The Climate Trust Awards Funds for Web-Based Carpool Matching

ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE |

Conservation & Wildlife

Corporate Responsibility

Science & Technology

Syndication Partners

**************************************************************************

E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE

**************************************************************************

For Immediate Release

The Climate Trust Awards Funds for Web-Based Carpool Matching

This is the first project of its kind that uses carbon dioxide offset funds to enable commuters to arrange carpools with their computers.

OREGON, PORTLAND, May. 8 -/E-Wire/-- The Climate Trust board of directors approved a contract on May 2nd with Portland's Office of Transportation to begin a new, Internet-based service that will link riders and drivers from Salem to Vancouver, Wash. It also promises to cut significant carbon dioxide emissions over ten years.

"We believe our funding will greatly increase the convenience of car and vanpooling and fight global warming by cutting carbon dioxide emissions," said The Climate Trust's board chair, Diana Bodtker. "We think this service will change the way

people commute to work and travel to and from events."

Called CarpoolMatchNW.org, it addresses the three barriers to conventional carpool matching programs. It's anonymous, so that people can feel secure about finding

fellow car and van poolers. It's user-driven and doesn't depend on a coordinator to find suitable riders. It's fast and convenient. People can find other riders in a few

days, not in weeks or months.

"CarpoolMatchNW.org has taken on a life of its own," said Louise Tippens of Portland's Transportation Options Division. "It has attracted nearly 20 other partners, including the transit agencies in Salem, Wilsonville, and Clark County, Washington," she said. "We really do have a huge untapped market of people who would carpool to work if it were convenient."

The Climate Trust, formerly known as Oregon Climate Trust, is a nonprofit organization formed in 1997 in response to landmark Oregon legislation requiring new power plants to counter their global warming impact. This innovative legislation allows power plant developers to meet a carbon dioxide (CO2) emission standard by making a payment to The Climate Trust, which uses the funds to stimulate projects

that reduce or sequester CO2 emissions. The Trust's first million dollars came from the Klamath Cogeneration Project, a state-of-the-industry, 500-megawatt, combined-cycle, gas-fired power plant now completing construction near Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Patterned after Redmond, Washington's, Web matching program, Portland's CarpoolMatchNW.org Web site will be tested this summer and is planned for free

public use after Sept. 1. Users of the site will enter their point of origin, destination, and schedule and will see a map showing the location and email addresses of

potential riders in their neighborhood. They will send e-mail messages to those they would

like to carpool or vanpool with. Participants will control the amount of personal information to be exchanged.

People who do not have access to the Web site can call a sponsoring agency such as Tri-Met or a Transportation Management Association in their area, or they can use

the library's computers to access the Web site.

The Climate Trust is providing $120,000 to start up this project that is anticipated to avoid 70,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. We're pleased to support a project

that is anticipated to avoid the carbon dioxide emissions of 1,000 cars going 15,000

miles a year over 10 years," said Mike Burnett, executive director of The Climate Trust.

"It has the added benefits of reducing congestion, parking costs, and fuel expense."

Portland's Transportation Options Division has already received requests to expand the project to other Oregon cities, including Bend, Eugene, and Medford. The State

of Oregon hopes to use the rider matching soft ware to reduce its parking problem in Salem and increase carpools between cities. "We're excited that it holds promise to reduce CO2 emissions in cities across Oregon and nationwide," said Diana Bodtker.

The Trust is in the final stages of contracting for offsets from four other projects with funding from the Klamath Cogeneration Project. These projects include renewable energy from wind and landfill gas and permanent forest sequestration of CO2. "We're quite pleased with the portfolio of projects that The Trust has assembled," said

Peter van Alderwerelt of PacifiCorp Power Marketing, the developers of the Klamath Cogeneration Project.

Further information about CarpoolMatchNW.org and the other four projects will be available at available at The Climate Trust Web site: http://www.climatetrust.org.

http://www.climatetrust.org

**************************************************************************

To Transmit Your News Over E-Wire, visit http://www.ewire.com or

call 1-[REDACTED-PHONE]. E-Wire Is Broadcast To Millions Of Readers Worldwide

**************************************************************************