THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 11:00AM PACIFIC. We are so obsessed with cars—our personal vehicles (especially electric vehicles), as well as Uber or Lyft—that we forget there are many other ways to get around, including our bus and rail system. We really don’t have to drive in an SOV (single occupancy vehicle)—and we know we shouldn’t—especially when it comes to intercity or long-distance travel.
And that's the subject of two upcoming Zoom calls on the topic of reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT)—a goal among the many advocates and elected officials who are deeply concerned about the impact on climate change (50% of GHG emissions in California come from the transportation sector and refineries) and air quality. Please mark your calendars and join us on Oct. 8 and 14 for:
“What About Reducing VMT with Fewer SOVs?” on Friday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., when we will discuss opportunities for both medium- and long-distance travel and how it can reduce VMT and help reduce GHG emissions and improve air quality. REGISTER HERE. With:
• Darwin Moosavi, Deputy Secretary for Environmental Policy and Housing Coordination at the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), where he is a key advisor on issues related to reducing GHGs and VMT.
• Ben Porrit, Senior VP at Brightline, a provider of modern, eco-friendly high-speed rail, working in partnership with Siemens to build trainsets in California that are an example of green manufacturing and good-paying jobs.
• Pierre Gourdain, CEO of FlixBus and in charge of making it the #1 ground-based long-distance mobility provider in the U.S., which has transported more than a million passengers since its launch on the West Coast in 2018.
• LaDonna DiCamillo, appointed as Southern California Director of the High-Speed Rail Authority last year, and tasked with bringing High Speed Rail to our region.
AND THEN . . .
"Emerging Technology in Passenger Transit: Planes, Trains, Buses and Ships" on Thursday, Oct. 14, 12 noon-2 p.m., when we will be discussing planes, trains, ships and other options. REGISTER HERE. With:
• Ray Wolfe, Executive Director of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, manages transportation investments throughout the county, leveraging dedicated local sales tax, and leading councils of government efforts countywide.
• Peter Chen, Mechanical Engineer at the California Energy Commission, is charged with planning initiatives and managing research, development, and demonstration projects to advance alternative fuel vehicle technologies.
• Bob Schlatter, Senior Executive at World Energy, is working to decarbonize air travel with sustainable aviation fuel and support businesses in their journey to more sustainable transit.
• Jesse Marquez (invited) founded the Coalition for a Safe Environment to monitor goods movement issues at the ports of LA and Long Beach and the public health impacts on communities nearby—with a goal of mitigating, reducing or eliminating public exposure to pollution generated by the ports.
• Lawrence McCormack is Director of State Government Relations for Cummins, which builds engines for long-haul trucks, buses, light-duty vehicles and heavy-duty equipment—and is reknown for reliability, fuel efficiency, and low emissions.
• Dave Cook is Chief Technology Officer at Rail Propulsion Systems, a California-based company dedicated to modernizing transportation and eliminating congestion in our cities and transportation corridors.
• Madeline Rose is Climate Campaign Director at Pacific Environment, which works to stop ships from using 20th century fuels in the 21st century—especially heavy fuel oil—because if the international shipping industry was its own country it would be the world’s 6th largest climate polluter.