Climate Action Toolkit

GREEN YOUR COMMUTEExplore the Marin Commutes website to take advantage of alternative travel options in Marin.

Earn up to $500 per year by commuting green! The Marin Commutes Rewards program allows anyone who lives or works in Marin County to earn up to $500 per year for logging eligible green trips. Wherever you’re going, you’ll be able to earn rewards for walking, biking, taking transit, carpooling, and vanpooling—even working from home! And you can log non-work-related green trips as well - like to the grocery store, a restaurant, the hardware store, or a movie theater.​

Sign up for the Marin Commutes mailing list to learn about new travel options and to be eligible for prizes and incentives.

Join a carpool or vanpool and connect with people who have similar traveling patterns. 

The Marin Commutes Marin Emergency Ride Home (ERH) Program will reimburse you for rides home in case of emergency, such as a flat bike tire or an urgent need to return home. This is for anyone who works in Marin County and commutes by any means other than driving alone.

Or don't commute at all and work at home! Here are some Tips for Remote Workers.

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TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT

When you plan your transit trips, use Google Maps or TransitApp (for smartphones)

Do you have a Clipper Card? If not, get one. You get discounts on transit fares all over the Bay Area. If you are an eligible low-income adult; Senior (65 or older); or Youth (5-18 ), you can get 50% off fares.

TRAIN IT on the SMART TRAIN! Sit back and enjoy the views on the SMART train rather than driving. You can even take it to Sonoma Airport. Or have lunch in Santa Rosa. Or take it to the Larkspur ferry terminal on the way to San Francisco!

Seniors (65 +) and Youth (18 and under) ride SMART for free! 

 
SMART Connect is an on-demand shuttle that serves the following two areas:

1) Sonoma County Airport SMART station to/from Sonoma County Airport (STS): ride the free SMART Connect shuttle from the Sonoma County Airport SMART Station to the Sonoma County Airport Thursday-Sunday. On weekends, SMART Connect service area expands to include the area’s surrounding wineries, breweries, and other attractions.

2) Larkspur SMART station to/from Larkspur Ferry Terminal: ride the SMART Connect shuttle from the Larkspur SMART Station to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal for free seven days a week. On weekends, the SMART Connect service area expands to include the Village and Town Center malls in Corte Madera.

TRANSIT TO PARKS
Marin Transit is helping everyone enjoy our federal, state, and local parks and open space- their routes will take you right to many trailheads and bike paths! Check out their Interactive Transit to Parks page to help you plan your next outdoor adventure using public transit!

- Choose to ride a bike or walk instead of driving 1-2 days a week. 

​- Have your child walk or bike to school and other local destinations rather than driving them. If your child has an E-Bike, please be aware of the risks. Review this article on how to prevent injuries and accidents, and things to consider when buying an E-Bike for your child.

- Check out the Ride & Drive Clean info page on E-Bikes.

- Consider checking out electric bikes at a local bike shop that specializes in them, such as The New Wheel (Larkspur), and Mad Dogs & Englishmen (Mill Valley).

- Check out the new Redwood Bikeshare program! Whether you’re running errands, visiting town, or riding recreationally, you can get a pay-as-you-go ebike and cruise Sonoma and Marin counties!

- Watch this helpful video on what to consider when buying an electric bike.​​

E-BIKE INCENTIVES 

Sign up to get notified of Ride & Drive Clean's next E-Bike Campaign. They periodically offer great discounts on select E-Bike models. 

- Choose your most fuel-efficient vehicle to drive.

- Maintain a steady speed. Using cruise control can help.

- Slow down. 55 mph is the most fuel-efficient freeway speed. Exceeding that uses more energy.

- Anticipate stops and slowdowns on city streets and gradually reduce your speed. Some EVs have regenerative braking that slows the car and recharges the battery without using the brake pedal. 

- Turn off the engine - limit idling! Vehicles manufactured after 2000 consume more fuel from idling for over 15 seconds than they do by turning the engine off and restarting it. Ideal situations to practice this include waiting at a long stoplight, dropping off a family member at school, or sitting in a lengthy drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant.

- Dump the excess weight. Every extra 100 lbs. in your car costs 1% of fuel efficiency

- If you have an EV, it is still important to drive efficiently to save energy. Here's an article to understand how driving efficiently is somewhat different for EVs.

- For EVs, here is a car maintenance guide.

If you must fly: You can now see carbon emissions estimates when you search on Google Flights, based on the airline, plane, seat, and other factors. You can use a filter to search for "less emissions."

- Terrapass: Certified by 1) The Gold Standard, 2) Verra, 3) the Climate Action Reserve, or 4) American Carbon Registry. These standards require that offsets be real, permanent, quantifiable, never double-counted or double-sold, and independently verified. 

- Cool Effect: Cool Effect is a Marin-based organization. Certified by 1) The Gold Standard, 2) Verra, or 3) the Climate Action Reserve. Cool Effect does a deep due diligence on all projects to determine which projects are worth your support. They evaluate the implementation of the methodology and confirm that the project uses the majority of the proceeds from carbon for growth and not profit. Note: Metric tons: 1 ton = 2,205 lbs.

For this action on your Action Plan, you can pledge to get an EV within 1 year (Action 5-6) or 2 years (Action 5-7).

Visit Ride and Drive Clean to learn more about purchasing and leasing EVs.

 - Use PLUGSTAR's vehicle comparison tool to evaluate vehicle features, cost, and incentives based on your personal criteria.

- Sign up for the Ride and Drive Clean EV Discount Campaign and Pre-Owned Discount Campaign, which they run several times per year. 

- Attend one of Ride and Drive Clean's frequent online events to learn more about the models available and to get your questions answered: "Electrify Your Ride" Webinars. 

- Review Ride and Drive Clean's EV New Buyer Checklist and EV Buying & Driving Guide.​

- Charging locations: Website: Plug Share; App: ChargePoint

​- Check out this VICE article that addresses the issue: Is It Good for the Environment to Replace My Used Car With an Electric Vehicle?

- NPR Article: Their batteries hurt the environment, but EVs still beat gas cars. Here's why.

- You might also want to LISTEN to this podcast- "Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Climate?"

- EPA's Electric Vehicle Myths: learn about common misconceptions about electric vehicles. ​

2) **MCE Instant Rebate offers up to $3,500 if you are income-qualified. **Currently not accepting applications. You may submit your email for the Waitlist. 

3) Dealers. The dealers also provide cash/finance discounts at varying amounts. There are great leasing deals available.

1) PGE Pre-Owned EV Rebate offers a $1,000-$4,000 rebate based on income. (Cannot be stacked with the MCE Instant rebate).

2) Retire Your Gas Car for $$$. Clean Cars for All offers up to $12,000 to retire your gas vehicle 2007 or older if you are income-qualified. You can replace your gas car with a new or used plug-in hybrid, battery electric vehicle, or hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, an e-bike, or a pre-paid card for public transit. Does your gas car fail the smog test? You still get up to $2,000 if you retire it through the Consumer Assistance Program.

3) **MCE Instant Rebate offers up to $2,000 if you are income-qualified. (Cannot be stacked with the PGE rebate). **Currently not accepting applications. You may submit your email for the Waitlist. 

2) Do I Need to Buy A Charging System? Most people do not need to install a charging system and can plug right into the wall (see the guide above for more info). However, if you do need a Level 2 charger, the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit covers 30% of the cost of your home charger and installation, up to $1,000. This credit sunsets on June 30, 2026.

3) Lower electricity rates. If you have an EV, you can change to MCE's residential EV rate (EV2). This lowers your energy costs if you charge your EV and use electricity during off-peak times of the day when rates are lower. EV2 rates apply to your household’s entire electricity usage, not only to your EV charging.