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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
AAATA / TheRide
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The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA/TheRide) is a not-for-profit unit of government, serving as the local public transit system for the greater Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. The organization is founded on a mission that focuses on accessibility, safety, environmental responsibility, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. “TheRide, as a provider of public services, is always thinking about the ‘triple-bottom line’ and how we can use our resources to best serve the community while being as cost-effective and environmentally responsible as possible. Our goal is to give community members great options to travel sustainably,” said Sarah Pressprich Gryniewicz, TheRide’s coordinator of Sustainability efforts.
TheRide's sustainable business practices have resulted in reduced energy usage by 18%, and water usage by 43%,and they are committed to continued improvement. TheRide has a long-running strong commitment to recycling, earning the organization the 2000 Waste Knot Environmental Excellence Award for waste reduction. TheRide has also invested in the largest-known proportion of hybrid-electric bus fleet in the nation, and is also the first transportation agency in the world to operate with an Allison xFE series transmission, technology
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that saves an estimated five metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per bus, per year.
The 2014 rebuilding of the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor was designed to meet LEED-Gold Certification standards. As such, the eco-conscious facility features natural lighting, reflective roofs to decrease air conditioning needs, low-volume water fixtures, and storm water run-off collection systems. Solid and hazardous waste recycling efforts have also been increased, with materials such as engine oil, scrap metal, tire treads, batteries, ink cartridges, and transmission fluids all recycled through municipal recycling or other recycling vendors.
In addition to these positive environmental changes, TheRide implemented the largest increase in service since 1979 on May 1, 2016. While more resources will be used to run buses, the expanded coverage, convenience, and availability of transit service is expected to attract more riders. TheRide’s future goals include working towards a 90% reduction of total GHG emissions by 2050, updating its Sustainability Plan every five years, and maintaining a Sustainability Team that will continue to keep the organization focused on practices that help reduce waste and improve efficiency.
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The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is currently recommending changes to strengthen the drinking water clean-up standard for 1,4-Dioxane by a factor of 10 in a new rules package under consideration by the agency. The proposed standard is based on new information using a science-based process, including current EPA toxicity data and Michigan-specific exposure factors. The 1,4-Dioxane drinking water standard in Michigan would be lowered from 85 parts per billion (ppb) to 7.2 ppb.
The chemical 1,4-Dioxane is an industrial solvent that has been linked to human health concerns at certain concentrations coupled with long-term exposure. The change would affect contaminated sites across the state where 1,4-Dioxane has been shown to be present. The DEQ and the citizens of Ann Arbor city have been focused on the standard as it pertains to the Pall-Gelman contaminant plume, which has contaminated three square miles of groundwater below the City of Ann Arbor.
The plume has not affected Ann Arbor’s drinking water supply. One Scio Township resident’s well water had 1,4-Dioxane levels greater than Michigan’s new proposed standard. That home has been connected to the city’s water supply. Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed Fiscal Year 2017 budget includes an additional $700,000 for addressing the Pall-Gelman1,4-Dioxane plume.
“The Ann Arbor community and its leaders have been great partners in addressing this issue, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on addressing the Pall-Gelman plume,” said former DEQ director Keith Creagh.
The calculation of the 1,4-Dioxane criteria is part of a major effort by the DEQ to update the criteria for 308 hazardous substances used to determine cleanup standards across the state. The new state standard assumes an exposure period of 32 years at the level of 7.2 ppb to protect public health.
The Michigan standard will be an enforceable standard. It is based upon the same toxicity level as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency screening level. However, the federal screening level of 3.5 ppb – which is not enforceable -- assumes an exposure period of 70 years. The state standard assumes an exposure period of 32 years to provide a more realistic assumption of risk and greater protections for the public. The Michigan standard will be among the most protective state standards in the country.
The DEQ’s process for updating these standards uses the latest, scientific information from reliable sources as well as Michigan-specific exposure scenarios to ensure the protection of public health, safety and welfare for all Michigan citizens. “We are in the process of finalizing the update for the cleanup standards for all hazardous substances and their exposure routes and will be releasing all of the proposed standards in April,” said DEQ Remediation and Redevelopment Chief Bob Wagner. “Review of the proposed rules will involve the Legislature as well as provide opportunity for public comment. We plan to finalize the rules as soon as possible with appropriate reviews.”
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Recycling in MI
Amidst a Crisis
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Since the media coverage of the Flint water crisis began, water donations have flooded in from citizens, organizations, and the Michigan Army National Guard alike. Millions of water bottles have been distributed across the city, begging the question: what happens to the bottles after they are used? Ideally, the influx of plastic bottles would result in increased plastics recycling. However, as plastic waste in Flint increases, the inability of city recycling programs to cope has become apparent.
One survey performed in January estimated that roughly 16% of Flint residents participated in recycling programs, a statistic explained partially by the fact that Flint’s curbside recycling program is only several years old. The program does not automatically include all homeowners so residents must call Flint’s waste management company, Republic Services, to obtain recycling bins. Although the age and ease of participation of Flint’s curbside recycling program may seem like the greatest barriers to its success, many consultants maintain that public education is the key. Khalid Iqbal, who runs the Flint Muslim Food Pantry, attests that when handing out water bottles to residents, most did not even know that Flint offers curbside recycling services.
Although the donation of plastic water bottles to Flint residents is a generous, admirable, and well-intended gesture, it is a temporary fix at best. Flint has roughly 102,000 residents impacted by the water crisis. As the average American citizen uses roughly 50-60 gallons of water per day for basic household needs (excluding toilet flushes, running sprinklers, washing cars, etc.), Flint would have to receive 200 plastic water bottles per person, per day to ensure every citizen has clean water. This adds up quickly to over 20 million plastic water bottles per day to serve the entire Flint population. Even the most celebrated donations, such as the 100,000 bottles brought in by the Detroit Lions, only account for less than one bottle of water per resident for a single day. As it is predicted that a substantive solution to the water crisis will not be reached for at least a year, it is startlingly clear that keeping Flint running on bottle donations alone is simply not sustainable. Yet, as the most pressing issue is the provision of an immediate clean water supply to Flint residents, the plastic bottles keep pouring in.
To combat this issue by diverting millions of plastic water bottles from landfills, local company Young’s Environmental Cleanup, Inc. has offered expanded emergency recycling services in Flint since the end of January. The company has offices in both Flint and Grand Rapids, and has acted as a collection point for residents who wish to recycle their plastic bottles. Young’s has partnered with Averill Recycling and Great Lakes Recycling to recycle collected bottles and the joint efforts by these companies is expected to divert millions of bottles in the coming months. The effort has been extremely successful thus far, with recycling receptacles filling up faster than the city can empty them. In less than 24 hours, the bins are typically filled with up to 680 pounds of empty water bottles. As each plastic bottle takes roughly 450 years to degrade, these emergency services are crucial for the state’s long-term environmental health, as well as Flint’s available landfill space and ability to manage solid wastes as the Flint water crisis continues.
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