The University of Washington announces the launch of its new Commuter Calculator—an interactive web-based application that allows commuters to explore how their commute choices affect the cost, CO2 output and calories burned by their commute. Created by UW students, funded by the Campus Sustainability Fund, and supported by UW Transportation Services and the Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability (ESS) office, the site gives commuters a new tool for making commuting choices.
The commute modes included in the calculator are walking, bicycling, taking the bus, carpooling, vanpooling and driving alone. Users can specify the distance of their commute, the mpg of their vehicle, whether they have purchased a U-PASS (which provides discounts for vanpooling and carpool parking as well as riding the bus), the price they pay for gas, the distance they walk to their bus stop and their body weight to customize their results. They can also explore additional information explaining how the calculations were created.
“I love how the calculator shows the impact different commute options have,” said Caileigh Shoot, a student in UW’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. “It inspires me to try out different ways get to campus.”
The Commuter Calculator is another example of work done by students to facilitate sustainability on campus via the Campus Sustainability Fund. It represents another resource provided by the university to support commuters, and it joins a variety of user-friendly tools on the ESS site that help promote the university’s mission of sustainability education and action.
The UW consistently ranks among the top environmentally-friendly schools in the United States. Most recently, the University was named to the Princeton Review’s Green Honor Roll and the Sierra Club’s “Greenest Colleges” list.
About the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF)
The CSF provides financial support for student led initiatives that will lower the University of Washington's environmental impact and foster an environmentally conscious culture. More information can be found at csf.uw.edu