Clean Air Commute Awards Runner Up: Liana Vaccari
In a year where events are getting reformatted as “virtual”, so too is the Run for Clean Air, and that includes the presentation of the annual Cleaner Commute Awards which happens annually at this Earth Day celebration. Over the coming weeks, Clean Air Council will honor its winners of the Clean Commuter and Employer of the year, as well as the runner ups to the Commuter award who have all demonstrated a commitment to the environment in their daily travel behaviors. Watch this space to read about some of the fantastic things that companies and individuals are doing for sustainable commuting in Philadelphia.
This week, Clean Air Council would like to honor one of its runner-ups for our Clean Commuter of the Year Award, Liana Vaccari! Liana Vaccari commutes from her home in Graduate Hospital to her job in Ewing New Jersey by foot, bus, and train. Liana developed an appreciation for transit while in college in New York City, which continued into her graduate studies in Philadelphia. Each morning, Liana takes a bus to 30th Street Station and hops on the regional rail line to Trenton. Once in Trenton, she catches an NJ Transit bus to her job. That makes Liana’s trip to work a 3 seat ride with 2 transfers, clearly demonstrating her commitment to a sustainable commute. On the way home she takes the NJ transit bus to the Trenton line back to Center City, Philadelphia. From there, she prefers the 20 minute walk home from the train instead of the bus ride in the evenings.
Liana works as a Rutgers Eagleton Science and Politics fellow at the New Jersey Department of Transportation on transportation resilience. Her commitment to sustainable commuting in both her personal and professional life is commendable, as driving to work would be more than twice as fast. Liana feels that while for many, a car feels freeing, for her it does not. The financial burden of car ownership, and the environmental cost of driving both factor into her choices to remain car-free. Liana also takes back the time she doesn’t spend in a car, using her commute to knit, listen to podcasts, read, and take photos, all of which she could not do while driving.
While not at work, Liana uses transit to visit friends and family. Occasionally, Liana uses the car sharing service Zipcar if she is seeing friends and family that can’t be accessed by transit. She also loves to give friends who visit a walking tour of Philadelphia from her home in Graduate Hospital through Rittenhouse Square, City Hall, Chinatown, and Old City then back west on South Street showing off the walkability of her city.
Thank you Liana, for your commitment to sustainable transportation!
Image Source: Liana Vaccari
