Good Business Sense
Joining Clean Air NY makes good business sense. Here are just a few reasons why:
- Good Air Quality + Less Traffic = Money for Roads and Transit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rated the New York metro area as not meeting federal guidelines for ground-level ozone and particulate matter pollution. If we improve air quality, we will help ensure that millions of dollars in federal funding needed to build new roads, improve existing roads and fund transit projects will not be delayed.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)—More Than a Trend. CSR is a policy that more organizations are incorporating into their business strategy. You can include participation in Clean Air NY as part of your organization's CSR strategy. It can help give you an edge in recruiting and retaining customers and employees, many of whom want to know how organizations treat the environment, their employees and their families.
- Improved Productivity. Businesses lose millions of dollars in productivity every year because of employee absences due to asthma and other respiratory problems that are worsened by poor air quality. In the United States, asthma alone costs $8.1 billion in health care and $4.6 billion in lost productivity. When air quality is good, that helps people with asthma stay healthy, and business productivity may increase.
Need More Incentives?
When employers and other organizations join Clean Air NY and act to help reduce their driving and improve air quality, they may see:
- Less Stressed, More Productive Employees. Cleaner air and easier, faster commutes mean employees may be healthier, happier, less stressed and more productive. Contact your local transportation
management association to arrange a commuter benefits program that will help ease your employees' travel to and from work.
- Improved Recruiting and Retention. When you offer programs that help employees find new ways to work and provide a healthier, happier environment, you may find it easier to recruit and retain employees.
- Free Space. When more people take transit, vanpools, walk or bike to work or work from home, your office's demand for parking and office space may go down. Some companies have been able to sell office or parking spaces after they improve their commuting and telecommuting policies.
- Reduced Payroll Taxes. By offering pre-tax commuter benefits to your employees, you can reduce your payroll taxes.
Getting Folks on Board
How to encourage employees to make their own simple changes? Let them know that by participating in the programs you offer and by changing the ways they travel, they also may experience many benefits, including:
- More Cash. The cost of operating personal vehicles is especially high in metro New York. When you offer incentives for people to leave their cars at home, they may have more disposable income.
- Less Stress. Instead of fighting traffic every morning, employees will arrive less harried and in a better state of mind. Add in a relatively hassle-free return trip and your employees' general stress levels will be lower.
- Higher Productivity. Smoother, quicker ways to work mean more time actually on the job.
Sign up now to become part of Clean Air NY.
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