Des Moines’ Contribution to Sustainable Business Commuting Solutions

Sustainability in business is a priority now. Aside from the duty we all must safeguard the planet, consumers are increasingly making purchasing choices based on environmental concerns. It’s in the best interest of Greater Des Moines (DSM) businesses to dig deep into operations and see where improvements can be made.

One of the elements worth examining a little closer is workers’ daily commute. Regional businesses are already putting protocols in place to make traveling to and from work more sustainable.

Leveraging Public Transport

Public transport is one of the most powerful tools for making cities more sustainable. By reducing the number of commuting vehicles on the road, there is a chance to reduce emissions. One of the ways that Des Moines is contributing to sustainable business commuting solutions is by making its public transportation system greener.

This has involved taking steps to improve the climate impact of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit (DART) Authority services. Recently, DART completed a climate action strategy report to identify specific areas of environmental concern and develop improvements that boost eco-friendliness. MidAmerican Energy awarded Des Moines a grant to add Iowa’s first fully electric buses to public transportation routes. The climate action report found that the electric fleet had already saved 386.9 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, there is a serious push to keep monitoring and expanding services for commuters, alongside boosting infrastructure.

This isn’t to say there aren’t challenges, though. One of the issues DART faces is that there currently isn’t enough public use of its services. While local public transportation services receive a certain amount of public funding, there’s still a revenue gap resulting in part from lower ridership.

It may be wise for local businesses to encourage employees to utilize DART for commutes. In addition to boosting sustainability, changes like these will ensure the ongoing availability of transit resources. Companies can also make a difference by educating workers about the climate impact of cars versus buses and subsidizing public transportation fares.

Supporting Employee Initiatives

Another important influence of sustainable business commuting solutions is companies supporting initiatives that give employees resources and knowledge to act more environmentally friendly. After all, dictating how workers get to and from work is neither practical nor positive. Rather, talking to employees about how to make their preferred methods more sustainable and supporting employee-led initiatives can be a better approach.

In some instances, employees may find using personal cars is beneficial to them, as they have greater freedom of route and speed than on public transport. The flexibility of using cars can also boost sustainability, as they’re a great resource for employee-led carpooling systems. The negatives, such as increased wear and tear, can certainly be mitigated with regular maintenance and responsible driving routines.

Employers could encourage worker initiatives to plan among themselves to create reliable and sustainable carpooling. Indeed, it can be good to incentivize this by paying for mileage costs to some extent. In companies where this isn’t practical or employees can’t use their own vehicles, it could be worth referring workers to Caravan by DART, which enables locals to find others with similar commuting patterns. They then share DART-provided vans to pool with. Such efforts reduce emissions and even boost local connections.

Reducing Time in Vehicles

Spending time driving to work doesn’t just impact the environment. There’s also evidence to suggest that long commutes are detrimental to workers’ health. There are certainly various factors that affect commuting patterns, from the choice to have an urban or rural home, to the financial need to live further from the city due to living costs. Nevertheless, the longer the commute, the greater exposure to the stress of being on the road, potential traffic accidents and even higher blood pressure from sitting in a vehicle. Among the priorities businesses in DSM are addressing is how to reduce the time employees spend in vehicles.

One example of this is that more DSM companies are embracing remote and hybrid operations. Reducing the number of days employees must be physically in the office is already proving to have many benefits. Not only does it result in fewer vehicles on the road, spreading emissions and fuel, but it can also boost productivity for companies. Not to mention that businesses can inhabit smaller workspaces, reducing the electricity consumption for operations, which has a more holistically sustainable outcome.

Another potential initiative that minimizes the time spent in vehicles during commutes is the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Connect Downtown program. This was set up to examine how feasible walking and cycling in the city is. As a result, improvements to safety and practicality were identified. Some have already been implemented, including pedestrian crossing improvements and sidewalk extensions.

This isn’t just good for those living in the city to walk or cycle to work. Businesses can also highlight the potential for workers to park on the outskirts of downtown and walk or cycle the rest of the way. Indeed, some can make this part of employee wellness programs, incentivizing healthy activities while also mitigating environmental impact.

The region is prioritizing more sustainable forms of commuting, with improvements to DART services and the walkability of the city, among other steps. It’s vital for businesses to use these resources and spearhead their own to create a more holistically positive landscape. Don’t forget to reach out to employees themselves on this issue. They’re likely to have insights and suggestions that you can adopt and share with the community.

Throughout Greater Des Moines’ (DSM’s) 11-county region, a thriving economic environment is attracting more Investors to do business. Learn more about other recent development projects in the region. Recently completed projects and big ongoing developments include the ICON Central Iowa Water Trails, DART expanded transit options, Ignit Sports & Fitness, MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex and The Grand Experience.