PCC and Metro team up to offer ‘organic transportation’

What do you get when you combine the largest consumer-owned natural food co-operative in the U.S. with one of the greenest public transportation systems? You get a partnership that’s poised to fight global warming and pollution at the grass-roots level while tackling congestion at the same time.

King County Metro Transit and PCC Natural Markets [external link] are laying down a challenge to shoppers at the eight PCC Natural Markets in the area. The goal is to show PCC members that they actually can make a difference and improve the quality of life in their neighborhood by taking the bus, walking, bicycling, or even sharing a ride. And, if they try these alternatives just twice a week over a ten-week period instead of driving, Metro and PCC are betting they just may discover there’s a lot more to green than meets the eye.

The "Metro Challenge" [external link] program at PCC is designed to let residents throughout King County add down-to-earth meaning to the broader policies King County is putting into place to reduce the harmful greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

"Just as consumer demand transformed the production of organic food, we can make a commitment here at home to change a climate," says King County Executive Ron Sims.

PCC is also excited about the new partnership. Company leaders say teaming up with Metro aligns with PCC's mission to build community and promote sustainability.

Over the next several months, Metro and PCC will encourage members to take a pledge to leave their cars at home and try alternative forms of transportation. If they complete the end of program survey, they’ll be rewarded with a $5 PCC gift card. Along the way, Metro will be there to help with advice and trip planning support. PCC members will also receive handy tips and transit information via newsletters, the web and through in-store advertising.

The deadline for signing up for the Metro Challenge is Friday, Sept. 22.

This collaboration is the first in Metro’s "Partners in Transit Program." It complements the growing list of actions being taken by Metro to increase ridership while reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. More than half of Metro’s buses traveling the streets and highways of King County are now burning a 20 percent mix of biodiesel along with Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. When combined with the agency’s fleet of hybrid buses, electric trolleys, and the cleanest burning regular diesel available, Metro is fast becoming the greenest transit agency in the nation.