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TRANSPORTATION AUDIT
Ricardo Bugarin
Irving Vargas
Joseph Perez
Ricardo Moreno
Muhammed Al Muhammed

Proposed Research Topic;


Research, methods, and techniques for obtaining points towards achieving a platinum
LEED certification with an emphasis on transportation.
Purpose;
Carbon Nexus aims to educate the CSUC campus about the impacts that different choices
in transportation enact. Driving, carpooling, and taking the bus all expel different levels of
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The audience should not think that their modes of
transportation are pure evil, but instead recognize that their decision in transportation is directly
linked to Earths longevity and condition. This proposal serves to push a bike-friendly agenda
and bring a large influx of bike riders to Chicos WREC. The target audience is current attendees
of the WREC. There are many reasons why people should bike to the WREC. Bikes dont use
any fuel, they take a lot less energy to make than a car, and bikes dont require batteries or motor
oil. Riding your bike has very little carbon output compared to cars. Small to midsize cars emit
from half a ton of CO2 to around one and a half tons of CO2 in a 10 mile round trip commute 5
days a week for a year (EnvironmentalBenefits.com). Not to mention that an SUV emits around
2 tons of CO2 in the same amount of time. These are also just the pollutants from fuel use and
not the carbon emission that goes into actually making the car with very unhealthy products like
plastic and foam. Riding your bike also helps traffic congestion as well as providing a more
environmentally friendly alternative mode of transportation. Less cars on the road lead to lesser
traffic congestion and higher miles per gallon (MPG) for other users.

Background;
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, transportation is a system for moving
passengers or goods from one place to another. It includes cars, trucks, trains, motorcycles, and
airplanes. The use for them varies from personal use to commercial use. All transportation
methods run on a fuel which is in most cases fossil fuel. High demand on these transportation
methods means more extracting of oil that can lead to the extinction of fossil fuels. In addition,
burning fossil fuel expels toxic material into the atmosphere. A toxic byproduct of burning fossil
fuel is Carbon dioxide (CO2 ), the more carbon dioxide we produce the more Earth feels the
effects of global warming. Transportation methods produce too much noise to communities as
well.
By the end of 2004, more than 3,500 km of noise barriers had been constructed by
45 state departments of transportation. These barriers cost $2.6 billion. Most of the
exterior noise on highways is from the interaction between a cars tires and the
road. No comparable efforts are being made to reduce exterior vehicle noise.
(Lang, 2007)
Automobiles arent the only concern. Aircrafts produce noise as well. Although the 1960s
introduced high-bypass-ratio jet engines that made passenger aircraft much quieter than their
predecessors, flight operations after the 1960s increased rapidly. To solve this problem, the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provided sound insulation for residents in communities
near airports. The cost for the insulation near OHare residential areas alone costs $189 million

by 2006 (Lang & Maling Jr, 2007). Both solutions were to reduce the noise in homes but not to
reduce the outside noise which will lead the federal government to spend too much money
funding programs like these and maybe new others.
Different methods of transportation allow users to navigate from point A to point B.
Particular methods emit many pollutants into the environment. The pollution is unlikely to cease,
however, recognizing the impact different transportation methods cause will influence users to
make globally considerate decisions. 3 types of impacts are likely to occur when actively using
particular transportation methods. These are Direct Impacts, Indirect Impacts, and Cumulative
Impacts (Rodrigue, 2013). Direct impacts are most noticeable, they involve the emission of noise
and CO2. Indirect impacts arent heard or seen, but felt instead. Particulates produced from car
engines floating in the atmosphere are believed to be linked with the development of respiratory
diseases. Cumulative impacts afflict large regions or the entire Earth. Global warming is a prime
example of a cumulative impact. Automobiles account for 15% of global Co2 emissions. This
significant percentage of contribution leads to climate change, air, water, land, and soil quality
disparities. Transportation directly hinders soil quality during the construction of large roads or
highways. Highway construction leads to the loss of valuable, fertile land. Transportation also
directly impacts biodiversity. A new land-based transportation model demands construction
materials that inevitably rip and clear forest woodland. Deforestation then leads to a reduction of
ranges for animals to inhabit and the endangerment of multiple species.

Scope;

Carbon Nexus is currently en route to deduce how much many of CSU Chicos avid WREC
attendants chose bicycling as their main choice of transportation to this gym. To do so, many
surveys during different times of the day will be handed out at the entrance of site. The surveys
will ask what cross streets did users come from, and what method of transportation did they
choose. This information will tell Carbon Nexus what percentage of users are unaware of how
feasible it truly is to get to the WREC. Sustainability also entails how a community can better
come together. Carbon Nexus recognizes that weight lifting area of the WREC appears to host
the majority of one gender over the other. Carbon Nexus plans to find out what makes the weight
lifting room so intimidating through a series of surveys as well. This information will be
presented to WREC director, Curtis Sicheneder, in hope that hed be able to make
accommodations to better foster the underrepresented gender. The number of bike racks will be
taken into account as well. Currently, the WREC can hold 280 bikes and many skateboards.
Carbon Nexus also recognizes these racks are never full -half-full at the very most.

Research;
Previous transportation measurements have been conducted by a LEED certification
panel. With an interview regarding the WREC director, Curtis Sicheneder, information about
these past methods have been confirmed by him. There are currently 280 bike spots and 30 skate
spots available to anyone who attends the wrec. The number of spots have been chosen since the

beginning of the project to building the WREC. With the WREC being recently new, there are
few resources in determining if other methods were conducted in the past.

Methods;
A video will be displayed to the audience. The videos aims at showing crowds how easy
Chico is to navigate and that reaching the WREC is a breeze, and potentially, faster than a car.
Pamphlets or flyers will be distributed among campus as well. These pamphlets will show a map
of Chico, highlighting all bike routes that lead to the WREC. Bike route awareness is key.
Carbon Nexus will also provide its audience a list friendly and affordable bicycle shops that can
get anyone on two wheels. Carbon Nexus is aware that some users leave their bikes to rust over a
period of months due to a flat tire that happened in December, 2015. Tune-up prices and flatrepair jobs will be listed as well. The WREC can potentially achieve more points towards a
LEED platinum-certification if its users did the following: Use all resources at max capacity.

Timeline;
Oct 12, 2016, Find out bike repair prices, figure out how Carbon Nexus can promote the
usage of all amenities inside the WREC as well. Assemble bike maps that lead to the WREC
from all West, East, North and South ends of the city.

References
Gordon, D. (2010). The role of transportation in driving climate disruption. Washington, DC:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Transportation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from


http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/transportation

Lang, W., Maling Jr, G. (2007). Noise as a Technological and Policy Challenge. The Bridge,
37(3), 4-9.

Environmental Benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2016, from


http://youcanbikethere.com/environmental-benefits/

Rodrigue, J., Dr. (2013). The Environmental Impacts of Transportation. Retrieved October 3,
2016, from https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch8en/conc8en/ch8c1en.html

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