New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced Monday the formation of a Sustainability Commission charged with outlining a sustainability master plan for the agency by Earth Day 2008.  

The master plan will quantify the MTA’s ecological footprint and identify recommendations to reduce it. The commission will develop recommendations that will help reduce the ecological footprint of MTA operations and capital programs and minimize the impact on ecosystems in the MTA region and Northeast Corridor.  

The group will look at everything from energy use and waste management to transit-oriented development and green, high-performance buildings. Part of the commission’s mission will be to identify sustainability initiatives that have both environmental benefits and financial benefits. These financial benefits can take a number of forms, including cost savings from the use of new technologies or revenue from an agency’s green venture.