Evaluating TDM: Charlotte, North Carolina Case Study

1. Presenter: Margaret Dwyer, AICP October 22, 2008 Evaluating TDM: Charlotte, North Carolina Case Study

2. URS TDM Services • National TDM Services • Turn-key Program Management • Employer Outreach • Community/Public Involvement • Marketing Services • Incentive-Program Development • Safe Routes to Schools Programs • Training (Commuter Choice) • Program Service Areas • Massachusetts, Birmingham, Charlotte, Harrisburg, Atlanta, Southwest Florida, Las Vegas • Long Island, Minneapolis, Tampa

3. Presentation Overview • Focus on Charlotte, North Carolina, Evaluation • Air Quality Improvement Program • Pilot Testing NOx Reduction Strategies • Program Outcomes • “Lessons Learned” • Questions/Comments

4. Metrolina Region of North/South Carolina

5. Metrolina Regional Air Quality: 6% 14% 24% 55%

6. Business Case • Key Economic Considerations: • Traffic congestion is worsening, impacting commute times, and shipping times • Industrial permitting standards are becoming more difficult to obtain and maintain • Employee, public health risks and related health costs are rising • Quality of life suffers in Charlotte, as a result of traffic and air quality factors

7. Prior Attempts Had Failed • What Hadn’t Worked? • Addressing episodic issues rather than sustainable change • Offering an unstructured approach • Failing to offer the business community one-on-one assistance • Failing to create regional momentum • Offering limited on-site assistance to employees

8. What Was Needed? • Program Success Factors: • A structured, voluntary approach to reduce emissions • A year-round program to sustain activity • Ongoing support from the business community • Public relations/marketing to educate and continue to raise awareness • Financial incentives to encourage mode-shift away from “drive-alone” commuting • Implementation of solutions before mandatory regulations are enacted

9. Charlotte Program Overview • Project Planning Period • Initial Mandatory Concept, 2004 • Chamber “Test” Pilot, Summer 2005 • Regional Air Quality Board Formation • Consultant Selection, Winter 2005 • 2006 Air Quality Pilot Program • 2007-2008 Program Expansion

10. Regional AQ Board • Regional Air Quality Board established in December 2005 • Mission: to facilitate collaborative efforts among businesses and public entities to address regional air quality issues • Supported a regional Pilot Program: Clean Air Works! • An 8-month air quality initiative • Program implementation June-September • Program funding from Mecklenburg County and CMAQ dollars

11. Pilot Program: • Pilot Goals Were: • To determine the best approaches to encourage employees to change commuting behaviors; • To motivate commuter mode shift; • To track worksite/employee participation; and • To motivate employers to change their business practices to lower emissions. • Business Involvement Goal: • To secure participation by 50 of the largest companies in the 8-county Metrolina Region

12. Clean Air Works! • Program Components: • Offered businesses a customized campaign for their employees • Adjusted programs to fit with corporate guidelines and individual companies’ preferences • Business partners received one-on-one program support, tracking, and marketing/PR throughout the project

13. Program Features • Worksite Commute Programs: • Carpooling: ridematching for employees; preferred parking and signage for carpoolers • Adjustable work schedules to avoid high commuting times (flex schedules, compressed work weeks) • Vanpooling promotions and match funds for vanpool start-ups during pilot • Try It Incentives: for employees who try alternatives to driving alone on designated days • Operational programs: anti-idling; delayed refueling

14. Program Features • Evaluation Strategies • Worksite assessments to determine existing business practices • Customized Employer Action Plans • Online commuter tracking system established to record travel behavior • Mid-summer program assessments • End of program review

15. Program Features • Public Relations Components • Business recruitment in March 2006 • Partner Kick-Off Breakfast May 2006 • “Clean Air Challenge” June-September • Media coverage highlighted program activities and participants • Final awards celebration October 2006

16. Business Partners by October 2006 Alltel Wireless American & Efird Bank of America Belk, Inc. BellSouth Bissell Companies Bowater Burchette & Associates Carolinas Medical Center Carolinas Medical Center - Pineville CaroMont Health Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte Chamber of Commerce The Charlotte Observer Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Citigroup Coca-Cola Consolidated Compass Group Dixon Hughes Duke Energy Environmental Building Solutions Family Dollar Stores First Charter Bank Food Lion Froehling & Robertson Harris Teeter Hospitality Tourism Alliance Johnson C. Smith University Johnson & Wales University Kennedy Covington Lash Group Loftin Printers Lowe's Moore & Van Allen National Gypsum Northeast Medical Center Pharr Yarns Piedmont Natural Gas PSNC Energy Quaero Corporation Pharr Yarns Radiator Specialty Company Springs Global SPX Superior Seeding Terracon Time Warner Cable Tuscan Development University of North Carolina Charlotte Wachovia Winthrop University York County Chamber of Commerce York Technical College

17. 52 Employer partners 13,875 Surveys completed 56,283 Employees participating 1,798 Commuters tracking mode use monthly 37,775 alternative trips captured (23% new) 411,650 vehicle miles reduced (19% new) 128 new commute & operational programs 34 Incentive programs implemented 2006 Outreach Outcomes

18. Sample Programs • Duke Energy- Implemented a $50 transit/vanpool subsidy; this fostered a 37% increase in transit pass sales at their Uptown location • Moore & Van Allen- Implemented a 10-trip transit pass program; 11 employees gave up their parking spaces and switched to using transit full time • Harris Teeter- HT implemented an anti-idling policy for their distribution center and fleet of vehicles; with 1,200 deliveries each week, HT reduced 196 pounds of NOx in one month • Between June and July, Clean Air Works! tracked an increase from 6,354 to 14,027 in alternative-mode trips reported at Partner worksites

19. Program Features • Media Highlights • Secured over 70 placements in print, radio, television and online • Reached over 20 million readers, listeners and viewers within the target market • Media outlets include: • Charlotte Observer (including Cabarrus, Union, Gaston and York sections) • Charlotte Business Journal • The Herald (Rock Hill) • Salisbury Post • The Mecklenburg Times • Charlotte Magazine • Charlotte Chamber’s newsletter, Ventures • WBTV-TV, WCNC-TV, WSOC-TV, WCCB-TV • WFAE (NPR), WHRI, WNKS, WKQC, WFNZ, WFNA, WSOC • MSNBC.com

20. Media

21. NOx Emissions Reduced • Daily Commute Reductions • Monthly Commute Reductions

22. NOx Emissions Reduced • Daily Operations Reductions • Monthly Operations Reductions

23. Phase Two: • Program Continuation through 2007 • Year-round effort • Sustained commute/business practices • New Operational Focus with onsite operational audits • Operational Audits • Customized energy assessments • Onsite “walk-throughs” • Summary of findings with recommendations for implementation • Follow up

24. New Operational Audit Service • Audit consists of: • Introductory meeting and audit overview • Audit interviews with key facility personnel • Walk-through of facility • Examination of how facility uses energy • Cost of that energy • Review of emission reduction opportunities • Targets for one or two specific areas for examination

25. Audit Features • Focus on: • Fuel, electricity and water-consuming equipment; • Controls; • Ancillary and operational process; • Building envelope; • Renewable energy supply; • Maintenance practices and fleet management

26. What do Companies Provide? • Company Provides Information On: • Energy and fuel usage • Information on utility rate structures • Physical and operational data • Description of operations • Hours • Production levels • List of major energy consuming equipment

27. Post-Audit Actions • After the audit, the employer receives a customized report which includes: • Energy usage cost information • NOx patterns • Facility recommendations and action plan • Include ideas to reduce emissions on high ozone days • Staff will work to help implement the action plan

28. Sample Results • Identified natural gas usage reduction opportunities related to space heating in dock and warehouse areas that will save approximately $14,000 (US) per year with almost no capital expenditure.

29. Sample Results • Identified lighting retrofit to save an additional $17,000 (US) per year • Identified additional savings from compressed air leak survey • Total operational NOx emission reductions from these changes are over 1T/yr at this warehouse and light mfg facility

30. AbitibiBowater • AQ Training (1000 employees) • AQ Alerts on Intranet • Gate Greetings/Events • Anti-Idling Policy • Letters To Vendors • CAW Operational Audit • Lighting Replacement Project • Increased Unoccupied Hours of HVAC • Air Quality Flag Program • Preferential Parking Program • Employee Refueling Raffle • Commuter Carpool Raffle

31. Delayed Refueling of Fleet Vehicles Commuter & Fleet Driver Refueling Raffles ‘Stay In For Lunch’ Weekly Raffles ‘Free Fridays’ Cafeteria Item Onsite Check Cashing Energy Star Computers Motion Detector Lighting “Turn It Off” Energy Saving program American & Efird • Kickoff Events (20) • Air quality education for all 1,300 employees • Information in new hire packets • Telework Pilot Program • Gas Cap Check events • ‘Try It’ Day events • CAW Operational Audits (2)

32. Duke Energy • 100% Transit & Vanpool Subsidy • Installation of Bicycle Racks • Kickoff Events and ‘Try It’ Days • Flexible work schedules • Telework Initiative • Anti-idling policy • One setting for thermostats • Refuel company vehicles between 7pm and 6am • Hybrid fleet vehicles

33. Continued Program Success • 2007 Program Results: • 130,242 alternative trips reported • 57,170 transit trips • 53,445 carpool trips • 8,339 vanpool trips • 4,294 trips reduced by telecommuting • 3,499 walk trips • 3,495 bike trips • 1,741,437 vehicle miles reduced • 2,573 lbs. of emissions reduced by commuters • 106,336 lbs. of emissions reduced by operational practices * Up from 37,000 in 2006 * Up from 411,000 in 2006

34. Program Has Expanded To 100+ Partners Piedmont Medical Center Piedmont Natural Gas Pratt Industries PSNC Energy Quaero Corporation Radiator Specialty Company Robert Bosch Tool Company Sherpa SHS JAN Sole Spanish Grille Southern Building Maintenance Company Springs Global SPX Corporation Superior Seeding Terracon Time Warner Cable The Herald Travelers Tube Specialties Tuscan Development Tyco Electronics UNC Charlotte Union County Chamber URS Corporation US GreenFiber US Security Valspar Vanguard Wachovia Winthrop University WSOC-WXAN TV York County Chamber of Commerce York Technical College Zen Asian Fusion Duke Energy Elmer’s Products Environmental Building Solutions First Charter Bank Flakeboard Food Lion Freightliner Froehling & Robertson Gaston County Chamber of Commerce GE Goodwill Industries Grant Thornton Greater Statesville Chamber Harris Teeter Helm Mulliss Wicker Home.Charlotte.com Houser Transport Hunton & Williams HTA Johnson & Wales University Johnson C. Smith University Kennedy Covington KPMG Lash Group LeeBoy Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber Littler Mendelson Loftin Printers Marsh McGee Brothers Moore & Van Allen National Gypsum NewDominion Bank Pharr Yarns Alltel Wireless American & Efird AT&T AXA Equitable Baker & Taylor Bank of America BaxterHarriss Belk Bissell Companies Blythe Brothers Ashphalt Blythe Brothers Development Bowater Burchette & Associates Carolinas Healthcare System CaroMont Health Charlotte Regional Partnership Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority Bobcats Arena Charlotte Convention Center Crickets Arena Ovens Auditorium VisitCharlotte CPCC Charlotte Chamber of Commerce The Charlotte Observer Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Citi Fort Mill Coca-cola Consolidated Compass Group Comporium Crescent Resources Dixon Hughes

35. Feedback from Employers “I have continually been impressed both by the entire team’s attitude toward their work and their performance on this project….” T. Randolph Perkins, Moore&VanAllen “We have been very impressed with the dedication of the entire Clean Air Works! team throughout this important project…” John Eapen, VP Environmental Health & Safety American & Efird “Harris Teeter would like to see the Clean Air Works! become a year-round effort…” Terrie Priore, VP Benefits & Administration “Thank you all for your efforts to provide UNC Charlotte with an important program to unite us with the greater Charlotte community to improve air quality…” Wayne Walcot, Sr. Associate Provost, “The team’s enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and hands-on assistance made offering and promoting these programs easy…” Thomas Pizzo, President

36. Key Findings Aggressive outreach efforts are critical to success Results can be achieved quickly Accountability is key Incentives played a key role in changing and sustaining behavior Umbrella organization supported transportation/AQ options in the region CATS NC Air Awareness MCAQ (Gas Cap Checks/Change-a-Light events)

37. Questions/Comments Margaret Giery Dwyer, AICP URS Corporation, TDM Services 678.808.8969 – Atlanta office Margaret_Dwyer@URSCorp.com