Durham County
What You Are Supporting
Benefits
Lower carbon transportation, reduction in air toxins, waste diversion, sustainable community development, green job creation, and environmental education.
Subsidize your Transportation Costs
Submitted by: John Marc Dreyfors
The Triangle Community Carbon Fund is accepting applications from local non-profits to subsidize their transportation costs with Greenway Transit Services, LLC, a biodiesel busing company, and Carolina Biodiesel, LLC, a biodiesel distribution company, both of which share space at the GOAL Site in east Durham and are partially owned by The Forest Foundation, Inc., creating a hybrid social entrepreneurial system for community development.
Non-profits whose applications are accepted will receive funds to pay for biodiesel fuel in Greenway Transit Services, LLC vehicles, subsidizing the transportation costs and importantly, helping to reduce the exposure of children to toxic air emissions, while growing the demand for community made, cleaner burning biofuels. Donations will focus on groups trying to increase at risk youth field trips and particularly those that get children outdoors and into nature, because of the known benefits of improved learning, concentration, and health. Due to cuts to school funding, field trips have become nearly non existent and Greenway Transit Services, LLC has been partnering with a number of Triangle organizations and offering its services at discounted rates.
Negawatts/Energy Efficiency (6/10): Biodiesel buses are a more efficient mode of transport than gasoline cars or buses, and used/reclaimed and recycled buses use much less energy (zero) to bring into service.
Displaced Carbon (9/10): One gallon of biodiesel displaces 22 pounds of carbon from diesel, biodiesel made from waste has a carbon footprint of nearly zero (one ton of carbon is approximately 90 gallons, or roughly $1 per gallon subsidy to offset carbon); air toxins are reduced by 50-70% per gallon, reduction is 0.2 g./gal. Health impacts and costs to cardiovascular disease, asthma and mental health unknown, but likely to be as expensive as the carbon to public health. (The Triangle has been an Environmental Protection Agency non-attainment area.)
Systems/Lifecycle Approach (8/10): Greenway Transit Services, LLC is a part of the GOAL site and works closely with Carolina Biodiesel, LLC; Green Oil Company, LLC; The Forest Foundation, Inc.; and other partners in using a lifecycle and systems approach to producing, distributing, and value adding biofuel, transportation, and other services.
Local Resiliency (9/10): The Greenway Transit Services, LLC fleet receives 95% of its income from Triangle-based clients and tours.
Social/Environmental Justice (9/10): Greenway Transit Services, LLC is a part of the GOAL site and works closely with other partners in support of social and environmental justice. First, it is located in a Hope VI community in east Durham, resulting in the majority of its multipliers of salary and expenses staying within Durham. Second, 70% of its full and part time employees are ex offenders, chronically underemployed, persons of color, or at risk youth. All are low income and receive some government support. Three of its 15 part time drivers are veterans. Third, it has participated in a green jobs training program called Green Tracks, managed by The Forest Foundation, Inc. and the Durham Economic Research Center. Lastly, Greenway Transit Services, LLC provides services for many organizations that are at the forefront of action to address inequality, racism, improved healthcare and sustainable development, and offers discounts.
Carbon Sequestration (0/10): Waste from biodiesel vegetable oil processing is composted.