Do TU's actions match its environmental policies?
Nick Di Marco
Green | 1/31/08
Towson talks about making environmental strides, and five months ago Towson President Robert Caret signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, yet some are questioning whether the TU campus is truly going green.
According to the University's Web site, the three major items that Towson will address in meeting its commitment are public transportation, waste reduction, and green building.
Commuters commute alone
To reduce carbon emissions caused by automobiles the University stresses public transportation. However, Kenilworth at Charles Apartments and the University Village are the only two off-campus residence locations that have Towson University shuttle bus services.
A shuttle also runs to Penn Station in Baltimore.
"The University would love to do more busses to apartment complexes, but the apartment complexes don't want to get on board because they have to pay for it," Kenny West, administration and finance manager of parking and transportation services, said.
This semester the shuttle service for Kenilworth requires students to have added a sticker to their identification card, to verify Kenilworth residency. According to West, Kenilworth implemented the new identification program because students were riding the bus who lived in the surrounding apartment complexes.
Towson's Web site states that commuters make up 80 percent of the undergraduates at Towson. Most commuters do not carpool and there is no formal program to encourage it. West said such a program might not work.
"We're looking at implementing it, but...we don't know if it would be effective at this university at this time. Students have a habit of wanting the most convenient spaces and not wanting to carpool anyway," West said.
Commuter Services offers a ride board that is split into three categories: local listings, extended travel listings, and carpool listings. As of Jan. 30, only eight people were listed on the board.
According to the University's Web site, the three major items that Towson will address in meeting its commitment are public transportation, waste reduction, and green building.
Commuters commute alone
To reduce carbon emissions caused by automobiles the University stresses public transportation. However, Kenilworth at Charles Apartments and the University Village are the only two off-campus residence locations that have Towson University shuttle bus services.
A shuttle also runs to Penn Station in Baltimore.
"The University would love to do more busses to apartment complexes, but the apartment complexes don't want to get on board because they have to pay for it," Kenny West, administration and finance manager of parking and transportation services, said.
This semester the shuttle service for Kenilworth requires students to have added a sticker to their identification card, to verify Kenilworth residency. According to West, Kenilworth implemented the new identification program because students were riding the bus who lived in the surrounding apartment complexes.
Towson's Web site states that commuters make up 80 percent of the undergraduates at Towson. Most commuters do not carpool and there is no formal program to encourage it. West said such a program might not work.
"We're looking at implementing it, but...we don't know if it would be effective at this university at this time. Students have a habit of wanting the most convenient spaces and not wanting to carpool anyway," West said.
Commuter Services offers a ride board that is split into three categories: local listings, extended travel listings, and carpool listings. As of Jan. 30, only eight people were listed on the board.
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