Amtrak reports FY2018 sustainability actions

Amtrak yesterday released its Sustainability Report for fiscal-year 2018, which states the railroad met its year-over-year targets for energy, fuel, recycling and emissions.

Sustainability efforts have become a consistent component of Amtrak projects, operations and strategic plans, said President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson in a press release.

“This report reflects how we incorporate environmental, financial and social sustainability considerations into our decision-making processes," he said.

New to this year's report are two Amtrak collaborations: the People for Urban Progress (PUP) and No Kings Collective (NKC). The PUP partnership helped Amtrak rethink how it diverts waste, furthering the railroad's goal of a 20 percent recycling rate by 2020. One project called for the PUP team to process more than 1 ton of leather from Acela trains.

The NKC partnership involved a large-scale customized mural of the landscapes found throughout the railroad's national network. Amtrak worked with NKC to provide creative direction throughout the report, and across social media channels, to emphasize the importance of sustainability, Amtrak officials said.

Other report highlights include:
• successful recycling and waste diversion efforts, which resulted in 194 tons of material diverted from landfills;
• a greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 17 percent over Amtrak's 2010 baseline;
• a $52 million investment in station upgrades for greater accessibility and mobility; and
• $2 million in energy savings through resource management.