Climbing on Board a Vanpool is Easy, Convenient and Fun!

Traffic, congestion and stress in the metro New York region are abundant. So where do we turn to reduce this traffic, congestion and stress all while helping the environment? Vanpooling with Easy Street or VPSI! Two companies that provide vanpool services in the New York Downstate Metro Region.

Clean Air NY’s goal is to get single-occupancy vehicles off the road – vanpools make that goal possible by getting commuters who are going to and from the same place out of their own cars so they can travel together. Vanpools save time, money and gas and improve the environment. Plus, they’re a fun way to get to work!

The best way people can hop on the vanpooling bandwagon is by talking to a few co-workers who may live near you. You only need six people who are willing to join the program to be qualified for the minivan. There are no contracts associated with Easy Street or VPSI. If a person decides to leave the vanpool, that person is allowed to stop at anytime. After that, the others in the van have three months to find a person to take that spot at no penalty. The cost for the empty seat will be paid for by your local Transportation Management Association (TMA).

The next step to climbing on board a vanpool is to visit http://www.511ny.org/!

Guest Blog by Fred Wolf, Clean Air NY/LITM summer intern.

Telecommuter Appreciation Week

The American Telecommuting Association (ATA) has declared this week, March 1 - March 7, 2009, “Telecommuter Appreciation Week,” honoring Alexander Graham Bell, whose birthday is March 3.

Clean Air NY is celebrating “Telecommuter Appreciation Week” by saluting all the telecommuters in the New York metro area. Since their only commute is from room to room, they are improving New York’s air quality by reducing vehicle miles traveled.

The ATA listed the three main benefits of telecommuting. Clean Air NY especially appreciates #3:

1. The individual and family benefit from saved time, lower commuting expenses, reduced stress, more scheduling flexibility, greater satisfaction regarding work and the pleasure in spending more time together.
2. The employer benefits from greater productivity, loyalty and job satisfaction, a stronger focus on job performance, better recruiting and longer retention of the most productive employees and reduced overhead and facility expenses.
3. Society as a whole benefits from reduced traffic congestion, minimized air pollution, lower requirements for (and strain on) transportation infrastructure and decreased demand for scarce and nonrenewable resources, such as fossil fuels.

CA, Inc. of Islandia, NY, one of the world's largest IT management software providers based in New York, recently implemented its “Flexible Workplace Program.” Long Island Transportation Management Inc. (LITM) assisted CA in establishing this program, which enables qualified employees to forego commuting to work and allows them to work from home. Clean Air NY recognized CA’s telecommuting initiative and honored it as a 2008 Clean Air NY Champion. CA's Joe Archila, vice president of human resources programs, said, “We feel strongly about offering our employees air quality-friendly and healthy commute options. It not only helps to improve our air quality, but it also helps our company attract and retain top talent while enhancing productivity.”

Andrea Vera, operations manager of CommuterLink offered this advice: “Telecommuting is not suitable to every job, person or situation. The decision has to be mutually agreed upon between the employer and employee, the job has to be conducive to working remotely and the home office must have the appropriate equipment (computer, phone, fax, printer, copier, etc.)” Check out the telecommute section of CommuterLink’s Web site for more telecommuting tips.

Another suggestion? A company could allow telecommuting specifically on air quality action days, when ground-level ozone levels are at their highest. On those days, it is crucial to drive less to avoid worsening the already poor air quality. To find out more about air quality action days and to receive updates when they occur, please visit CleanAirNY.org.

If you would like to use the momentum of Telecommute Appreciation Week to establish a telecommute program at your company or would like to propose this idea to your human resources department, please reference MetroPool’s telecommute resources.

For more information on telecommuting in:

· Long Island, contact LITM.
· Lower Hudson Valley, contact MetroPool.
· New York City, contact CommuterLink.

Happy Telecommuter Appreciation Week!

Jessica Horne is Marketing and Outreach Associate of Clean Air NY.