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12/03/2007

Everyone's going green these days, it seems: presidential candidates tout their eco-friendly leanings in their campaigns and corporations go to great lengths to keep the rivers and highways clean. Americans are just frothing at the mouth about saving the environment by trying to cut down on energy use and emissions.

Well, the Kennebec Commuter loves Mother Earth, too, God bless her, and was reminded of this after reading an e-mail from a central Maine resident. The reader was curious if the capital city and surrounding area have a carpool or other commuter service, one that's not only green (as in environmentally friendly), but will save some green (as in cha-ching!). You loyal readers (hi, Mom) know the Kennebec Commuter is always looking for a way to pinch a penny, so it was worth a look at Augusta's commuter pools.

The KC's new friends at GoMaine have the solution.

The Web site www.gomaine.org not only hooks you up with a car or vanpool in your area, it also has links to alternative modes of travel, including ferry, train, and bicycle. You can register on the Web site for free, then enter your street address, the address of your place of employment, and your traveling preferences -- for example, a carpool that is smoke-free and within 10 miles of home.

Bam. A list of carpoolers in your area -- and potential new friends -- pops up.

The Kennebec Commuter's favorite feature on gomaine.org is the "commuting calculator," which projects your annual commuting costs. For example, someone from Gardiner driving 20 miles round-trip daily and avoiding the tolls to get to work in Augusta pays $610 a year. Do you know how many dinners at the Liberal Cup that equals?

Sue Moreau, a policy specialist and project manager for GoMaine, said the popularity of car and vanpooling is growing, though there's constantly room for improvement. "We're working on several incentive programs," Moreau said. Programs include Emergency Ride Home and preferred parking for hybrid cars.

Plus, Moreau said, the commuter isn't the only one who benefits from carpooling. "If we could get 20 percent of the population to (carpool), even here in Augusta, that'd be tremendous," she said. "If you're helping to cut the number of emissions in half each day, what a difference that could make."

Mother Earth would be proud.

Got a traffic tip, scoop, or rant? Share it with me. Contact me at 623-3811 Ext. 431 or mmalloy@centralmaine.com

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