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Sound Transit is holding itself to high environmental standards. Yesterday, independent registrar Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance presented Sound Transit a certificate of approval stating the agency’s environmental management program has met internationally recognized ISO 14001 standards. Now, the agency's challenge will be to continue meeting those stringent standards.

Last summer, Sound Transit’s board adopted an initiative to integrate sustainable business practices throughout more than 50 areas of the agency’s operations. Since then, officials have been working to implement the plan, which calls for meeting measurable targets for fuel consumption, vehicle emissions, ecosystem protection, “green” procurement, recycling and waste prevention, energy and water conservation, sustainable design and building, and education and awareness programs.

Each year, an independent firm will audit Sound Transit’s environmental practices. To meet ISO requirements, an organization must put in place management tools that “identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services, and to improve its environmental performance continually,” according to a prepared statement. The organization also must implement a systematic approach for setting environmental objectives and demonstrating they have been achieved.

“Expanding mass transit and giving commuters an option other than their cars is the single biggest thing we can do to reduce greenhouse gases and combat global warming, but simply providing transit isn’t enough,” said Sound Transit Chairman and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.

Sound Transit is the sixth U.S. transit agency and first on the West Coast to meet ISO environmental standards.