Wooster wins Transportation Emissions Reduction award for successful electric carshare program

The College of Wooster and ScotShare, the College’s electric carshare program, won the 2023 Transportation Emissions Reduction award presented by the U.S. Green Building Council Ohio chapter and the Cleveland 2030 District.

The award recognizes the impact ScotShare has had on emissions reduction since starting in fall 2023. According to Brian Webb, director of campus sustainability, the carshare program, in partnership with Sway Mobility, a company that offers carshare as a service, replaced over 2,400 pounds of CO2 emissions from September through the end of the calendar year. At that rate, the College expects annual emissions reductions of 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of CO2.

Adoption of new technologies such as electric vehicles is lagging in Ohio, despite the climate-benefitting advantages with better air quality and higher efficiency. Webb noted that the College wanted to bring an additional mobility option to campus that would align with its sustainability goals, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and position Wooster as a leader and example to other institutions to help expand the electric vehicle market in the state.

The College of Wooster—one of only two colleges in the region to offer a carshare service—is promoting the use of the program to students for their personal mobility and field work travel and to employees for business trips. “These drivers can use the vehicles for trips typically made in a gasoline-powered vehicle, both providing the exposure to the vehicles and driving quality,” he said. “Exposing college students and staff to driving electric vehicles can provide them with the information and experience that they need to make informed decisions when purchasing their next vehicles.”

In addition to the carshare program, the project also increased the number of electric vehicle charging ports on campus from one to four. Two are dedicated to the carshare program and the three other ports are available to the public to use at no cost, “encouraging the transition to electric vehicles and further reducing direct emissions,” Webb said.

The U.S. Green Building Council is a global leader in sustainability in the built environment and the creators of the prestigious LEED green building certification program. The Cleveland 2030 district is one of 24 districts in major metropolitan areas around the country working to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2030 and to net zero by 2040. The Cleveland 2030 district and Ohio chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council present annual awards to communities and organizations leading the way in emissions reductions for transportation, energy, water, and healthy buildings.

Posted in News on April 21, 2024.