Oregon DEQ: NWR - Employee Commute Options (ECO)

Employers helping to reduce commuter pollution as part of the Employee Commute Options (ECO) program.

Tualatin Valley Water District

While any office can set up a few recycling bins, Tualatin Valley Water District staff like to go above and beyond in their quest to be a sustainable organization. In addition to providing recycling bins for paper and tin cans, their active Green Team helps employees recycle unusual items at work such as shoes, lawnmowers and tools that might otherwise end up in a landfill.

TVWD also prides itself on providing employees a wide variety of commute options. Highlights of their program include:

Free Tri-Met passes for all employees
Preferential parking for carpooling vehicles
Bike storage and showers in locker rooms
Compressed work weeks - all employees have every other Friday off
Telecommuting for certain job positions

A top priority of the TVWD's Board of Commissioners is to run the organization in a sustainable manner. This includes integrating sustainability into all aspects of operations - from buying 100 percent renewable energy to a silver LEED certified headquarters building.

"TVWD has been working toward sustainability since before it was fashionable. Free Tri-Met passes and a compressed work week have been around so long they are just a part of the organization’s history," says Cheryl Welch, TVWD's Strategic Planner. "It's fantastic to work for an organization that is so forward-thinking and open to positive change."

Oregon Business Magazine recently ranked TVWD number nine on its list of Top 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in the large organization category. Visit the Tualatin Valley Water District's website to read more about how sustainability guides its operations.
Tualatin Valley Water green team
The Tualatin Valley Water
District Green Team Bike parking
Double-deck rack
maximizes bike storage prefered parking at Tualatin Valley Water
The best parking spots
are reserved for carpools

SolarWorld

With nearly 800 employees at its Hillsboro campus, SolarWorld is one of the world's largest solar energy businesses. SolarWorld believes that simply producing a sustainable energy is not enough and incorporates sustainability into all areas of the business. SolarWorld provides a broad and evolving array of commute options to employees, including:

Paid annual TriMet pass
Yearly transportation fair in partnership with Metro, TriMet and Enterprise Vanpool to raise awareness about transportation options
Bikes and an electric truck for commuting around the 97 acre campus
Support for biking which includes secure, covered bike parking, showers and lockers and on-site bike tune-up clinics
On site, sustainable dining at the Sun Café reduces need to drive at meal time
Travel options information posted in café including transit routes, getting your bike off and on the bus/MAX and popular restaurants within easy biking distance

"In 2010 we came in second in the Care Free Commuter Challenge for the large company category," says Environmental Manager, Bryan Trotter. "We get employees excited about commute options with prizes including certificates for spas, outdoor recreation, REI, New Seasons, McMenamins and even a gift certificate for an iPad. People love the chance to enter a raffle for a great prize!"

On-site bike tune-up clinics
support bike commuters

SolarWorld's Hillsboro campus

Read about other employers working to reduce commuter pollution:

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Anthro Corporation Technology Furniture

Rewarding employees for choosing an alternative commuting option is just one of the reasons Anthro is ranked 13 on the 2009 Oregon Business Magazine list of the "100 Best GreenCompanies to work for in Oregon."

Over 100 employees work in Tualatin at Anthro Corporation, Technology Furniture, to manufacture award-winning ergonomic furniture solutions. The Green Team Committee at Anthro is composed of employees who are passionate about their mission to shrink the company's carbon footprint through everyday actions.

TriMet's Westside Express Service (WES) offered Anthro employees another commute option. Given the lack of direct bus service between stations and Anthro, the Human Resources team created a schedule of volunteer drivers. Employees can use the schedule to hitch a ride with a co-worker on a similar work schedule.

Other commute incentives include:

$50 reimbursement for using transit at least three times per week
$50 gas reimbursement for driving a hybrid vehicle at least three times per week

Catlin Gabel School

Catlin Gabel, a private school in southwest Portland near Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, has 185 employees and 725 students. As a suburban employer with plenty of parking, transportation coordinator Eric Shawn got creative in motivating employees to use alternatives to driving alone to work.

As part of the school's plan for achieving environmental sustainability, they offer employees the following incentives:

$1 cafeteria credit for every day an employee uses an alternative to driving alone to work
Bike facilities including covered bicycle parking and showers
Carpool parking spaces for staff and students
Telecommuting and compressed work weeks for certain jobs and times of year

Vigor Industrial (Cascade General and U.S. Barge)

Vigor Industrial does ship repair and construction on Swan Island. The company employs over 500 and operates around the clock. Vigor recognizes the importance of limiting traffic on the one road that serves Swan Island businesses. As a charter member of the Swan Island Transportation Management Association, Vigor actively supports efforts to keep freight moving on Swan Island by creating transportation options for the island's 10,000 employees.

Vigor aligns work shifts with TriMet bus times to encourage mass transit. In addition to reducing commute trips, employees have access to bicycles for travel around the ship yard. Commute options include: