Lane Transit District Receives International Recognition for its Sustainability Program

Audit firm, ABS Quality Evaluations, has certified LTD as one of 13 transit agencies in the country to achieve International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 14001 Standard.

“Developing an ISO 14001 certified Environmental and Sustainability Management System (ESMS) program provides assurance to our community, stakeholders, and employees that our operations and services are environmentally friendly.” says Andy Vobora, director of customer services and planning for LTD. “Now that we’re certified, the ESMS also provides a framework for us to continuously improve our commitment to the environment.”

LTD began developing an ESMS in 2013, when it was accepted to the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) ESMS Academy. A two-year program, the academy is designed to help transit agencies develop and implement an ESMS, using the ISO 14001 Standard. ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization that brings together experts to share knowledge and develop standards that provide solutions to global challenges such as environmental management.

LTD’s ISO certified ESMS specifically commits to prevent pollution, follow all legal and other requirements and continuously improve its efforts. To date, LTD says it has successfully implemented a program to safely dispose of aerosol cans, prevent fuel spills, and reduce water use by changing its bus washing procedures, saving more than 500,000 gallons of water in 2015. The ESMS will continue to focus on reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, water, electricity, and fuel use over the coming years.

The FTA has sponsored four ESMS academies, each with a class of 10 transit agencies. Of those, 13 have gone on to become ISO 14001 certified and LTD is the only one in Oregon, placing it in the upper echelon of transit agencies that have made a commitment to the environment.

In addition to the ISO 14001 Certification, LTD has achieved silver level status under the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Sustainability Commitment and is locally certified in the BRING RE:think program.