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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />February 25, 2010 <br /> <br />CONTACT: <br />Lindsay Selser, SmartTrips Eugene Program Manager, 541-682-5094 <br /> <br />From Public Information Section, 541-682-5523 or 541-954-2938 <br />FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br /> <br />$100,000 EPA Grant To Help Eugene Neighborhoods Explore SmartTrips Options <br />A new project to promote environmentally friendly commuting in Eugene got a $100,000 <br />boost from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week. <br />SmartTrips Eugene is designed to reduce drive-alone trips and increase biking, walking, <br />and public transit in targeted geographic areas of the city. A pilot project will start in the Harlow <br />neighborhood this summer. The EPA announced today that Eugene will receive a $104,126 <br />EPA Climate Showcase Communities grant to continue the program in 2011, making it possible <br />to offer this program to the Trainsong, Jefferson/Westside and Whiteaker neighborhoods. The <br />2011 SmartTrips program will provide customized outreach to approximately 12,000 residents. <br />Eugene was one of 20 U.S. communities to receive a total of $7.8 million in grants to <br />reduce greenhouse gases. It’s estimated that by 2012 these 20 projects will reduce about <br />135,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissionsannually – equal to the emissions from <br /> <br />25,000 passenger vehicles – and save more than $4.5 million per year in energy costs. <br />SmartTrips Eugene incorporates an innovative and individualized marketing program <br />that hand-delivers packets of information to residents who wish to learn more about <br />transportation options including transit, walking, bicycling, carpooling, and combining trips. Key <br />components feature biking and walking maps and organized activities that get people out in <br />their neighborhoods or places of employment to discover how many trips they can easily, <br />conveniently, and safely make without using a car. <br />“It’s great to see a city make it easy for citizens to use environmentally friendly ways of <br />getting around,” said Michelle Pirzadeh, Deputy Regional Administrator for the EPA. “We’re <br />excited to support this initiative. It’s a big step in the right direction to energy efficiency.” <br />Most of the Harlow neighborhood and a portion of the Cal Young neighborhood will be <br />included in the 2010 pilot program. The SmartTrips Eugene pilot program is funded through a <br />separate federal grant from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Community Block <br />Grant program. Close proximity to downtown and the University of Oregon and good pedestrian <br />and bicycle infrastructure were among the considerations used to select the target <br />neighborhoods for the SmartTrips Eugene project. <br /># # # <br /> <br />Public Works Administration ? City of Eugene ? 101 E. Broadway, Suite 400, Eugene, OR 97401 <br />Phone 541-682-8421 ? Fax 541-682-6826 ? www.eugene-or.gov/pw <br />