T & G) Subcommittee of the UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy has been assigned the task of reviewing transportation and landscape and grounds practices on campus and to develop recommendations to improve sustainability and environmentally friendly strategies in these areas. Towards this end, the subcommittee undertook a strategy of identifying the major issues and concerns in these areas, to collect relevant data and to develop a set of short-term that are practical, cost-effective and equitable and take advantage of available services and programs. The committee also recommends several long-term strategies that are the innovative and makes use of cutting-edge technology to improve sustainability practices. UIC has 25,000 students and over 12,000 faculty and staff. The campus is located west of the Chicago loop on approximately 240 acres. The campus has the nation’s largest medical school and over 100 buildings. Northeastern Illinois is a moderate non-attainment area for the 8-hour ozone standard and a non-attainment area for the annual fine particulate matter standard (PM2.5) (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, 2009). Cook County, in which UIC is located, has been ranked the county with the third highest level of carbon emissions in the U.S. (with 13,209,000 tons of carbon per year), after Harris County, TX and Los Angeles County, CA. (CleanBeta, 2009). Crain’s Chicago Business ranked UIC the 17th largest employer in the City of Chicago in 2003. The adoption of sustainable transportation and grounds policies and operations not only has the potential to harvest benefits that accrue to “early adopters”, but also to bring about benefits to the region as a whole. Sustainable Transportation and Grounds Sustainable transportation or sustainable mobility practices commonly address the environmental and ecological impacts of travel, including the influence of the transportation sector on energy consumption, greenhouse gases, air quality emissions, air and water quality and habitats. There are several definitions of sustainable transportation, many of which are restricted to the physical and environmental aspects of transportation; for example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defined sustainable transportation as: "Transportation that does not endanger public health or ecosystems and meets mobility needs consistent with (a) use of renewable resources at below their rates of regeneration and (b) use of non-renewable resources at below the rates of development of renewable substitutes” (OECD, 1994). However, over time, sustainable transportation has also emphasized the concepts of social equity and economic effectiveness. For example, the World Bank (1996) emphasized on three components: 1 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy the economic and financial component (which includes issues of adequacy of transportation infrastructure funding, organization and scale), the social component (which emphasizes on adequate access to transportation by all segments of society) and finally, the environmental and ecological component (with an emphasis similar to what was described earlier). Sustainable grounds emphasize the use of sustainable design principles in the planning, design, and maintenance of outdoor space. Design techniques include planting trees to shade buildings from the sun or protect them from wind, minimizing building heat and cooling requirements with vegetation, emphasizing plant longevity and health, reducing the need for potable water for irrigation, using local materials and buying stock from local growers, or within reasonable distances to avoid energy use in transportation. As in the case of sustainable transportation, sustainable grounds and landscapes consist of an environmental and ecological component, an economic component and a social justice and equity component. However, many times, definitions place greater emphasis on the environmental component, as in the case of the Sustainable Site Initiative (2008) report, the primary focus of which is the environment, including those aspects of economic feasibility and social equity that intersect with the environment. Vision of UIC Transportation and Grounds The vision of the UIC Sustainable Transportation and Grounds Subcommittee is to have transportation and grounds investments, planning and operations be driven by eco-friendly principles that target reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Subcommittee has put forward a series of benchmarks that are based on desirable outcomes rather than prescriptive measures, with the aspiration of enabling UIC to leverage advances in technology and educational practices and to inspire a change in thinking among administration, faculty, students and staff. The goal in doing so is not only to initiate economically feasible and equitable reductions in greenhouse gases but also to position the campus in the frontier of leadership among university campuses nationally in pioneering sustainable transportation and grounds practices. Policy Statement Consistent with our mission of creating a sustainable urban campus, we recommend adopting a balanced, cost-effective and equitable short-term strategy towards achieving the university’s sustainable transportation and grounds goals and a long term strategy that 2 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy incorporates modern, efficient and technologically innovative transportation and grounds systems and programs, thereby enabling the University to respond to increasing demands while maximizing options and benefits and minimizing the negative impact on individuals, human health, and the environment. Report Guidance The Subcommittee’s deliberations and analysis were guided by a set of commitments, standards and policies: firstly, the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and the Illinois Sustainable University Compact, secondly, the Sustainability Tracking and Rating Assessment (STARS) standards, which were developed through a collaborative effort by the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and secondly, strategies and policies that have developed over time in the transportation and landscape sectors, including Transportation Demand Management, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), Urban Forestry and Arboriculture practices. ACUPCC & Illinois Sustainable University Compact On September 14, 2007, UIC became an inaugural signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment that recognizes that colleges and universities must provide leadership in their communities by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions and by providing the knowledge and skills to students to address the critical challenges and develop solutions to the issues we face today. The first part of the commitment was to initiate two or more tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed. One of UIC’s tangible actions is to encourage the use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at our institution. In cooperation with the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council, chaired by then Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn, and universities and community colleges across Illinois, UIC joined the Illinois Sustainable University Compact on February 7, 2008. Among UIC’s six goals, pledged to be accomplish by December 31, 2010 is to promote more sustainable transportation options, such as purchasing hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles whenever practical, using renewable fuels for our campus fleet and establishing successful car-sharing and carpooling programs on campus. 3 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy STARS Standards The STARS standards are comprised of a credit system for sustainable operations. STARS is comprised of two types of credits: Tier One credits are worth one or more points and, where possible, are based on sustainability outcomes; Tier Two credits are worth less than one point and, in general, recognize strategies institutions can adopt to move toward sustainability. STARS points can be earned in three main areas: education and research, operations and administration and finance. Details may be found in AASHE (2008). Transportation and grounds are included under the operations category. Transportation credits can be obtained based on UIC’s performance on criteria relating to GHG emissions from UIC’s motorized fleet; Commute Modal Split (or the percentage of the institution’s faculty, students and staff who travel to campus by means other than Single Occupant Vehicles (SOV’s)); Commuter Options or the tools, incentives or programs available in UIC to encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation such as transit subsidies, bicycle facilities, awards programs and parking incentives for carpoolers; and air travel or the extent to which creative solutions have been instituted to reduce air travel emissions. STARS credits for grounds can be obtained under the Organic Campus category, which applies to institutions where only those pesticides and fertilizers that are allowable under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s standards for organic crop production are used and the extent to which non-potable water (or water that is not fit to drink but may be safely used for other purposes such as reclaimed water, gray water or rainwater) is used for irrigation. The Subcommittee’s findings regarding UIC’s performance in the STARS Transportation and Grounds components are given under the section on Findings. Other Policies and Strategies A variety of other policies and programs informed the Subcommittee about strategies to improve the sustainability of UIC’s transportation and grounds. Approaches that were mined from the variety of policies considered on the basis of feasibility, cost-effectiveness, possibility of innovation and level of match with UIC faculty and staff interest and equity. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) are a set of sustainable mobility practices, the objective of which are to reduce SOV car use or to otherwise distribute transportation demand over time and space. 4 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy The CMAQ program was instituted by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act and supports a variety of strategies targeted towards improving air quality. Other transportation programs that informed this report include transit practices, fleet management practices, employee commute options and community transportation concepts, employment transportation programs, bicycle and pedestrian programs, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Computational Transportation Science and a variety of other approaches. Urban forestry is the care, management and protection of urban forests and tree populations in urban areas, with the specific goal of raising public awareness of the importance of trees and protecting the urban environment. Arboriculture is the cultivation and management of trees and shrubs within the landscape. This includes the study of how trees grow and respond to cultural practices and the environment, as well as application of cultural techniques such as selection, planting, care, surgery and removal. Educational programs such as Project Learning Tree and Nature Explore Classroom served as the basis for the education and outreach aspects of the Grounds component. It is also recognized the current UIC Campus Master Planning process, will also provide short-term and long-term recommendations to improve campus transportation systems and grounds. Relevant principles in developing the plan include:  Enhance the inter-relationship between the campus and the community by ensuring that physical improvements promote way-finding, social interaction, pedestrian traffic and active use of outdoor spaces.  Improve the practical and symbolic bonds unifying the east and west sides of campus, reducing impediments to the flow of people and implementing way-finding, landscape features and edge treatments that highlight an urban campus identity.  Identify opportunities to make physical improvements to enhance campus sustainability and thereby reduce its carbon footprint and conserve natural resources. Objectives of Analysis and Data The objectives of the analysis undertaken as a part of this report are:  To understand travel and transportation use patterns by UIC and students, staff and faculty and to identify areas where travel alternatives may exist;  To examine where opportunities may exist to incorporate sustainable grounds practices. 5 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy The findings reported in this section are based on analysis of existing data as well as a primary data collection: Existing Sources of Data  Analysis undertaken by the Urban Transportation Center: - Analysis of the UTC’s Spatial Decision Support System, a geospatial database of indicators on the Chicago metro area’s economic, social and physical aspects: This analysis allowed us to obtain aggregate-level understanding of where UIC faculty and staff reside, the characteristics of their neighborhoods, their possibility of using transit and other higher occupancy modes of transportation – in other words, a market analysis of faculty and staff potential use of alternative modes of transportation. - Survey of UIC U-PASS users conducted as part of the Center’s grant funded by the Chicago Transit Authority, in fall 2008 and summarized in a master’s thesis by Swarup (2009). U-PASS is a program administered by the CTA, under which students have to pay a certain fee each semester for unlimited usage in CTA trains and buses for that semester. The same service is offered in Pace suburban bus service. The survey was administered to those full-time students at UIC who received (or were eligible to receive) U-Passes during 2003-2007. A total of 3,327 completed surveys were received. The purpose of using data from this survey is to understand student travel behavior and incentives and programs that can be developed to encourage more transit usage by students. Data provided by UIC Facilities Management. Information on parking, vehicles, ridership, fuel consumption, program costs, and other amenities was provided. .  Primary Data Collection Effort  UIC Campus Commuter Survey, conducted by the Office of Sustainability. This survey was conducted as part of the active transportation program that UIC participates in with the Chicago Department of Transportation and was partially funded by a National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Fellowship to refine UIC’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The Office of Sustainability surveyed the UIC campus community in November and December 2008 regarding the primary modes of transportation used to commute to UIC. Responses from 2785 UIC campus community members were used to prepare this analysis. Respondents identified themselves as faculty, staff, full-time students, or parttime students. 6 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Major Findings UIC has a total of 41 parking lots with 11,944 parking spaces in the East and West campuses combined. Intercampus shuttle buses provide service between East, West and South campuses. Oncampus paratransit service is available with appropriate authorization for UIC faculty, students and staff with disabilities. The Red Car/OffHour Paratransit Service is an escort service that provides transportation to university employees, students, visitors, and other authorized individuals between university facilities and from university facilities to points of public transportation, or to private residences within a designated area and a Chauffeur service is also available. Commuter buses operate between the campus and the Union and Northwestern Metra train stations. The Chicago Transit Authority operates several bus routes through the campus area and the Blue line “El” goes through the north and west side of campus. Campus fleet vehicles include those used for Campus Auto Rental Service, the campus police, departmental use, and vehicles used for on-site operations and maintenance. UIC has 25,000 students and over 12,000 faculty and staff. Visitors, hospital patients and special event attendees also add to the demand for transportation and use of grounds facilities. In FY2007, meetings and conferences on campus hosted 397,572 guests at 10,268 meetings in the UIC Student Centers. A total of 331,757 visits were made to the Student Recreation Facility and 155,395 were made to the Sport and Fitness Center. This included 17,264 unique individuals. The UIC Pavilion attracted 296,044 people to 125 events. Attendance at events sponsored by Campus Programs was 176,991. UIC Flames home basketball games drew 74,254 sports fans. Residential Locations and Commuting Distances Figure 1 shows a map of zipcodes where UIC faculty and staff reside. While faculty and staff reside in neighborhoods that are scattered all over the six-county Northeastern Illinois region (comprising Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, McHenry and Kane counties), there are clusters of areas within 10-15 miles with high concentrations of faculty and staff. Commuters typically decide on the mode of transportation to use not only on the basis of convenience and cost of different options, but also on the basis of the availability of the options to them. For this reason, we have analyzed the extent to which taking transit or walking are options to UIC faculty and staff. Figure 2 shows the level of transit availability in the Chicago metro area, with the intensity of UIC faculty/staff superimposed by graduated dots, which are indicative of the number of faculty/staff. The Transit Availability Index (TAI) is a 7 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy composite index giving the extent to which residents have access to transit (bus and rail). The TAI measure is based on three input measures – frequency (person-minutes served), hours of service (number of hours) and service coverage (percentage of the area covered). Close to 38% of faculty and staff reside in zipcodes where the TAI values are excellent to good. Another indicator of the ability of faculty and staff to use alternative modes of transportation is the extent to which their neighborhoods are pedestrian friendly. Figure 3 shows the extent to which faculty and staff resides in areas that are pedestrian friendly as measured by a Pedestrian Friendliness Index (PFI). The PFI is a composite index ranking tract suitability for non-motorized travel including pedestrian and bike travel. The PFI is calculated with input values of population, income, number of households, amount of commercial and residential land uses as a percentage of census tracts, weighted pedestrian trip origins and destinations from the census journey to work data, and Pedestrian Environment Factor (PEF) values, where PEF’s are the average number of blocks for the quarter section within each census tract and the eight adjacent quarter sections. Close to 40% of UIC faculty and staff reside in areas within the six counties that have excellent PFI levels; another 25% or so reside in areas with “Good” values of PFI. These patterns are indicative of the necessary infrastructure being there for a large number of faculty staff to be able to access transit, express bus and other higher occupancy modes of travel. Figures 2 and 3 also show that there are enough “spatially clustered’ groups of faculty and staff to whom transit is not available or who do not reside in areas which are conducive to biking or walking. Employees in these spatially clustered groups may be better served with express buses, vanpools, carpools and other high occupancy modes. The distribution of distances at which students live from campus is shown in Figure 4. Almost 20% of UIC students live within 2 miles of campus and about 35% live within 5 miles. In FY2007, 3,109 students resided in campus housing in the east, south or west sides. Students also share apartments or have other types of shared housing in the Taylor Street, Pilsen and Tri-Taylor areas. Many students also live in neighborhoods along the CTA Blue line. However, a large number of students appear to be commuting more than 25 miles to come to school. Close to 90% of UIC students have a valid driver’s license and about 72% have a private vehicle available to them. 8 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 1: Residential Locations of Faculty and Staff 9 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 2: Transit Availability to Faculty and Staff 10 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 3: Pedestrian Amenities available to Faculty and Staff 11 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 4: Distribution of UIC Students Residence from Campus 25 Percent of Students 20 15 10 5 0 0-1 1-2 3-5 6-8 9-11 12-15 16-18 19-21 22-25 > 25 Miles from Campus Note: Not all students’ campus addresses were provided in the source data, therefore there are a large number of students with addresses > 25 miles. Commute Mode Split A little over half (55.4%) of the UIC Office of Sustainability Commute survey respondents, use one mode of transportation to commute to UIC. The average distance traveled by those using one mode of transportation is 11 miles. The mode split of commuters who use one mode from their trip from home to UIC is given in Figure 5. Approximately 43% of these commuters drive alone, 18% use the CTA “El” and 11% use CTA or Pace bus. About 7% reported biking and another 8% reported walking to campus. 12 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 5: Mode Split for UIC Commuters using one mode of Transportation Mode Split by Percentage One travel mode only  3% 2% 7% 8% Drive Alone 43% 8% "El" CTA or PACE Bus Carpool Walk Bike 11% MetraRail Intercampus or Semester Express Shuttle 18% The mode shares by type of commuter who reported using only one mode is given in Table 1. Across all types of commuters, the percent of individuals driving alone is the highest for all types of modes. Staff are most likely to drive, followed by part-time students and then faculty. Staff are also most likely to carpool. Full-time students are the most likely to use public transportation (CTA el, CTA or Pace bus or Metra Commuter Rail). Reflecting the close proximity in which students reside to campus, full-time students are also the most likely to use non-motorized transportation (bike and walk) to campus.  13 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Table 1: Mode Shares by commuter type for those using one mode* T h Drive Alone CTA “El” Bus Carpool T Walk h Bike e Metra Rail Intercampus or Express Shuttle T Full-time Student 22.5 24.9 18.8 2.7 13.0 12.2 1.7 4.1 Part-time Students 51.2 23.8 4.8 7.1 2.4 9.5 1.2 0 Faculty 45.7 17.6 4.5 10.4 5.0 10.0 4.1 2.7 Staff 56.1 12.3 7.6 11.5 4.6 3.5 3.3 1.1 *Short-distance walking may be involved in accessing transit stops and stations The number of modes used tends to increase with the distance traveled from home to campus. The average distance traveled for those using two modes is 20 miles; for those using three modes, 28 miles. Approximately 44.6% of the survey respondents use two or more transportation modes to get to UIC. Metra users lead the group of commuters who use two modes of transportation to UIC. Of those who drive for the first segment of the commute to UIC, 55% drive to the “El” and 24% drive to Metra. Those who take Metra for the first segment of the commute to UIC, about 94% travel more than 10 miles on Metra and 67% travel 20 miles or farther Those who walk or bike for the first segment of the commute to UIC, about 80% walk and 20% ride a bicycle. About 65% of these nonmotorized trips are 1 mile or less, 13% are 2 miles and 14% are reported to be between 3 and 5 miles.   The average distance traveled by those who use three modes of transportation to get to UIC is 28 miles. Table 2 gives the distribution of respondents with first, second or third mode choices. About 18% of survey respondents use three modes of transportation to get to UIC. Close to 40% of this group identifies as full-time students and all use the U-Pass. The first segment of the commute for this group is mixed; almost 37% drive to transit and 22% walk. Transit is the mode of choice for the second segment of the commute; 89% of this group use Metra, the “El” or a bus for the second part of their commute. The last segment of the commute to UIC tends to be a shorter distance, but the mode varies. 32% take a bus, 30% walk and 24% take the “El.” The overall commute pattern for this group consists of a trip of short distance (less than five miles) followed by a long distance trip, ending with a short distance.     14 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy   Table 2: Mode Choice by Percentage of Use for those using three modes First Mode Share Drive Alone %of Use 37% Second Mode Share Metra %of Use 57% Walk 22% CTA (or PACE) 13% Bus Metra 11% Carpool Bike 8% 6% “El” 20% CTA (or PACE) 12% Bus Walk 4% Bike Intercampus or Commuter Shuttle Drive Alone 2% 2% Third Mode Share CTA or PACE Bus Walk “El” Intercampus Shuttle Commuter Shuttle Bike % of Use 32% 30% 24% 8% 3% 2% “El” 4% 2% Metra 2% Schedules and Arrival Times Work schedules are an important component of travel demand. Academic institutions are likely to have a greater percentage of workers who are on variable schedules, compared to private businesses and government agencies, which are more likely to operate during the usual “9 to 5” times. In UIC, staff and part-time students have the most predictable schedules. Faculty members tend to be on campus during the business day with a somewhat varied schedule, while full-time students have the greatest schedule variety, with more than 25% stating that their schedules vary considerably. The distribution of rides made by U-PASS holders is given, by type of day (weekday or weekend day) in Figure 6. For weekday rides, it can be seen that the peak time period is the midday period (9AM-3PM). Thus, student U-PASS holders do not have the typical travel profiles of commuters in general – for general commuters, there is a morning peak of transit rides (6AM-10AM) and an evening peak (3PM-7PM). Looking at the time distribution of trips over the weekend (which are in all likelihood, discretionary or recreational trips), the peak hours for UPass trips are the midday time period (9AM to 3PM) and the evening time period (6PM-9PM). One implication of this pattern is that the UPASS program is helping boost transit ridership during time periods when it does not typically have high volumes of riders. 15 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 6: Diurnal pattern of rides by U-PASS holders 50.00% Rides per Semester 40.00% 40.08% 30.00% 28.71% 20.00% 22.22% 19.40% 24.87% 27.71% 20.28% 10.00% 3.90% 0.00% 6 AM-9 AM 9 AM-3 PM 3 PM-6 PM 9.47% 3.37% 6 PM-9 PM 9 PM-6 AM Time of Day ♦ Weekday ■ Weekend U-PASS Use Patterns The U-PASS first came to UIC in the fall of 2001 for undergraduate students. The addition of the graduate students from the Graduate College, College of Pharmacy, and School of Public Health started in fall 2002. On August 5th 2004, the Regional Transit Authority Board approved an agreement for Pace buses to accept all CTA fare cards, including the U-PASS. This was discontinued January 1, 2009. The renewal of the U-PASS program and nonrefundable CTA transportation fee included undergraduate students and graduate students from the Graduate College, College of Pharmacy, School of Public Health, and Doctorate of Physical Therapy program, as well as the addition of College of Dentistry students and the M1 and M2 students from the College of Medicine beginning fall 2005. College of Medicine students voted 72% in favor of having the U-PASS available to all classes beginning summer 2007. Every year the students must vote on a referendum each April to approve the U-PASS for the following year. It continues to have strong support. The student U-PASS program has been a successful application of a transit program to assist in student mobility. Table 3 shows the frequency distribution of rides taken per semester using U-PASS. More than 60 percent of UIC U-PASS users are “moderate intensity users” who ride the transit system between 32 and 106 times per semester. About 18% are “high intensity users” who ride the system 106 times per semester. Only 5% of U-PASS holders are non-users (never used the transit system at all during a semester). 16 17 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Table 3: Frequency distribution of respondents by rides taken per semester using U-PASS Frequency Non-Users (0 rides per semester) Low Intensity Users (0106 rides per semester) Total 164 512 1,885 556 3,117 Percent 5.30 16.45 60.43 17.82 100.00 Cumulative Percent 5.30 21.75 82.18 100.00 U-PASS users were asked for reasons why they used the U-Pass and the non-users were asked for reasons for which they did not use the U-Pass. Given below, in Figures 7 and 8 are the reasons outlined by students for both using and not using U-Pass respectively. Reasons such as ease of use and overall convenience have the highest ratings as reasons for using the U-Pass. These are followed by reduced expenditure on parking and current high parking costs, no need to carry change for transit and reduction in traffic and congestion. Thus, in the minds of the users, transit service related factors rank low when it comes to their playing a part in U-Pass usage and convenience to the user ranks higher. On the other hand, when it comes to reasons for not using the UPass, excessive waiting times for buses/trains has the highest rating. This is followed by availability of a private vehicle at all times, transit being too slow and limited service at night. Therefore, non-users of the U-Pass regard drawbacks in transit service as an important reason for not using transit. Also, the availability of a private vehicle plays an important role. 17 18 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 7: Reasons for using U-PASS I H Reason for Using the U-Pass G F E D C B A 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 6.10 5.76 6.79 8.16 7.01 8.51 8.27 7.43 8.50 7 8 9 Average Rating A: Overall convenience B: To avoid traffic and congestion C: Reduction in expenditure on parking/ high parking costs D: Ease of use E: Fast and reliable transit service F: No need to carry change G: Environmental reasons H: It provides health benefits I: Lack of any other options Figure 8: Reasons for not using U-PASS J I Reason for Not Using the U-Pass 5.69 4.88 4.76 3.71 6.32 4.78 6.08 4.84 5.09 6.20 0 1 2 3 Mean Rating H G F E D C B A 4 5 6 7 A: A private vehicle is available for me all the time B: I require a private vehicle for the various trips that I take during the day C: Transit is too crowded D: Transit is too slow E: I need to transfer too many times F: Waiting time for buses/ trains is excessive G: Transit service is not available in my area H: Safety concerns I: CTA stations and buses are not clean J: Service at night is very limited 18 19 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Parking and Transit Benefit Use UIC has a total of 41 parking lots with 11,944 parking spaces in the East and West campuses combined, with a foot print of 43.7 acres. UIC Parking Services is a self-supporting entity that uses its revenue solely to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain parking facilities at the University. The parking program also absorbs the displacement costs for surface lots used for academic buildings. State funds made available to the University are not used to subsidize departmental operations nor pay the fees for its users. Daily parking utilization is approximately 64% (81% west campus, 50% east campus). The medical community parking needs affords the university opportunity to allocate parking space more efficiently. UIC Parking costs for Keycard parking for FY09:  $67.74/month for an unreserved stall  $109.64/month for a reserved stall  $45.42/month for nights only The daily rate in a parking facility is $10 and Pavilion event parking is $10-13 per event. Coupons are available in packages of 100 and 10 at that provide a small discount to the daily rate. Units will often purchase a reciprocal parking pass for employees that need to work frequently on the “other” side of campus. On an annual basis this comes to $156. The cost of parking is much lower than in downtown Chicago. The Chicago Tribune, in August of 2007, identified the average monthly parking rate in the city of Chicago as $350, with a median daily rate of $28.00. Parking prices have since increased. Special events on campus can generate 100% parking lot utilization in the parking areas close to the venue. Parking utilization per lot is shown in the following tables. 19 20 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Table 4: Parking Facility Information East Campus UIC Parking Facility Information East (& South) Campus Lot Name 1A 1B Address 1109 W. Harrison 1139 W. Harrison Lot Type Card Access Card Access, Visitor Total Stalls 456 414 #Assigned 426 316 Utilization Percentage 93.42% 76.33% 4 Polk 761 W. Polk Card Access, Visitor,Pay per Space- 60, (inc. in space count) 93 0 5 6 8 9/9A 10 11 12 14 14 18A 20 HRPS HTPS MSPS 1135 S. Morgan 1135 S. Halsted 401 S. Peoria 501 S. Morgan 900 W. Taylor 1055 W. Congress Pkwy. 808 S. Clinton 1245 S. Newberry 729 W. Rochford 1215 W. Congress Pkwy. 1101 W. Taylor 1100 W. Harrison 760 W. Taylor 701 W. Maxwell Card Access, Visitor, Meter- 35, Motorcycle- 13 Card Access Reserved Card Access, Visitor Reserved Card Access Card Access Card Access, Visitor Visitor Card Access, Meter- 36 Card Access Card Access, Visitor Card Access, Visitor Card Access, Visitor 846 364 18 353 67 139 22 127 153 68 10 1237 1513 647 740 167 16 184 45 118 10 0 0 0 8 764 1,394 262 87.47% 45.88% 88.89% 52.12% 67.16% 84.89% 45.45% 80.00% 61.76% 92.13% 40.49% 20 21 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Table 5: Parking Facility Information West Campus UIC Parking Facility Information West Campus Lot Name A3 A4 AOB B2 B4 C1 C4 E E4 F F4 G G4 H J K L M N1 O W3 W4 W5 PSPS WSPS Wood St. Mtr Address 1934 W. Taylor 1937 W. Taylor 860 S. Paulina 900 S. Wolcott 1836 W. Grenshaw 805 S. Wolcott 1119 S. Wolcott 820 S. Paulina 1121 S. Hermitage 901 S. Paulina 1135 S. Paulina 921 S. Marshfield 1138 S. Ashland 1101 S. Paulina 1637 W. Taylor 1617 W. Taylor 1818 W. Taylor 1728 W. Washburne 713 S. Wood 1210 S. Wood 2030 W. Polk 1007 S. Hoyne 1022 S. Hoyne 915 S. Paulina 1100 S. Wood 1019 S. Wood Lot Type Card Access Card Access Card Access Card AccessDisabled, Visitors Card Access Reserved Card Access, Visitor,Dialysis- 25 (included in space Total Stalls 60 75 9 54 65 29 118 314 29 94 66 191 31 95 110 80 6 229 25 116 52 33 118 1,124 2,310 58 # Assigned 66 61 Parking Utilization Percentage 110.00% 81.33% 0.00% 0.00% 65 22 142 248 22 77 71 216 27 91 103 93 100.00% 75.86% 120.34% 78.98% 75.86% 81.91% 107.58% 113.09% 87.10% 95.79% 93.64% 116.25% 0.00% Reserved, Card Access, Visitor Card Access Card Access Card Access Card Access Card Access Card Access Card Access,Meters10 Card Access Visitors Card Access, Meters= 17: 9 on Washburne, 8 in lot 247 21 131 50 37 142 1,577 2,442 0 107.86% 84.00% 112.93% 96.15% 112.12% 120.34% 140.30% 105.71% N/A Card Access Card Access Card Access Card Access Card Access Card Access, Visitor Card Access, Visitor Meters (inc. in space count) 21 22 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Data provided by Parking Services is displayed in Figures 9, 10 and 11. Parking permits charts show the change in the number of permit holders by certain classifications for the years FY01-09. There has been a 33% overall decrease in permit holders. This decrease is particularly evident for students (230%) and aligns with the implementation of the U-PASS program in 2001 on campus. Residents also show a significant reduction in parking use (25%), although they do not have access to the U-PASS. The other categories have remained fairly constant, given change in population. During the years 2004 to 2008, the overall population of students increased 8.7% and the population of faculty and staff increased 5%. An interesting comparison can be made between the east and west side data. There has been a 38% decrease among non-academic employee parking permits on the east side, whereas there has been a slight increase on the west side. This may be partially due to the reduction in non-academic employees of the years. Figure 9: Total Parking Assignments by User Type Total Parking Assignments by User Type 7000 6000 Number of Parking Assignments 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Students Residents Academic Non-Academic Nurses 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06 20 07 Fiscal Year 20 08 20 09 22 23 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Figure 10: Parking Assignment by Location, East Side Parking Assignment by Location EAST SIDE N umber of P arking A ssignments 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Students Academic Non-Academic 02 01 04 20 20 20 20 20 20 Fiscal Year Figure 11: Parking Assignments by Location, West Side Parking Assignments by Location WEST SIDE 2500 Number of Assignments 2000 1500 1000 500 0 02 04 01 05 06 07 03 08 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 09 20 20 20 08 03 05 06 07 09 Students Residents Academic Non-Academic Nurses Fiscal Year The Pre-Tax Qualified Transportation Program is based on a revision in the Internal Revenue Service Code that allows benefits eligible employees to realize income tax savings by paying for commuting expenses with pre-tax dollars. There is no direct benefit to the university since employees that participate in the program do not pay FICA. The Transit Benefit is managed through Parking Services. The 23 24 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy estimated annual administrative cost for the Transit Benefit Program is $60,786. The transit benefit chart (Figure 12) describes the change in number of subscribers to the program for years FY02-09. The Academic designation includes faculty and academic professionals. Non-academic includes civil service staff. The number of academic participants has increased 233% while the number of non-academic participants has increased only 26%. During the years 2004 to 2008 the faculty and staff population has increased 5%. Figure 12: Transit Benefit Participation Transit Benefit Participation Total Participation 1000 800 600 400 200 0 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06 20 07 20 08 20 09 Academic Participants Non-Academic Participants Fiscal Year Campus Fleet The Department of Transportation and Grounds under Facilities Management operates the campus fleet. It participates in the Illinois Green Fleets Program. The Illinois Green Fleets Program is a voluntary program where businesses, government units, and other organizations in Illinois gain recognition and additional marketing opportunities for having clean, green, domestic, renewable, American fuel vehicles in their fleet. It is a program to recognize a fleet manager's progressive efforts in using environmentally friendly vehicles and fuels to improve air quality while promoting our domestic fuels for greater national energy security. (http://www.illinoisgreenfleets.org/fact-sheet.html#1). In addition, there is a Federal requirement that 70% of new vehicle acquisitions must be flex-fuel vehicles so the department has been purchasing a combination of hybrids and E-85 flex-fuel vehicles. UIC has been meeting that requirement. In Fall 2008, the campus fleet was comprised of 233 vehicles including 4 biofuel (CNG) grounds trucks, 10 CNG buses, 2 CNG 24 25 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy vans, 3 diesel buses, 24 other diesel vehicles, 26 E-85 vehicles, 4 hybrid Ford Escapes, 1 hybrid Malibu, 5 hybrid Priuses, and the remainder are gasoline powered vehicles. UIC operates its own garage and fueling station that supplies gasoline, diesel, and compressed natural gas (CNG). There is no E-85 tank so gasoline is utilized in the E-85 vehicles. Some of the buses operate on natural gas. However, due to high maintenance costs, more recently purchased buses have used diesel. Fleet fuel consumption is displayed in Figure 13. Since FY2006 there has been a slight decrease in fuel consumption. The sharp increase is natural gas consumption between 2005 and 2006 is due to differing sources in data, as the meter on the natural gas tank was not functioning properly. Figure 13: UIC Fleet Fuel Consumption UIC Fleet Fuel Consumption 140,000 120,000 100,000 Gallons 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 2005 2006 2007 2008 Fiscal Year 7,000 6,000 MMBtu 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 Gasoline Fleet Diesel Fleet Natural Gas Fleet The campus shuttle system is comprised of several routes that are funded through various mechanisms:    The intercampus shuttle system runs a circuitous route, 7-days a week between the east and west sides of campus and surrounding neighborhoods. It is serves faculty, staff and students at no charge and is funded by Facilities Management. The frequency and routing various slightly depending on the time of day and whether it is a weekday or weekend and whether classes are in session. The semester express primarily serves the students living in the south campus residence halls and has limited stops, running twice an hour during peak travel times during the week when classes are in session. This route is funded by Campus Auxiliary Services. The UIC Commuter Buses operate between the UIC campus, Union and Northwestern Train Stations at scheduled times 25 26 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy during the work week. Riders pay a $2.00 per trip fare that must be purchased in packets of 10 tickets. This route designed to be self-supporting. The Red Car/Off-Hour Paratransit Service is an escort service that provides transportation to university employees, students, visitors, and other authorized individuals between university facilities and from university facilities to points of public transportation, or to private residences within a designated area. This route is funded by Facilities Management. On-campus Paratransit Service is available seven days a week for students, faculty and staff with disabilities. This route is funded by Facilities Management.   Records of ridership for all the routes were reviewed for the years FY01 to FY07. With the exception of the Red Car and the Paratransit services, there has been a steady decrease in ridership on these services (See Tables 6 to 9). This is most likely attributed to the introduction of the U-Pass on campus making multiple routes available to students. Also, the availability of the Metra Link pass with routes from campus to the Metra stations, decreased frequency of service, and the increased cost of the Commuter Shuttle has probably contributed to the reduction in passengers. Table 6: Daytime Intercampus, Total Passengers DAYTIME INTERCAMPUS TOTAL PASSENGERS FY07 FISCAL YEAR FY05 FY03 FY01 0 200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000 Table 7: Evening Intercampus, Total Passengers EVENING INTERCAMPUS TOTAL PASSENGERS FY07 FISCAL YEAR FY05 FY03 FY01 0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 140000 160000 180000 200000 26 27 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Table 8: Commuter Shuttle, Total Passengers COMMUTER SHUTTLE TOTAL PASSENGERS FY07 FISCAL YEAR FY05 FY03 FY01 0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000 Table 9: Weekend and Holiday Intercampus, Total Passengers WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY INTERCAMPUS TOTAL PASSENGERS FY07 FY06 FISCAL YEAR FY05 FY04 FY03 FY02 FY01 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 Grounds Data Implementation of environmentally sustainable grounds operation practices is predicated on the campuses ability to measure and quantify the cost benefits. Collection of baseline data and ongoing analysis of this data will facilitate accountability, identify ‘hot spots’ in grounds operations and provide a method for identifying and prioritizing future projects. UIC has over 5100 trees and 90.7 acres of green space. UIC has begun to utilize some sustainable grounds and landscaping practices. UIC has installed a cistern to capture run-off from the roof on the UIC Forum and the water will be utilized to irrigate the plantings in the area. In 2008, a green roof was installed on the Architecture and Arts Building and another green roof is planned for the Behavioral Sciences Building in summer 2009. UIC collects all landscaping waste for off-site composting. Typically, 150-200 tons of landscape material is composted. Irrigation has been reduced over the years, primarily due to budget cuts that don’t allow proper 27 28 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy maintenance of irrigation systems. Native species and plants that are suitable for Illinois climate without irrigation are being used near recent and new construction such as the east Recreation Center and Lincoln Hall. Evaluation and benchmarking improvements in environmental quality include the following: 1) Inventory grounds equipment owned and contracted, fuel consumption, supplies such as fertilizer, snow-melt, pesticides, 2) Identify equipment replacement options and guidelines for future purchase 3) Perform air, water, soil testing 4) Calculate costs for mowing, trimming, labor, equipment and supplies for tree planting, maintenance and removal, value of volunteer labor (# of hours × $18), contributions from student or civic organizations; maintenance of campus tree inventory, tree management and public education related to the campus tree care plan, professional training, and dues for related association memberships 5) Amount of water for used for irrigation or frequency and location of irrigation sites Primary Data Collection Effort  Tree Campus USA and Tree Care Plan Performance on STARS Standards The Sustainability Tracking and Rating Assessment (STARS) developed through a collaborative effort by the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is comprised of a credit system for sustainable operations. In the category of transportation UIC meets some of the criteria but could achieve more points.  Currently, the institution’s motorized fleet emits 0.2 carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per passenger mile traveled, achieving one point. We could achieve 2 points by having no CO2e per passenger mile traveled (carbon neutral fleet). Another credit is given for having a specified percentage of the institution's faculty, staff and students getting to and from campus by a means other than single occupancy vehicle for the majority of their daily trips. Alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle transportation include walking, bicycling, van or carpooling, taking public transportation, or riding a campus shuttle. Currently, 76% of  28 29 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy the campus community gets to and from campus by alternate means, giving us two points which is given to an institution that has more than 50% of the institution’s population primarily using preferable modes of transportation. We could achieve 3 points if more than 95% of institution’s population primarily would use preferable modes of transportation. We have not achieved credits for commuter options by meeting the criteria for being recognized by the Best Workplaces for Commuters program. This credit recognizes institutions with strong programs in place to encourage employees to use preferable modes of transportation. The National Standard of Excellence in commuter benefits, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is used to determine whether employers qualify for designation under the Best Workplaces for Commuters program. To encourage their employees to bike, walk, carpool, or take mass transit to and from campus, institutions can implement a variety of programs, incentives, and facilities. Examples of such tools include transit subsidies, bicycle facilities, awards programs, and parking incentives for carpoolers. UIC has some of these programs in place but would need more incentives to meet these criteria. We also have not achieved the credit for an Organic Campus which requires the institution to apply to its grounds only pesticides and fertilizers that are allowable under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s standards for organic crop production. We would be more likely to utilize Integrated Pest Management in the near term (a Tier 2 credit). Another STARS criterion relates to the percentage of irrigation water needs met with non-potable water. An institution that gets 50% of its needs met gets one point and 100% non-potable water for irrigation gives 2 points. UIC does not currently use any non-potable water for irrigation but will use some at the Forum from the cistern that will be installed as soon as the plaza is completed. UIC does meet the criteria for several Tier 2 credits including landscaping with native species, inventorying and mapping all campus trees and other landscape assets, and composting yard waste. UIC does not meet the criteria for the following:  Develop and implement a rainwater management plan to filter and mitigate rainwater runoff  Use permeable pavement  Follow best management practices for snow and ice removal  Is recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA program  Grass-cycles grass trimmings Excerpts from UIC Campus Master Plan Phase I Draft report (4-1409) 29 30 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy UIC Campus Master Plan Initial Findings The UIC Campus Master Planning process began in the fall of 2008 and will continue for about 18 months. The Vision Statement for the plan (dated November 26, 2008) states that: The UIC Campus of the Future will be a public destination that integrates the learning environment for scholarship with the urban vitality of a global Chicago. At UIC, students, faculty, staff, alumni, collaborators, visitors, neighbors, donors, friends, and potential development partners and other stakeholders will experience a vibrant campus – featuring sustainable buildings and landscapes – that engages the learner, satisfies the curious, inspires the creative and attracts the passerby. Initial findings from the Phase I work that are relevant to this report are as follows:  Pedestrian Connection - A viable pedestrian corridor between the east and west sides of UIC would improve the sense of campus unity. However, as many reading this document will know, walking from the center of one side of campus to the other can take as long as thirty minutes. Hence, while a pedestrian connection might still be sought, other means of transportation will need to be re-established to make the everyday trek between east and west work efficiently. Bike Lanes - The connections between the two sides of the campus and between the campus and city could be enabled through bike lanes. Bus Routes - UIC provides shuttle buses for students and faculty to connect the east Side of campus to the west. Presently, the routes of these buses are too circuitous to provide an efficient connection and the buses are commonly slow and late. Further, this diagram shows that the buses don’t connect the centers of the two sides of campus; rather, the buses concentrate on peripheral roads such as Harrison Street and provide too many stops at “front doors” of buildings. Opportunities for more efficient routes will be considered. CTA Bus Routes - CTA buses have routes that are far more direct and efficient than those of the UIC busses. There could be an opportunity to eliminate or reduce the UIC routes and provide all UIC people with CTA passes for transport between the two sides of campus. Additionally, the CTA routes prove that bus transit is possible on direct roads between east and west campus, such as Taylor Street.    30 31 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy  CTA Trains - CTA trains are providing an efficient means of transportation to campus from off-campus residential areas. However, while CTA Trains offer a good opportunity to connect each side of campus to the city through existing infrastructure, they unfortunately do not provide a direct connection between the east and west sides of campus without first being routed through the Loop. Without some CTA changes, this mode of public transportation is not viable for connecting all sides of campus.  Pedestrian Use of Open Space - West Side pedestrian circulation is primarily along street sidewalks and perpendicular mid-block alleys. Diagonal walkways occur in interior courtyards at the center of the west Side. The heaviest concentration of pedestrian circulation occurs along the Taylor St sidewalk, between Wolcott and Paulina, corresponding with the entrance to the UIC Medical Center. On the east side, pedestrian routes weave through the campus from north to south. The Blue Line “El” station at Peoria and the large surface parking lots to the north and south are the origin of most foot traffic. These patterns roughly align with the removed Netsch ‘walkways’. Concentrated diagonal foot traffic occurs between the BSB and the Quad, before merging with north-south pedestrians heading further south to the Physical Education building on Roosevelt Road. The east side perimeter is bound by arterial streets that discourage pedestrians from using sidewalks and consolidate foot traffic to the campus interior.  Open Space Opportunities- Initial analysis of the open space issues suggested preliminary opportunities for improving the campus landscape. These bulleted opportunities vary from replacing pavement with lawn to adding or subtracting buildings. The itemized opportunities may contradict one another for a particular area with the objective of considering widely divergent scenarios for improvement. These scenarios will be explored in greater detail in future phases of the master plan. 31 32 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Summary of Major Findings Assets and Services   UIC has a total of 41 parking lots with 11,944 parking spaces in the east and west campuses combined. UIC offers a variety of transportation services, including Intercampus shuttle buses between the east, west and south campuses, on-campus paratransit service for persons with disabilities, the Red Car/Off-Hour Paratransit Service, a Chauffeur service is also available and commuter buses which operate between the campus and major commuter train stations. The campus is strategically located with several city bus routes and train services that operate through the heart of campus. Campus fleet vehicles include those used for Campus Auto Rental Service, the campus police, and vehicles used for onsite operations and maintenance. Currently, the institution’s motorized fleet emits 0.2 carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per passenger mile traveled, achieving one point. UIC draws hundreds of thousands of business and academic visitors, special events attendees and patients annually, to various facilities across campus.     Demand Patterns  Overall, less than 25% of UIC faculty, students and staff who responded to the UIC Office of Sustainability Commute Survey, reported that they drive the entire commute to campus. A little over half (55.4%) of the survey respondents use one mode of transportation to commute to UIC and the average distance traveled is 11 miles. Approximately 44.6% of the survey respondents use two or more transportation modes to get to UIC. The average distance traveled for those using two modes is 20 miles; for those using three modes, 28 miles. Close to 38% of faculty and staff reside in zipcodes where the transit availability is generally ‘excellent’ to ‘good’. Close to 40% reside in areas within the six counties that have ‘excellent’ pedestrian amenities; another 25% or so reside in areas with ‘good’ values of pedestrian accessibility. Employees residing in such areas, who are currently solo drivers to campus, may be considered for incentives, information and marketing to occasionally use transit to campus.    32 33 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy         Overall, there are enough ‘spatially clustered’ groups of faculty and staff to whom transit is not available. Employees in these spatially clustered groups may be better served with express buses, vanpools, carpools and other high occupancy modes. Almost 20% of UIC students live within 2 miles of campus and about 35% live within 5 miles. In FY2007, 3,109 students resided in campus housing in the east, south or west sides. Close to 90% of UIC students have a valid driver’s license and about 72% have a private vehicle available to them. More than 60% of UIC U-PASS users are ‘moderate intensity users’ who ride the transit system between 32 and 106 times per semester. About 18% are ‘high intensity users’ who ride the system 106 times per semester. Only 5% of U-PASS holders are non-users (never used the transit system at all during a semester). There has been a 230% decrease in parking permits issued to students since the implementation of the U-PASS. There has been a 38% decrease among non-academic employee parking permits on the east side, whereas on the while there has been a slight increase on the west side. Daily parking utilization is approximately 64% (81% west campus, 50% east campus). The medical community parking needs affords the university opportunity to allocate parking space more efficiently. Special events on campus can generate 100% parking lot utilization in the parking areas close to the venue. The number of academic participants in the transit benefit program has increased 233% while the number of nonacademic participants has increased only 26%. In terms of schedules, staff and part-time students have the most predictable schedules. Faculty members tend to be on campus during the business day with a somewhat varied schedule, while full-time students have the greatest schedule variety, with more than 25% stating that their schedules vary considerably. STARS Standards  Currently, the institution’s motorized fleet emits 0.2 carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per passenger mile traveled, achieving one point. We could achieve 2 points by having no CO2e per passenger mile traveled (carbon neutral fleet). Another credit is given for having a specified percentage of the institution's faculty, staff, and students getting to and from campus by a means other than single occupancy vehicle for the majority of their daily trips. Alternatives to singleoccupancy vehicle transportation include walking, bicycling, van or carpooling, taking public transportation, or riding a  33 34 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy campus shuttle. Currently, 76% of the campus community gets to and from campus by alternate means, giving us two points which is given to an institution that has more than 50% of the institution’s population primarily using preferable modes of transportation. We could achieve 3 points if more than 95% of institution’s population primarily would use preferable modes of transportation.  UIC does not meet any Tier 1 STARS credits in the grounds area however it does meet the criteria for several Tier 2 credits including landscaping with native species, inventorying and mapping all campus trees and other landscape assets, and composting yard waste. UIC could achieve more points by having an Organic Campus and using non-potable water for irrigation. Recommendations On the basis of the findings, the subcommittee makes the following recommendations: Recommendations for Transportation Transportation Demand There are numerous strategies that can be utilized to increase sustainable mode use in the UIC campus. 1. Boosting bicycle usage: Given that a large number of students and many faculty and staff live less than 5 miles from campus, the possibility of boosting bicycle usage should be explored. We recommend the following:  Encourage and support a campus Bicycle Advisory Council to inform and guide bicycle infrastructure and programs on campus.  Disseminate bicycle-related information more widely: Like the UIC parking maps, electronic maps of where bike facilities are located throughout campus are available. This resource should be made known to UIC students and staff via the Internet and should be included in all orientation programs.  Make the federal Bike Benefit program available to the campus community. 34 35 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy  Expand bicycle programs and amenities: UIC should investigate the possibility of expanding bike racks at strategic locations throughout campus, implementing a bicycle rental/sharing program and increasing lockers and showers. The Chicago Department of Transportation’s Bike Program should be leveraged for this purpose.  Expand bike lane network: UIC should consider expanding the number of bike lanes near campus. CMAP’s CMAQ program and the CDOT programs can be leveraged for this purpose.  Develop and adopt a Bicycle Plan for campus, integrating it with the City of Chicago Bike Plan and the UIC Master Plan.  Develop secure, destination-oriented bicycle parking areas on campus to mitigate theft. Opportunities for grant funding should be pursued.  Experiment with advanced technologies to boost user confidence with the bike mode: The work being conducted by the CTS IGERT and UTC on advanced technologies for non-motorized transportation, including routing based on the user’s safety and security preferences may be undertaken as a demonstration project to boost bicycle usage and to encourage a far greater number of individuals to use these modes of transportation to and around campus. 2. Promote and expand UIC Transportation Benefit Program: The Transportation Benefit Program is a valuable resource offered to employees of the UIC. Under the Internal Revenue Service Code, it allows benefits eligible employees to realize income tax saving by paying for commuting expenses with pretax dollars. Currently, the program operates by deducting monthly a preselected amount from the employee’s paycheck for “qualified transportation expenses.” This resource also serves the University by saving on payroll taxes. In 2003, the ‘UIC Transit Check User Survey’ was conducted, which outlined the positives and negatives which enrolled employees who completed the survey perceived to be associated with the program. 35 36 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy As of 2009, the Transportation Benefit Program reports 1005 University employees listed as enrolled in the program. As of March 2009, the new federal stimulus package has increased the maximum benefit for the program from $120 to $230 per employee. There is also a bicycle transit benefit available for up to $20 per employee. We recommend:  Expanding the program to the new limit of $230.  Expanding the program by increasing the number of price points (currently $30, $50, $65, $75 or $120).  Allow pre-tax program participants to utilize the benefit for more than one transportation provider. (E.g. one voucher for CTA and one voucher for Metra).  Implementing the bicycle transit benefit program.  Updating and redistributing a Transit Check User Survey to assess current strengths and weaknesses of the program.  Promoting awareness of the program through print ads in the UIC Flame newspaper, flyers, listserv messages, etc.  Hosting information sessions at UIC orientations/independent transportation information sessions to increase education and enrollment 3. Transit stops and amenities: The quality of transit stops can greatly improve or deter the propensity to use transit. We recommend:  The quality, surroundings, access paths, lighting and safety of transit amenities and stops should be improved, so that UIC faculty, staff and students are comfortable with transit at all times.  The UIC Halsted CTA station could be used as a demonstration of a Passenger Mobility Hub, with concessions, better waiting area conditions, bike rental/sharing possibilities, better lighting and as a hub for shuttle buses, CTA buses and taxis.  Security and patrolling of transit stops should be improved. 36 37 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy 4. Alternatives to air travel: This is a market that has to be carefully segmented – most likely by trip distance. We recommend:  Faculty and staff should be encouraged to substitute driving their conventional vehicles or flying to short distance destinations, such as to Springfield, IL or other Midwest locations. Hybrid rental vehicles, AMTRAK, Greyhound or MegaBus, may substitute these trips.  A comprehensive review of the policies and practices that enable videoconferencing and promotion of videoconferencing to the campus community  Evaluate the costs of teleconferencing for participants (such as long distance toll charges) and explore opportunities to increase usage. Promote teleconferencing to the campus community. 5. Education and Outreach: In providing an outlet for faculty and staff to become informed on transit benefits and alternatives, UIC can insure that its employees will be more inclined to choose a sustainable transportation mode in making their commute to work and in other parts of their daily lives. We recommend:  Host a table at the UIC Employee Benefits Fair, incorporating representatives from PACE, Metra, CTA and UIC.  Hold quarterly UIC-sponsored information sessions for employee education.  Institute regular mailings, flyers, posters to be posted and distributed on campus and to UIC employees homes.  Provide free trial transit passes to encourage ridership.  Create comprehensive transportation website with information regarding alternative transit resources (i.e., cost calculator, trip planner, rideshare info, etc.) 6. Ride-sharing: Many UIC employees and students already informally carpool with neighbors also working in or near UIC or colleagues who live close by or along the way. This concept may be broadened to a wider group of UIC employees, who may not personally know anyone living nearby or along the 37 38 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy way, who wishes to carpool to UIC. A more formal approach, using ridematching, is ridesharing. Ridematching is a computerized service that allows commuters find other commuters who want to start or join a carpool or vanpool. Ridematching programs have proven to be a successful method of reducing carbon footprints, as well as easing the stresses of commuting to work for employees in both educational institutions and other work environments. We recommend that the following services be explored for the UIC community:  Promote existing rideshare opportunities, such as the program provided by Pace, as an interim rideshare program.  Ridematching as an online service: By creating a comprehensive ridematching website and survey, UIC can offer consistency, flexibility and security to its employees. The system can connect UIC faculty/staff to carpooling possibilities in their communities. Ridematch 21 is a Chicago-based system and GoLoCo is a national system that has been successful in generating carpools. A key reason why many individuals are hesitant to use ridematched carpools is that they may have to share a ride with complete strangers who they may not be comfortable with. A possibility to ensure confidence in the system is to have employees screen those with whom they would agree to share a ride.  Real-time, dynamic ridematching systems using wireless technologies: As a long-term strategy, a demonstration project should be attempted to operationalize real-time, dynamic Ridematching systems using Personal Digital Assistants, cell phones and other mobile devices, using Mobile Ad-Hoc Network Technology and other technologies using peer-to-peer systems and wireless communications methods. Such technologies are being experimented with as a part of the Computation Transportation Science IGERT Ph.D. program. Again the issue of having a trusted entity operating the system would entail that users are given an opportunity to opt-in and that potential ride-sharers are agreeable to the individual seeking a ride. Social networks may be utilized to fully implement such technologies. A full-scale demonstration project could position UIC in the lead as supporters of innovative technology that attempts to “make it easy” for commuters to use sustainable, higheroccupancy modes of transportation. 38 39 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy  Occasional Ride Program: The Occasional Ride Program is one that allows faculty, staff and students to occasionally have access to preferred parking on campus, in exchange that they agree to find alternative, sustainable options as their primary mode of transportation. This program allows flexibility for individuals and promotes mass transit ridership. For subscribers of the Occasional Ride program, we recommend: 1. Create preferred parking for occasional users. 2. Provide parking cashouts for members who use alternative transportation modes. 3. Increase parking pass and daily user costs. 4. Provide priority parking for car and van pools. 7. Guaranteed Ride Home programs: In addition to security issues that deter individuals from using carpools and the like, the question of how employees would get back home in the event of an emergency is another major deterrent. Guaranteed Ride Home (otherwise known as GRH) provides commuters who regularly vanpool, carpool, bike, walk, or take transit with a reliable ride home when unexpected emergencies arises. We recommend the following:  Immediate Seek CMAQ funds: UIC should explore the possibility of obtaining funds for the GRH from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAP), a federally funded program that is operated in Northeastern Illinois by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency (CMAP).  Terms of usage: UIC commuters should be able to use GRH for personal emergencies and unscheduled overtime up to four times per year or up to $100 per year.  Price and fee structure: The ride home by cab, rental car, bus or train is free (excluding gratuity, fuel and insurance charges). 8. Evaluate the Role of UIC Parking Services. Since Parking Services is a self-supporting enterprise, any revenue it makes must be reinvested in the parking lot enterprise. Further, it 39 40 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy cannot receive university support to manage other programs, such as the transit benefit program. Parking Services is in the process of reviewing agencies, including the Fringe Benefit Management company in order to outsource this program which costs more than $60,000/year to administer. We recommend:  Relieving Parking Services of the management of the Transit Benefit program. 9. Travel training to faculty/staff and students: The above items provide passive and un-customized travel information to potential users. Transit agencies around the country have started programs by means of which prospective transit riders, who meet certain criteria, are given training and hands-on experience with the transit alternatives in a region. Such an approach should be undertaken in UIC, to provide incentives and to “break the ice” with respect to travel alternatives. We recommend:  Developing a travel training flyer for orientations and for use as campus resource.  New faculty, staff and students may be given a packet of information on transportation options in the region and on campus, as a part of orientation. This information should be disseminated at campus benefits fairs and other appropriate venues.  Interested employees and students may be imparted hands-on transit use training, from tickets options that may be availed of, to planning trips online and actually boarding and disembarking from transit vehicles. Similar programs may be provided about how car-sharing programs or bike rental works. Training may also be provided to use the proposed online resources, in order to maximize the use of alternative methods of transportation. 10. Aggressively seek federal/state grant money: Numerous federal and state funds exist which can be used specifically and broadly to implement transportation initiatives for the university. With the new administration’s focus on the importance of sustainability, institutions like UIC can expect to see more mass transit-friendly initiatives, which the University can take advantage of to fund innovative and sustainable transportation alternatives. 40 41 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Additionally, monies that are in existence may currently be under-realized. In this respect, the University should seek to more diligently pursue funds that can offset the cost of implementing many of our prescribed recommendations. We recommend:  Actively and consistently seek out and apply for federal and regional (PACE/Metra/CTA/IDOT) funding assistance opportunities  Use grant monies to fund the hiring of a transportation coordinator to manage further transit alternative initiatives 11. Specialized bus service: There are several neighborhoods where there are enough UIC faculty and staff residents who may be willing to commute to campus using specialized, limited-stop bus service. Coordination with CTA or Pace will be needed for this purpose. We recommend that the following services be investigated for UIC faculty, students and staff:  Express bus, with limited or no stops between the pickup point and drop off-point, is one such service. For UIC employees who reside in low-income neighborhoods, the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) can be leveraged. This program requires a 50% match. Other governmental funding sources may also be used.  Another alternative is subscription bus service. Subscription bus services are developed when a special need arises. Most subscription service is organized by private groups, often in the face of restrictive regulatory, legal and institutional constraints. Subscription routes usually operate only during the morning and afternoon rush periods, and have limited, if any, stops. Pace Suburban Bus operates subscription services with subscription fares which are $3.00 one way, and a $110 monthly pass.  Initiate or continue discussion with CTA regarding opportunities to increase service and/or reduce cost. 12. Shuttle Bus and Red Car services: The CTA Bus Tracker system has improved the quality of the bus rider’s experience. 41 42 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy Similar technologies may be attempted for the Shuttle Bus and Red Car service. We recommend:  Analysis of shuttle routing to maximize efficiency and service.  A system using GPS devices be used to track the locations of the UIC shuttle buses and red car services.  Information on arrival times may be disseminated via the internet, users’ PDAs, kiosks throughout campus and at Wi-Fi hotspots. 13. Parking pricing: Subsidized employer parking is said to be one of the major reasons why Travel Demand Management strategies continue to fail. We define “subsidized” as the practice of charging below the market rate for parking. There is a great difference between the Chicago market rate for parking and UIC rate for parking; the lower cost of parking at UIC is interference in the market and the result is lost revenue; the artificially low parking prices are a subsidy for parking which is not extended to other transit modes. The discrepancy between the subsidy allotted to parking and transit use should be eliminated; “level the playing field” so to speak, for parity between transportation modes and to allow market forces to function. The subcommittee understands that increasing parking fees may be politically difficult and inequitable in some cases. We recommend that:  Credits should be given to hybrid vehicle users, other alternative fuel vehicle users and carpool users.  Increasing parking pricing should be considered a longterm, gradually-initiated policy.  The campus may experiment with a variable parking scheme. For prepaid parking users, an income-based approach may be considered. For visitors, a time-of-day scheme may be utilized.  However, the above strategies are unlikely to lead to user acceptance unless many of the travel options recommended in this report are followed.  Revenues raised from increased parking price may be firewalled into a Transportation and Grounds Fund, to support a variety of activities that would initiate improved sustainability conditions. 42 43 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy  Evaluate Parking Operations for both scale and scope of practice and revenue sources, considering the opportunity to include and fund functions such as secure bike parking as well as the improved environmentally friendliness of parking lots and stormwater management techniques. 14. An Ozone Action Day is declared when weather conditions are likely to combine with pollution emissions to form high levels of ozone near the ground that may cause harmful health effects. People and businesses should take action to reduce emissions of ozone-causing pollutants. We recommend that UIC participate in an Ozone Action Day awareness campaign for summer 2009 by:  Posting an e-mail alert of an Ozone Action Day via UIC announcements and/or on UIC's home page (usually the EPA releases the announcement the day before).  Incorporating a web page that discusses Ozone Action Days and what readers can do to reduce ground-level ozone (e.g., taking transit, combine errands, etc.)  Participating in and announcing Partners for Clean Air events around the region (e.g., every year PCA has had a campaign to win a Prius hybrid in their "Green Pays on Green Days" program).  Spearheading a campus campaign to reduce groundlevel ozone. This could incorporate all the recommendations put forth in Sustainable Transportation and Grounds report, but focused within a summer timeframe (when Ozone Action Days typically occur). 15. Telecommuting and Compressed Work Week programs reduce traffic congestion and impact air quality while improving the productivity and morale of participating employees. These programs can also be harnessed to conserve space and reduce overhead costs. We recommend that UIC Human Resources adopt a telecommute/compressed work week/flextime program and assess the results:  Identify units or departments that can effectively and efficiently implement telecommuting or compressed work week programs.  Develop a policy that supports and encourages these strategies. 43 44 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy  Implement and monitor the program in terms of environmental impacts including trip reduction and survey program participants regarding morale. Energy and Vehicles By participating in the Illinois Clean Fleet Program, UIC has moved toward alternative, lower carbon emitting vehicles in the campus fleet. There are opportunities to improve the efficiency of shuttle and bus service on campus. We recommend:  Based on analyses made by the Campus Master Planning consultants, more direct routing of buses should be implemented.  Engage the CTA in discussions as to whether there are opportunities to provide services to the entire campus community in more economical ways by utilizing and expanding on their existing bus routes.  Continue to phase in hybrids and vehicles with higher fuel economy for the campus fleet.  Evaluate whether car-sharing options such as I-Go or Zipcar could be utilized for campus travel purposes. Recommendations for Grounds An important and often overlooked forest resource in Illinois is the State's urban and community forests. These are the trees and related natural resources found in the State's 2,000 plus communities and universities. These urban forests provide the environmental benefits of cooling, storm water and erosion control, and water quality protection while reducing water consumption in the communities where over 80 percent of our population lives, works, and plays. Urban forest are designed to stimulate the general structure and ecosystem functions of naturally occurring forest communities of the region, with a composition of species that may not necessarily replicate the original forest of the area. Urban forestry programs provide a foundation for enhancing urban forests through clearly stated policies, procedures, and practices necessary to establish, protect, maintain, and remove trees and plants on campus. By implementing an urban forestry program, UIC can educate the campus community on the benefits of trees, best practices in tree care, and how collaboration between campuses and their surrounding 44 45 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy communities results in a healthier and more sustainable environment for everyone. Implementation of environmentally sustainable grounds operation practices is predicated on the campuses ability to measure and quantify the cost and environmental benefits. Collection of baseline data and ongoing analysis of this data will facilitate accountability, identify “hot spots” in grounds operations and provide a method for identifying and prioritizing future projects. The objective of the Grounds aspect is to develop an integrated, ecologically based landscape and open space system that achieves environmental sustainability by improving grounds operations through the adoption of an urban forestry program, completion of a campus tree care plan and tree inventory and educational and outreach activities. We recommend: 1. Establishment of a Grounds Advisory Committee to assist in implementing the below listed tree and landscape guidelines. 2. Urban Forestry: Adoption of an urban forestry program, such as Tree Campus USA that provides essential tools in supporting and recognizing grounds managers’ efforts, addresses long-term environmental sustainability and commits annual expenditures for tree care on campus. Development of a comprehensive campus tree program to include:  A tree planting and management program to increase the environmental benefits of cooling, enhanced storm water management, erosion control and water quality protection; increased species diversity, and reduced water consumption and energy expenditure for grounds maintenance.  Completion of a campus tree care plan and tree inventory to promote best tree management practices and educate the next generation of tree stewards. The completion of the plan will link to other green initiatives on campus as well as the surrounding community. Promote the plan to potential partners and funding sources such as grantors and alumni groups. The campus tree care plan will provide the framework for developing the policies, procedures, and practices to establish, protect, maintain, and remove trees on campus. 45 46 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy 3. Utilization of the campus grounds as a resource for research, education and outreach at all levels.  Provide areas for research, education and passive recreation on campus, such as community gardens.  Create and sustain training and development programs for the grounds crew and volunteer groups.  Promote outreach and education that heightens public awareness of the relationship between society and the natural environment.  Identify and obtain buy-in from campus facilities and budget administrators for such major projects as storm water management, use of porous pavements, and LEED-certified building renovations, that, while beyond the immediate range of funding and implementation, are crucial to long-term environmental sustainability.  Implementation of arboriculture practices, such as plant selection, site preparation, planting and transplanting, fertilizing, composting, staking, pruning, landscaping, and tree maintenance and removal.  Implementation of tree protection and preservation policies, including procedures for new construction projects; snow removal and salt alternatives; requiring permeable and reflective surface alternatives in landscape design; specifying prohibited practices, and creating and disseminating a strategy to communicate these policies.  Establishment and maintenance of a digital campus tree inventory for use in tree management (species selection and diversity), campus planning, landscape guidelines and academic and general public events.  Establishment of an annual work plan that tracks and documents expenditures and evidence that sufficient funding has been dedicated to the work plan (UIC dedicates annual funding for full-time employees, contract labor, and the equipment and supplies used for tree care.) 4. Sponsor outreach and educational events that engage community and support long term strategies. We recommend: 46 47 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy  Campus events that celebrate the importance of environmental stewardship and engage faculty, staff, alumni, and student volunteer labor (worth an estimated $18 per hour) to plant trees, shrubs, groundcover, and flowers; apply mulch; pull weeds; pick up trash; teach, and reduce costs.  Workshops, lectures, classes, and other learning projects that generate revenue by charging admission or a registration fee while providing opportunities to engage the campus and community in activities that demonstrate the benefits of trees to the environment (Selling trees through the National Arbor Day Foundation is another opportunity to raise funds.)  Assist Project Learning Tree or other programs centered around trees in training teachers at schools near your campus or organize training for your school’s College of Education.  Other tree-related service programs for students. learning or educational  Partnership with State forestry departments on regional projects.  Educational projects such as a Nature Explore Classroom for young children at an early childhood development center on your campus or in your community.  Establish campus arboreta.  Create partnerships to manage community natural resource.  Implement long-term natural resource management in the State's cities and towns by coordinating internships with the urban forestry or parks department in your community. 5. UIC should explore the possibility of obtaining funds for:  Incorporating the development of the quality, surroundings, access paths, lighting and safety of transit amenities and stops into a sustainable landscape plan. 47 48 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy  Hold quarterly UIC-sponsored information sessions on progress of grounds initiatives and for employee education.  Institute regular mailings, flyers, posters to be posted and distributed on campus and to UIC employees homes on impact of landscape to the environment  Hiring of a grounds coordinator to manage sustainable landscape initiatives 6. Capture stormwater onsite; capturing stormwater onsite is one way to reduce stormwater flow into Chicago’s combined stormwater and wastewater sewer system. This water flows to the Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation District plants where the combined flow is treated as wastewater. However, when rainfall is high the plants cannot process all the wastewater at once and it is stored in the deep tunnel system. If the tunnel system capacity is exceeded, then the combined stormwater and wastewater is released untreated into Lake Michigan. We recommend:  Utilize rain barrels or cisterns to capture run-off from building roofs.  Direct stormwater run-off from low-lying areas, near driveways or in parking to bioswales and rain gardens. That also reduces the amount of stormwater that must be pumped and the energy required to pump it.  Utilize green roofs. The rooftop gardens capture the rain in their soil reducing the amount of run-off. In addition, green roofs reduce the heat island effect and insulate the buildings, reducing the energy needed to heat and cool them.  Install permeable pavement captures rain where it falls and should be considered for use in parking lots whenever feasible. 7. Composting: If composting can be done on-site at UIC, this provides a rich source of organic material that can be used to fertilize plantings and flower beds throughout the campus. We recommend:  Seek opportunities to fund a pilot composting program. 48 49 Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy 8. Reduce/eliminate irrigation: The reduction or elimination of irrigation, by planting species that are most suitable for UIC’s climate and, perhaps, changing our expectations for how green the grass needs to be can save both water and the energy required to pump it. We recommend:  If irrigation must be used, stormwater (or grey water) applications should be considered. 9. Use native species: As mentioned above, planting species most suitable for UIC’s climate such as native species reduces the need for irrigation. It is becoming more and more common both in the city and on campuses to find plantings that were grown before the area was developed. In Illinois, these are generally prairie and woodland (for shaded sites) plants. If managed well, these areas can be quite beautiful and self-sustaining with very little maintenance required. We recommend:  Using native species 10. Integrated pest management “Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides.” (Source: http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm). We recommend:  UIC should implement an integrated pest management system: 49