Environmental Leader

This past Thursday, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority told The New York Times that they were considering a new “green MetroCard” that would allow consumers to make donations that support sustainability efforts. This announcement comes on the heels of reports that fares are already going to drastically increase in the near future.

Ernest Tollerson of the MTA has said that they’re still in the preliminary planning stages for the cards, but that it would give consumers the option of voluntarily adding on an extra charge to fares to directly support green projects.

The MTA’s budget deficit has been growing, and consumers will likely see a rate jump of 23% over starting in June. With the proposed price jump, some question whether consumers will want to or be able to afford green donations as well.

In the past, the MTA has confirmed a number of environmentally friendly commitments, including deriving 7% of their power from renewable sources by 2015, developing green standards for their facilities, and offering incentive packages from state agencies to encourage green changes at or near MTA stations.