Labor Day is fast approaching, and The Clean Air Campaign has quite a few irons in the fire, from PACE Awards to telework tax credit opportunities for Georgia employers. So, roll up your sleeves and multitask away with this installment of Merging Lanes.
Green Streak Keeps Smog at Bay
Good news on the air quality front. Metro Atlanta has gone “green” – and just a handful of times yellow – on the Air Quality Index for nearly three weeks straight, meaning air quality has been “good” or “moderate” at a time of the year when things can turn smoggy for days on end. With one month remaining in the 2009 Smog Season, it’s like déjà vu all over again compared to 2008, when cooler weather and more rainfall helped keep the region free of Code Orange and Code Red days for the final 6 weeks of Smog Season, which ends September 30. Let’s hope these conditions keep up, but let’s also continue taking actions to reduce our contribution to metro Atlanta’s smog problems.
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ACTing for Change … and Getting Results
This week, many of Atlanta’s transportation demand management leaders are in Washington, D.C. for the annual conference of the Association for Commuter Transportation to share ideas and best practices for getting cars off the road and reducing traffic. The breakthrough work being done in Atlanta to address these issues is often recognized by other cities and this forum will be used to announce several recent successes that have happened here. Stay tuned for more coming out of the ACT Conference.
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Work smart to prevent H1N1 from stalling your business.
H1N1 isn’t coming. It’s already here. The pandemic flu is hitting classrooms and workplaces, and the numbers in Georgia are steadily beginning to add up. Individuals can make decisions about how to protect their well-being. So can employers. It begins with business continuity planning. The topic could not be more timely for the business community as we head into National Preparedness Month. Whether it’s flu or natural disasters
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PACE Awards – November 10, 2009
The 2009 PACE Awards are fast approaching, with a goal to recognize the region’s most outstanding workplaces for commuters. The awards event has undergone major changes and so have the applications, which were revamped to strike more balance between exceptional performance and innovative ideas for reducing traffic and improving air quality. If you’re an employer or property manager, now is a great time to take inventory of the success of your commute options programs and use the PACE Awards to create positive news about your efforts. Apply for a PACE Award by October 9.
Merge
This is your chance to cash it in and get a new, more fuel efficient car. You can get that hybrid you’ve been eyeing but didn’t have enough money to buy before. The Clean Air Campaign hopes that more Georgia commuters who take advantage of this program will go a step beyond just driving a cleaner car ... and actually fill it with carpool partners headed in the same direction. In the metro Atlanta area, just 6% of all commute trips in an average week are carpools. Plenty of room to grow that number, and there are resources galore to help you find others to share the ride. Think about it: you and your carpool partner could pay less for gas and your commute wouldn’t make as much of an impact on the environment.
But if you’re going to ditch the clunker, you need to act fast! The Cash for Clunkers program that is currently giving car buyers rebates of up to $4,500 for trading in their old gas guzzlers will end Monday at 8pm.
People throughout the country have been jumping at the opportunity to take part in the Cash for Clunkers program. It instantly became popular, with people burning through the initial $1 billion of funding within the first week. As of Thursday, auto dealers had recorded more than 457,000 dealer transactions, which put $1.9 billion in the pockets of car buyers across the country.
If you don’t have a clunker but still could use a more fuel efficient car, register for The Clean Air Campaign, Q100, and Rock 100.5s Green Machine Giveaway contest. All you have to do is pledge to make your commute cleaner by carpooling at least once a week, and you have a chance of winning a 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid. I bet driving alone doesn’t offer you rewards like this.
What's good for your wallet, your safety and the environment is also good for your well-being. What is clean commuting doing for the physical and mental health of Georgians?
1. Shrinking Waistlines
We're starting to see more stories come in lately from commuters who have found they can turn their commutes into workout regimens, shedding pounds and improving their physical health. It's a timely topic given the ongoing discussion about healthcare and the fact that Georgia ranks 14th in obesity among adults (and 3rd for children).
But for the die-hard bicycle commuters and the folks who strap on their walking shoes, it seems to go deeper. One walking commuter tells us she's lost 70 pounds via her daily stroll to the office, and in the process her first choice now is always to walk when practical. And a bicycling commuter describes how he "went from 250 lbs (heaviest) to 185 lbs on a 6' 2" body frame. My doctor says my health report looks like that of an athlete." Another rider tells us bicycling to work "allows me to take in the beauty of the city that sometimes we overlook as we hurriedly rush by in our cars. It also allows me time to plan out my day and get energized before I hit the office."
Employers and property managers are increasingly responding to the needs of their bicycling and walking employees, too, through programs like Commuter Choice and with deals arranged via nearby fitness clubs to provide access to showers. RideSmart even makes a "Bike Buddy" service available to help bicycling commuters in Atlanta find riding partners.
2. Expanding Minds
Commuting and wellness can be about brains just as much as it can be about braun. We explored in the last post the many reasons drive-alone commuters shouldn't try to think about anything other than the task at hand when they're driving. But many commuters are stretching their thinking and getting tasks done when they get to ride along in the passenger seat. A carpooler recently described all the things she accomplishes on her ride: grocery list, Sudoku puzzle, view news on her mobile phone, read books, etc. What activities do you do from the passenger seat to wake up your synapses and neurons?
The Clean Air Schools program is also broadening the minds of thousands of Georgia students in elementary, middle and high schools with a new and expanded library of about three-dozen air quality lesson plans. With emphasis on science, social studies, math and geography, these new resources could not arrive at a better time, as Georgia educators must work harder to make ends meet.
3. Helping Us All Breathe Easier
Fortunately for those living in metro ATL - the 9th worst city for asthmatics - this year's smog season has been among the most forgiving since 2005 (so far ... knock on wood). However, new studies are finding that long-term exposure to ground-level ozone can affect lifespan, trigger asthma attacks in children (apparently, traffic and stressed out parents have a lot to do with it) and even impact brain development in babies.
It's encouraging to see more schools in Georgia become part of the No-Idling program offered through The Clean Air Campaign's Clean Air Schools initiative as the new school year kicks off. This program, now in it's second year of support from The UPS Foundation, boasts more than 100 participating schools who are working to reduce air pollution on campus by encouraging bus drivers and parents to shut off their engines while waiting to pick up students.
Do you clean commute for the health benefits? Tell us how using alternatives to driving alone has improved your body and mind.
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