Alternative Transportation

Evergreen is located in the beautifully wooded area between Eld and Budd Inlets, on the outskirts of Olympia, Washington. Evergreen’s rural setting creates transportation challenges as it relates to sustainability. Approximately, 1,400 vehicles pull into the parking lot everyday and nearly 80% of Evergreen’s students live off-campus and must commute to classes and/or events. Furthermore, 60% of students and 66% of employees drive to campus in single occupancy vehicles.

An estimated 24% of Evergreen’s total greenhouse gas emissions are associated with commuting behaviors. This presents a significant challenge for Evergreen’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality.

Evergreen’s transportation mission is to create accessible alternative commuting options, enhance existing options, and to create a robust incentives program that ultimately reduces single occupancy commuting.

Evergreen Recognized in 2008 as one of the "Best Workplaces for Commuters" by the EPA.

Presentation on transportation. (PDF) 

Alternative Commuting Options

• Intercity Transit Bus Service: Every Evergreen community member can ride the bus for free! Doing so will reduce your commuting costs and your personal carbon footprint.
• Students: Your valid Evergreen identification card serves as your bus pass.
• Staff: Permanent and temporary staff and faculty may sign up for the STAR Pass at Parking Services. Getting a STAR Pass is easy. Simply fill out the appropriate form which is available at Parking Services. Your Evergreen identification card with STAR Pass sticker serves as a free Intercity Transit bus pass.
  ***Please remind your colleagues, classmates, employees, and supervisors that they can ride the bus for free. There is concern that far too many people are not aware of this benefit. Additionally, all Permanent-status staff and faculty also qualify for “safe ridehome” which is a free taxi-ride home after you sign up for the campus Commute Trip Reduction program. For more information, please see the benefits for staff on our web site www.evergreen.edu/commute.
• Bike: Bicycling is a quiet, clean, efficient, healthy and fun way to travel. Bicycling is a practical way to travel to and from work or school and for doing errands. Combined with transit, cycling can also be a part of a longer distance commute. Learn more: www.evergreen.edu/commute/bike.htm.
  Visit the Bike With Me to Evergreen website! This site allows campus cyclists to share commute route and ride listings, tips, and to facilitate discussions on increasing the 'bike-friendliness' at Evergreen. Ready to enhance your commute? Let's get started! http://collab.evergreen.edu/cycling/
• Rideshare: Joining Evergreen’s Ridesharing program is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint, save money, and help the environment. You will also make friends and build community. You can announce the time and starting location of your commute and where you are driving to. Other Evergreen community members respond to your request and you receive a direct email from them. Sign up at: http://www.evergreen.edu/commute/rideshare/.
• Carpool: http://www.evergreen.edu/commute/carpool.htm.
• Vanpool: Intercity Transit has a good program that can provide direct service and is very accommodating. It is easy to set up a new vanpool or you can join an existing one. For specific information check out: http://www.intercitytransit.com/page.cfm?ID=joinVanpool. To  join an existing vanpool and see existing routes go to: http://www.intercitytransit.com/page.cfm?ID=vanpoolsCurrent.

We hope to see near empty parking lots. Happy commuting!

If you have any additional commuting questions or concerns regarding parking issues you may contact:

• Susie Seip, Parking Supervisor II at extension 6131, or email seips@evergreen.edu.
• Victor Sanders, Student Transportation Coordinator at extension 5359, or email stuctr@evergreen.edu
• John Pumilio, Director of Sustainability at extension 6913, or email sustainabilitydirector@evergreen.edu 

More Information on Transportation

Greener Commute Program

Evergreen has a very active Commute Trip Reduction program whose mission is to help significantly reduce the amount of air pollution, traffic congestion and energy consumption by facilitating safe and accessible alternative transportation options to the Evergreen community. Approximately, 25% of our students bus (20%), bike (3%), or walk (2%).

New Ridesharing Program

The Evergreen Ride Board allows you to share rides with people you trust further uniting our community and reducing the amount of single occupancy commuting.

Free PASSPORT Parking Permit

Have you heard about the free PASSPORT parking permit program? It's the perfect fit for commuters that currently (or are ready to commit) to bicycling or taking the bus to campus! Take a moment to learn about this great program and the benefits, and decide if you're ready to break the habit of commuting by car to campus!

WHO QUALIFIES?

Faculty or staff that currently (or agree to) alternatively commute to campus at least 60% of the time are eligible.

THE BENEFITS:

The PASSPORT program is an excellent benefit to alternative commuters that bike or bus to campus most of the time. The PASSPORT gives you 36 days a year (or about 1 day a week) of free parking on days that you need to drive. When you sign up for the permit, you also qualify for the guaranteed ride home program. This provides you or a loved one a guaranteed ride should an emergency arise and you've biked or bused to campus, but need to get home right away.

HOW THE PASSPORT WORKS:

If you bike or bus to campus most of the time, you probably have days that you just can't alternatively commute-- either because you miss the bus, or the weather is too bad, or you've got too much to carry.

WILL THE PASSPORT BE A FIT FOR ME?

The PASSPORT is a great fit for faculty and staff that have made a commitment to alternatively commute. It is also a great incentive to new alternative commuters to make an active pledge every day to catch the bus or bike to campus. The PASSPORT will be a fit for you are committed to only driving on days that you must-- no more than once per week (otherwise you will run out of free parking days or you will find yourself not meeting the 60% alternative commute requirement per week).

Stop by Parking Services to sign up for a PASSPORT. Please bring your Faculty/Staff ID with you!

Commuter Lockers

In fall of 2004, the CTR team obtained grant funding to purchase and install ventilated clothing lockers to provide a secure place for students, staff and faculty to dry or store their belongings while on campus. Lockers are located on the Red Square level of the Library, CAB, Seminar II, Seminar I, and in the basement of Lab I. Lockers are available to people who take alternative transportation to campus at least once per week for the quarter. Learn more...

Parkway Project

The parkway project connects two major areas of Olympia, and succeeded in working with neighboring community members to accept elimination of a vehicle traffic lane in favor of a safe and pleasant bicycle/pedestrian lane.

Public Transportation

In partnership with Intercity Transit, student fees pay for and allow all students at Evergreen to ride the bus in and around Olympia and Thurston County an unlimited number of times each quarter by showing their student ID.

Bus Shelter Improvement Project

This project received funding from the Clean Energy Committee for the installation of solar powered lighting in each of the shelters at the McCann Plaza Loop, providing a safer waiting area and a learning lab for the community.

Late-Night Transit

The late-night transit program is designed to provide students with an alternative to driving, walking or bicycling, especially when it may be unsafe to do so at the end of the night. It is the mission of the late-night shuttle to provide basic, safe, and convenient transportation to Evergreen students. The program began in Spring of 2008 on weekends, and is paid for through a $3.00 per quarter student fee. The program is a joint venture between the Geoduck Student Union, Commute Trip Reduction, Parking Services, Student Activities and Police Services. Learn more...

Evergreen Biodiesel Project

The biodiesel project converts spent vegetable oil from the Greenery into useable biodiesel (a renewable fuel) to power Evergreen’s Organic Farm tractors. In addition, the Biodiesel Project aims to be a model for other schools and state institutions that aspire to produce biodiesel on-site. Evergreen’s two tractors currently use about 500 gallons of biodiesel every year, which displace 17 percent of the campus’s annual petroleum diesel consumption. Learn more...