Are you finding it challenging to initiate sustainability projects focused on reducing carbon emissions? You are not alone. Although the reduction in carbon emissions benefits society, there are only so many goodwill projects most corporations are able to afford.

Daniel McCoy, transportation director at Genentech encountered these issues when he first proposed a comprehensive commuting program. He requested millions of dollars each year to provide a private bus service and encourage public transportation, carpooling and biking. Although supportive of the goals, his request was declined.

McCoy was disappointed, but continued to noodle on how to move forward.

Finding the Holy Grail: ROI

Land and cost to develop parking is expensive in the South San Francisco area where Genentech was building. If the parking could be reduced significantly, then the millions in savings could fund the dreamed-of bus service and other commuting programs.

The breakthrough was to realize that much less parking would be required if employees could be convinced to use alternative transportation instead of driving to work.

Since the amount of parking associated with commercial structures is regulated by local governments, the next step was to convince the local government that a new approach to commuting could take enough cars off the road to justify much less parking. Since the local government had similar goals to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, they agreed.

This was good news for Genentech, but for many companies this victory may turn-out to be a dead-end. Most commercial buildings in the U.S. are developed by a third party and not by the tenant. If Genentech had been working with a developer, most developers would be nervous to reduce parking, since they want the most flexible arrangement for future tenants.

Genentech required little parking since employees per square foot was relatively low because much of the facility was used for labs. Dan McCoy explained, "A developer would be concerned about insufficient parking in the future should a different type of business lease the space." If the building was used as a call center in the future, the people density would increase dramatically.

Consequently, developers overbuild parking lots in order to appeal to the greatest variety of potential tenants. Since developers are unlikely to focus on reducing solo driving, they would balk at reducing parking. Savvy negotiations leading to a partnership with the developer would be required to overcome this over-sized parking syndrome.

With the agreement from the city planners and hard savings in land development costs, the new commuting program still needed to ensure adoption by employees.

The program's approach was to first set a goal and then analyze the needs of its commuter population. From this data, a comprehensive strategy was developed. Next, a focused marketing plan was defined. Finally, a management system was put in-place to measure adoption. (Read the details about the program in the notes at the end of this post.)

Results: Nearly 1 Billion Miles Saved

With solid ROI and a plan to achieve it, when approached again, Genentech management approved the program.

As of October 2011, the program statistics are:

• Number of buses now in service: 41 Coaches and 15 smaller buses nicknamed "sprinters'"
• Estimated annual ridership: Over 1 million commute and inter-campus rides;
• Number of employees registered in commute programs: Over 6,000, which represent more than 60 percent of employees;
• Percent decline in solo drivers since baseline year: 12. (2005 baseline = 77 percent solo drivers; October 2011 = 65 percent solo drivers and 35 percent using alternative methods including public, bus, car pool, self-powered);
• CO2 emissions reduced: Over 30,000 tons (that's 60,000,000 pounds) since the program started, which is the equivalent of 3 million gallons of gasoline consumed;
• Estimated miles saved: Over 86,000,000 miles saved since program started. Genentech will achieve 1 billion miles in 2012.

Genentech was also recognized for its innovative approach to transportation and received Acterra 2007 Business Environmental Award and a 2009 Clean Air Award from Breathe California.

Next page: Genentech's 5-Step Program for Building a Greener Commute