climate change

GUEST ROOM | Cornell, COVID and Climate Change; Take the Bus.

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When asked about the plan for Cornell’s reopening during an interview with Scot Vanderpool, General Manager of Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, I shrugged and gave him the same answer that Cornell students have had to repeat to family members and friends: “We still don’t know.” It is daunting for students to think about this semester’s empty lecture halls and the absence of the usual morning hustle to get to class.  However, for TCAT, a business whose financial stability relies on students using bus transportation to and from class, will also suffer from this restructured semester. Public transportation throughout New York State has undoubtedly been impacted by COVID-19. Even with extreme safety precautions in place and free bus fares in some areas (such as Tompkins County), public transit ridership in major cities has gone down by 50 to 90 percent since the pandemic started. However, even before the pandemic, public transportation only accounted for 8 percent of passenger-miles in the U.S. So, why should we care about taking public transportation now, in a time when people are concerned with the spread of COVID-19? The answer is simple: Sustainability and equitability.

Science

The Carbon Footprint of Your February Break Travels

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Every year, Cornellians travel around the country and world to get away from the cold of Ithaca for a couple days during February break. Unfortunately, by emitting greenhouse gases, traveling by car, plane or bus can contribute to climate change — with America’s transportation alone responsible for almost 30 percent of all global warming emissions in the US.

As students flock back to campus from various destinations, Prof. Danielle Eiseman, communication, weighed in on the most sustainable methods for traveling.

TCAT

Bridgette Brady Named TCAT Chair

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Bridgette Brady, senior director of Cornell’s transportation and delivery services, assumed the role of the chair of the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit board of directors on Jan. 23. She has served on the TCAT board for five years.

Transportation

Ithaca Ranked #1 ‘Very Small’ Car-Free City

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The news that Ithaca topped the car-free charts was exciting to TCAT’s general manager Scot Vanderpool, who said the metro can attribute its ranking to accessible alternative transportation means: Ithaca Car-Share, the introduction of LimeBikes, the large number of Cornell students walking to and from classes and the TCAT.