The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), CTA, Metra and Pace are celebrating Earth Week – culminating in Earth Day on Saturday, April 22 – by encouraging the region’s riders to use the region’s transit system and celebrate its benefits to the planet. Earth Day is one of the largest events in the world when people of all ages and backgrounds pledge to improve and protect the environment. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. CTA, Metra and Pace all reduce their impact on the environment: Pace is the first transit agency in the Chicago area and the third in the state to adopt CNG technology, a clean-burning fuel for its fleet. In addition to going green, public transit is a great way to save some green – the annual savings for a person in our region who switches from commuting by car to commuting by public transit is $11,415. Furthermore, the RTA’s Transit Benefit Fare Program can save riders up to 40 percent on commuting costs by deducting pre-tax funds from their paycheck to pay for their transit fares.