UCI wins environmental award for reducing driving

UCI has won a state environmental award for its commuter programs that saved local roads and highways from more than 39 million miles of driving per year.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced this week that the university has won the 2008 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for its Sustainable Transportation Program. The school offers “green� transportation, van pooling, carpooling and other options to those who commute to school.

A 2006 census revealed that UCI had the highest average riders per vehicle — 1.87 — of any similarly sized institution in Southern California, and the state Environmental Protection Agency has designated it one of the “Best Workplaces for Commuters.�

“This honor recognizes UC Irvine’s commitment to creative and environmentally progressive operating practices,� said Wendell Brase, vice chancellor of administrative and business services.

— Michael Alexander