Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship – Transportation and Commuting Efforts Across our family of organizations, caregivers are doing their part to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation. Below is a sample of regional and local efforts. Regional Commuter programs Commuter programs in Washington State Our ministries and caregivers in Washington State are embracing requirements to reduce single-occupant commuting for organizations with more than 100 employees. Washington shared services To encourage alternative transportation within Washington shared services, the commuter program offers caregivers: A One Regional Card for All (ORCA) transportation card, the smart cards used for public transit in the Puget Sound region of Washington. A carpool subsidy program, which allows caregivers to submit a $37.50/month expense when commuting more than 80 percent of the time with another person. That person does not have to work for Providence. A bike subsidy program of $1/day, for those who ride their bike to work. An alternative transportation subsidy program with a benefit of 75 percent of fare or $90 per month – whichever is less – for other alternative transportation methods utilized other than ORCA or bus (e.g., ferry). In addition, COVID-19 has resulted in a 90 percent reduction in the number of administrative caregivers commuting each day, which has also reduced commuter emissions. For more information about the commuting programs for WA shared services, contact Kim Harmeling, program manager, Engineer, Resource, Engineering, and Hospitality group kimberly.harmeling@providence.org. Swedish The Swedish commuter program features: A partnership with "Commute Seattle", a program that provides an annual survey, organizational goals and tracks reductions. The commuter program team provides a lot of communication and encouragement to caregivers and emphasizes that reducing single occupancy commuting is a city requirement. Access to a commute management platform called Luum, which: o shows all Providence caregivers within the zip code, the number of vanpools or carpools nearby, and email addresses to arrange logistics. o provides a guaranteed ride home eight times per year through a taxi service for anyone who has an ORCA card; this a helpful back up plan in case public transportation is not available. o enables carpool matching, or allows you to form your own vanpool. each vanpool has a designated bookkeeper that provides mileage, the number of caregivers and garage parking expenses. The bookkeeper sends this information to Providence and King County metro to claim benefits.

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