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The Nature Conservancy’s Eastern New York Chapter Receives 2008 Regional Commuter Choice Award

Recognition Acknowledges Efforts to Reduce Traffic Congestion and Improve Quality of Life

New York, NY — June 26, 2008 — At a ceremony at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan, the Eastern New York Chapter (ENY) of The Nature Conservancy accepted a 2008 Regional Commuter Choice Award. The Regional Commuter Choice Awards are coordinated annually by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council through the Metropolitan Mobility Network. The program recognizes employers that provide commuter benefit programs that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. 

“People think that only mega-solutions are effective in reducing emissions, but I would argue that individual choices make a huge difference,” says Katie Dolan, executive director of the Eastern New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

The Eastern New York Chapter received recognition in the Innovator Category – the category for employers who have implemented a new or unique commuter benefit program within the last twelve months. The chapter has made a significant commitment to ‘green’ their operations. 

“The staff and its Honorary Advisory Board recently assessed the chapter’s carbon footprint and devised ways to take action. We built two green conservation centers, reduced the number of board meetings to cut travel, found local green food vendors, added a hybrid to our fleet, share documents online and encourage carpooling,” adds Dolan.

The Conservancy’s ENY staffers can take advantage of telecommuting and pre-tax benefits. The chapter also shares ideas with other offices in the Conservancy via the Green Group. “The Green Group, established in 2004, is a collation of over 90 Conservancy staff and supporters,” notes Dolan. “We meet via monthly conference calls to share ideas on the best ways to green our lives and organizations. Among the topics presented by experts in their fields were computer recycling, green buildings and sustainable food choices.”

Expanding on the work of the Green Group, the Conservancy recently completed a carbon analysis for the entire organization, developed a carbon calculator (nature.org/calculator) and is working to further shrink its footprint.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.