Published on December 31st, 2008
Phoenix christened the first 20-mile stretch of its new light rail system on Saturday, the culmination of decades of planning, four years of construction, and $1.4 billion in investment. The opening attracted 150,000 riders in its first two days of operation.
Phoenix is the nation’s fifth most populous metropolis and the biggest U.S. city without a public rail transit system (the city shut down it’s original trolley system 60 years ago). The sprawling metropolitan area has been characterized as “car crazy” and critics suggest ridership will be limited by the areas urban sprawl and grueling summer heat.
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Published on November 12th, 2008
The University of Phoenix, in partnership with local Phoenix, Arizona energy provider Salt River Project (SRP), announced yesterday that they will make the largest purchase of renewable energy tax certificates in Arizona history.
The University will buy 46.5 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits, equivalent to all of its Phoenix campus’ annual consumption and 27% of its more than 200 campuses across the county. It is also enough power to keep the lights, computers, and TVs going in 3,800 American homes for a year or removing the carbon emissions of 5,280 cars.
University of Phoenix is purchasing the credits from the Hopkins Ridge Wind Facility in Washington state through SRP’s EarthWise program.
As a result of the purchase, the University of Phoenix is ranked 7th on the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Top 20 College & University Partner List“.
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Published on October 1st, 2008
Earlier this year, the Phoenix light rail system and the Arizona Republic teamed up to sponsor a contest promoting light rail safety. To attract entries, which were due Sept. 30, they offered this prize: a year’s worth of free travel on the light rail system, which officially opens on Dec. 26.
Well, 500-plus entries are in, and the promotion organizers are now working to select a winner. (Readers of the Arizona Republic’s Website, azcentral.com, will choose their favorites, and the top nominees will be passed along to Metro officials for a final decision.) While the top pick hasn’t been identified yet, though, some of the bottom ones have.
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