Passenger Trains > 2018 Amtrak Sustainability Report

Amtrak Releases FY2018 Sustainability Report
PR Newswire
PR NewswireJuly 8, 2019, 5:28 PM UTC
America's Railroad implements innovative sustainable solutions for everyday operations

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Amtrak released its FY2018 Sustainability Report, in a newly designed and interactive online experience, highlighting company performance against year-over-year sustainability goals. In FY18 year, the company achieved all energy, fuel, recycling and emissions targets with the support of more than 20,000 employees.

"Sustainability is becoming a consistent component in Amtrak's projects, operations and strategic plans, which is quickly positioning the company toward being an industry leader," said Richard Anderson, Amtrak President & CEO. "This report reflects how we incorporate environmental, financial and social sustainability considerations into our decision-making processes."


New to this year's report are two unique collaborations with Amtrak: People for Urban Progress (PUP) and No Kings Collective (NKC). The PUP partnership was a significant shift for rethinking how Amtrak diverts waste at the end of its useful life, furthering the goal of a 20% recycling rate by 2020. They launched the most recent batch on June 25; to date, the PUP team has processed over one-ton of Acela leather.

The partnership with NKC involved a large-scale customized mural, featuring a bold interpretation of the landscapes found throughout our national network. Amtrak worked with NKC to provide creative direction throughout the report, and across social media channels, to emphasize the importance of sustainability at Amtrak. The collaboration with NKC was particularly meaningful because it helped emphasize one of Amtrak's social sustainability goals: contract up to 10% of Amtrak's total annual spend with diverse suppliers.

Highlights from the report include:

- Successful recycling and waste diversion efforts, which resulted in 194 tons of material diverted from landfills

- Greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 17% over Amtrak's 2010 baseline

- $52 million investment in stations upgrades for greater accessibility and mobility

- $2 million in energy savings through smart resource management

- A special Q & A with Stephen Gardner, Senior Executive Vice President (SEVP) and Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, discussing Amtrak's operations and planning as they pertain to sustainability

The report features a new look with interactive functionality, and it's part of a larger communication strategy designed to deliver salient sustainability content across Amtrak's various platforms throughout the year in addition to this year-end review.

Posted from iPhone

In the second half of this year Amtrak is reducing emissions and fuel consumption on the Chicago to Indy route by about 57%....way to go!

Dave

Sustainable: adjective.
"able to be maintained at a certain rate or level."

Sustainable = anti-growth.  "Stay the Course!" "Go Green!"

Planning & architecture acronym: BANANA = Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.

"Sustainability" has been a major "goal" in land use (and transportation, of course) planing for about 20 years.  And so you have it.

I have recent geography & planning graduates all gung-ho about sustainability, but then they whine about not being able to find jobs. Or they have to have a Masters just to get an unpaid internship. They didn't see the connection of sustainability's "not building a lot of new things" and "not needing to hire planners". Or engineering & construction jobs, etc...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/19 14:10 by Duna.

Recycling ? Hah. That's a good one. Hocked all the Corelle to save a salary, and replace with loads of #5 plastic throw away dishes, and no recycling of plastic beverage bottles or aluminum cans on board. Not very "green".

Posted from Android

Duna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sustainable: adjective.
> "able to be maintained at a certain rate or
> level."
>
> Sustainable = anti-growth.  "Stay the Course!"
> "Go Green!"
>
> Planning & architecture acronym: BANANA = Build
> Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.
>
> "Sustainability" has been a major "goal" in land
> use (and transportation, of course) planing for
> about 20 years.  And so you have it.
>
> I have recent geography & planning graduates all
> gung-ho about sustainability, but then they whine
> about not being able to find jobs. Or they have to
> have a Masters just to get an unpaid internship.
> They didn't see the connection of sustainability's
> "not building a lot of new things" and "not
> needing to hire planners". Or engineering &
> construction jobs, etc...

Amazing that yet again, you have zero clue as to what you are talking about.

 "Amazing that yet again, you have zero clue as to what you are talking about."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You may want to walk that back just a little bit.......................................see:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIMBY
(Specifically the section towards the end where 'BANANA' is described, exactly as has been postulated.)

chrsjrcj Wrote:

> Amazing that yet again, you have zero clue as to
> what you are talking about.



Yet somehow, I've had a long career (aka paid) out of land use & transportation planning and railroading.

What do people pay for your railfan expertise?
 

I would say Amtrak is not reducing gas, but increasing HOT AIR with this blather and B.S.   

Duna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> chrsjrcj Wrote:
>
> > Amazing that yet again, you have zero clue as
> to
> > what you are talking about.
>
>
>
> Yet somehow, I've had a long career (aka paid) out
> of land use & transportation planning and
> railroading.
>
> What do people pay for your railfan expertise?
>  

All your posts make you sound like a very bitter, negative, miserable person.

By the way, I am also a planner working in transportation (although, not rail). 

SANSR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>  "Amazing that yet again, you have zero clue as
> to what you are talking about."
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> You may want to walk that back just a little
> bit.......................................see: 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIMBY
> (Specifically the section towards the end where
> 'BANANA' is described, exactly as has been
> postulated.)

I am well aware of the NIMBY term, but you would be hard pressed to find a professional planner (maybe some eco-fascists) that is strictly anti-growth like Duna implied. 

At the end of the day, planners are bound by the will of municipalities and their voters. To describe sustainability and planners as simply anti-growth, is very narrow and simple minded. I would suggest reading the APA's Sustainability Policy Framework for better understanding. https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/document/Sustainability-Policy-Framework.pdf



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/19 17:25 by chrsjrcj.

There's so much unrecycleable trash coming from the LD trains (the Diner particularly) and this is the result of Amtrak hawking the china, glasses, and dishwasher [position]. This is their own making, and done as a cost saving measure, not to be environmentally friendly. I've actually sat across from people looking to help the environment that have taken home various plastic items from Crescent's Viewliner II Diner because they didn't want to see the items thrown out - they were going to use them at home for continued use. To each their own. Even the linens were re-useable after being washed at the commissary or terminal stations. Amtrak leaves BAGS AND BAGS of trash behind at various stations ever since changing dining practices in the mid 2000's. Amtrak promotes that the "boxes" that meals come in on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore are from "recyclable" materials, but they are certainly tossed aside afterwards. Waste is waste. I find the "green" program very hypocritical, and I am certainly not the only one. 

You got it perfectly!


Duna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sustainable: adjective.
> "able to be maintained at a certain rate or
> level."
>
> Sustainable = anti-growth.  "Stay the Course!"
> "Go Green!"
>
> Planning & architecture acronym: BANANA = Build
> Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.
>
> "Sustainability" has been a major "goal" in land
> use (and transportation, of course) planing for
> about 20 years.  And so you have it.
>
> I have recent geography & planning graduates all
> gung-ho about sustainability, but then they whine
> about not being able to find jobs. Or they have to
> have a Masters just to get an unpaid internship.
> They didn't see the connection of sustainability's
> "not building a lot of new things" and "not
> needing to hire planners". Or engineering &
> construction jobs, etc...

Posted from Android

Anderson is a prize...buzz words... 52 million in station upgrades but yet did away with station agents.....Geez.... Propeller Head, please go back to Delta...