Greenbytes: September 9, 2004 Edition

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Feature: New England Employers Recognized for Superior Commuter Benefits

Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA pays employees $175 every quarter for biking or walking to work and charges them up to $45 every two weeks for using company parking spaces. Yale University in New Haven, CT sponsors a Home Buyer Program that offers $25,000 to employees who purchase homes in designated areas of the city, enabling them to walk, bike or shuttle to work. Seventh Generation in Burlington, VT rents buses for off-site company meetings and events so employees don’t have to use their cars. The People’s Bank in Bridgeport, CT offers employees $65 a month for transit subsidies, $1 a day when two employees commute together and $1.50 a day when three or more employees ride together.

These are just a few of the superior commuter benefits offered by the 100-plus companies and organizations recently selected for the second annual list of New England’s Best Workplaces for Commuters. The list is designed to recognize employers that offer superior commuter benefits to their workers, thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution while also improving employees’ quality of life.

This year’s list, announced in August, includes 30 new employers from around New England, bringing the list total to 113 employers representing nearly 170,000 employees. Among the new additions is the Upper Valley New Hampshire/Vermont Best Workplaces for Commuters District, a coalition that provides outstanding commuter benefits to employees working in Norwich and Hartford, VT, as well as Enfield, Canaan, Hanover and Lebanon, NH.

The Upper Valley district provides free weekday public transit, free car-pool matching services and emergency ride-home benefits for those who ride transit, carpool, bike or walk to work. The district is the first in the region to earn the Best Workplaces for Commuters District designation.

Motor vehicles, including cars and trucks, contribute more than half of New England’s nitrogen oxide emissions, a key ingredient in the formation of ozone smog. Elevated smog levels can pose serious health risks for the public, especially for sensitive populations such as children and adults with respiratory problems. Cars and trucks also emit particulate matter, air toxics, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

To qualify as one of New England’s Best Workplaces for Commuters, organizations must provide:

• At least one primary commuter benefit such as a monthly transit/vanpool pass subsidy or a significant telecommuting program.

• At least three supporting commuter benefits, including carpool/vanpool incentives, lockers/showers for bikers or walkers, incentives to live near work, or on site amenities such as day care or dry cleaning.

• A central point of contact for commuter benefits information.

• Access to a regional, TMA, or employer-provided Guaranteed/Emergency Ride Home program.

For the complete list and more information about the program, visit www.bwc.gov.

Press Releases

EPA Seeks Penalties from North Andover Company for Idling Violations

EPA to Review Cleanup Progress at Gilson Road Site in Nashua, NH

EPA's Drum Removal Cleanup Complete at Milford, NH Site

EPA Awards $224,560 to Connecticut for Water Quality Monitoring at State Beaches

EPA Announces $4 Million of Funding for Cleanup at NH Plating Superfund Site

Cleanup Progress at Wells G&H Superfund Site in Woburn, MA Will Be Reviewed

Maine Company to Pay $40,000 for Alleged Environmental Violations

Coalition Announces 2nd Annual List Of New England's Best Workplaces for Commuters - More than 110 employers recognized for offering outstanding commuter benefits

Events and conferences are not archived. Please refer to the Regional Calendar for upcoming events and conferences.

Beede Superfund Site - tech doc page created

CEIT - site updated

Electronic Waste and eCycling - new name, updated info

Incineration - updated maps

Mass Bays - updated fact sheet

OMSAP MWRA Permit - updating meeting info

Raymark Superfund Site - documents added

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