Sustainability; Towards Continual Improvement

Transit Agencies’s EMS program continues to evolve and expand. As it is an agency-wide system, all of Public Agencies’s major facilities will be enrolled in the program by 2016. Specific projects for future implementation include:

  1. Energy Opportunity Assessments at Divisions should be conducted as part of the FY Bus and Rail Energy Efficiency Capital Project to analyze facility energy usage and identify potential energy conservation measures.
  2. Lighting Retrofits at Divisions should replace old, inefficient light fixtures in the vehicle shop with energy-efficient fixtures. When completed, the project will reduce energy consumption by 1.2 million kWh and save approximately $150,000 per year.
  3. Retro-Commissioning, Energy Efficiency Improvements, and Lighting Retrofits at Divisions

Bus Division capital funds will be used to implement selected energy conservation measures.

Renewable Energy Procurement

The FY Bus Division Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Project includeds funds for the installation of solar power at several facilities. Based on the Renewable Energy Inventory, several facilities will be analyzed to identify appropriate locations for this project.

LEED-EBOM Certifications at Divisions and CMF
The performance period to obtain LEED-EBOM Certification was started at each Divisions  and CMF.

Sub-Meter Design and Installations at Divisions
Required as part of the LEED-EBOM Certification effort.

Sealed Coolant Recovery System Procurement
Following the success of the pilot system, a capital project was established to purchase several sealed coolant recovery systems for each bus maintenance division.

Recycled Water Project 
Will install recycled water lines for landscape irrigation for a portion of the bus line. The use of recycled water is estimated to reduce water consumption by 12.4 million gallons per year, saving almost $60,000 annually. 

Division Solar Power Project
FY Bus Division capital funds will be allocated to the Division bus project to restore the installation of solar panels that were value engineered out of the project.

What's Next?

Division Cistern Project Sustainability
Capital funds were allocated to Division for the installation of a 270,000-gallon cistern to capture stormwater for use in the bus wash and for irrigation. An estimated 2.8 million gallons of water will be collected, saving approximately $25,000 per year.

The three pillars economy, three social pillars and the three pillars of sustainability: the economy, the environment, and society.  Much work can be done to articulate and implement the environmental and economic pillars of sustainability, while the social pillar of sustainability is an emerging effort with increasing attention. Within the past year, Metro has taken the initiative to begin to define the social pillar of sustainability. Public Agency’s framing of social sustainability takes into account: engaging the public; 2) supporting community initiatives; 3) ensuring the health and safety of public transportation customers and the broader community; 4) recognizing the social impacts of projects and policies; and 5) fostering socially responsible procurement. These guidelines were created through a working group with APTA.