Posts tagged with commute options
Think earning cash and winning prizes for choosing to carpool, vanpool, ride transit, telework, bicycle and walk to work is great? Well, now we have even more in store for you! Start clean commuting this summer, and you could:
- MINImize your impact on the air we breathe for the chance to win a 2010 Mini Cooper
- win a clean air cruise for two to Alaska
- get up to $1,000 in free gas when you use alternatives to driving alone
- score great seats for an Atlanta Braves game
- join Clark Howard in giving your car the day off to save money on commute costs
- win a year of free car washes
- rock out to a hit artist at the Clean Air Concert
If you’re already using alternatives to driving alone, consider this a big “thanks” for all that you do to help keep the air we breathe clean! If you haven’t started yet, there are even more reasons now to make the switch to a cleaner commute.
Visit the “Other Contests and Promotions” page to get the scoop on our latest contests and prizes. Tell your friends about it, and check back throughout the summer for updated contest information.
It's incredible to think that Earth Day turns 40 today. But as we blow out the candles, it's certain that Earth Day is far from being "over the hill." The movement toward environmental sustainability is celebrated every day in Georgia by employers, commuters and schools to the tune of 800 tons of pollution kept out of the air we breathe.
In some ways, Earth Day transcends many of the important days on our calendars:
It's like New Year's Day, when we resolve to make changes that make us better stewards of the place we call home.
Earth Day is like the Super Bowl, when champions are crowned for their accomplishments.
Telemanager of the Quarter Connie Hickey, Director of Information Services at ADP (L), with Clean Air Campaign Alternative Work Arrangement Specialist Erin Clark (R).
It's like President's Week, too, with an eye toward the big decisions and the key figures that make history.
It can even bear similarities to Tax Day, when fiscal responsibility is top of mind.
It's like a wedding anniversary, commemorating the start of something special and the journey toward something extraordinary.
Another way to look at it is like Labor Day, in that we've still got a lot of work to do to achieve our shared goals.
Earth Day can also resemble Halloween sometimes, when we discover the scary facts about neglecting our home state.
And it's also like Thanksgiving, when we get together and express our gratitude for all that has been done in Georgia by 1,600 employers, tens of thousands of Georgia commuters, hundreds of schools and dozens of partners to improve our quality of life.
Earth Day is every day. And when more Georgia employers, commuters and schools choose to think in these terms, the place we call home is made better … for us to enjoy today and for future generations to enjoy tomorrow.
Much has changed since that first Earth Day in 1970 when Senator Nelson led the first Earth Day demonstration. That first Earth Day led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA and laws and regulations that came in the following years made business accountable for polluting, harming human health and the environment, by handing businesses the bill. Businesses now had to comply to avoid huge fines and penalties.
As we mark Earth Day of 2010, the shift to sustainability in business is based on a different premise. Thought leaders and innovators in business today are taking the route of responsible capitalism, becoming accountable not to government, not to shareholders, but to the larger community of stakeholders in the business or corporation. The consumer pull or demand for responsibility is leading the charge. It is no accident that branding and PR are at the forefront. On a national level, Conferences like Sustainable Brands are more popular than ever with almost every major US corporations attending. Locally, companies like Coke, Cox, Interface and others are making huge efforts for their sustainability initiatives to be seen and heard.
Recognizing the importance of telling your green story and leading by example, the Green Chamber of the South gives companies the opportunity to do this regularly. On April 14 we will hold a seminar on Social Media and how to leverage it in the context of sustainability and green business, and in May we will hold a seminar on finding and telling your green story, all that in addition to our regular Green Wednesdays networking lunches, programs with local chambers TAG and many more. Please check our website for more details.
Ofra Tessler is president and co-founder of The Green Chamber of the South, serving green businesses throughout the Southeast. The Chamber connects green businesses, clean technology companies and corporations with sustainability programs to share best practices learn and grow. It offers businesses exposure, networking opportunities, projects, workshops and seminars. The Green Chamber of the South provides sustainable businesses in the Southeast with a strong organization, guidance, and ample opportunities for collaboration and growth. For more information: www.greencs.org or info@greencs.org
Earth Day is observed on April 22, 2010.
Clayton County’s bus service, C-TRAN, is scheduled to end March 31. This is a major hit to riders who rely on this service for their commute to work. Luckily, there are other options. The Clean Air Campaign wants to help make the transition to a new commute as seamless as possible for displaced C-TRAN commuters.
If you currently ride C-TRAN to work, there are some other commute options in your area that are worth investigating, such as riding an Xpress bus or joining or starting a vanpool or carpool. RideSmart can help match you with other commuters who live and work near you. If you want to carpool with someone who lives near you but works in a different area, you could try carpooling to the nearest MARTA station.
To learn more about your options and find out ways you may be able to offset the cost of your new commute, contact us by calling 1-877-CLEANAIR or e-mailing Daniel Jessee at DJessee@CleanAirCampaign.org. We’re here to help.
Calling all employers: sign up for the Alternative Work Arrangement Webinar on March 25. It’s our first Webinar of the year and will teach you how your company can be successful with compressed work weeks and telework programs.
Many of you have attended The Clean Air Campaign’s Lunch and Learn events in past years, but for 2010, we’re shaking things up a bit. First, say goodbye to the name Lunch and Learn. This program will now be called the Employer Program Education Series. The focus is on helping employers get the most out of their commute options programs. An additional change this year will be the format of this series. To make Clean Air Campaign events more congruent with what we represent – less traffic and cleaner air – we’ll be hosting most of them online as Webinars. In many cases, you’ll no longer need to drive to an event; we’ll come to you via your computer. This will save you time, help keep pollution out of the air we breathe and even make it possible for you to access our presentations online at a later date, whether you missed them the first time or want to watch again. So what are you waiting for? Sign up today for our first Webinar of the year!
It's easy to dwell on the problems facing metro Atlanta with respect to gridlock and air pollution, but there are lots of things going right … and some of the best work being done anywhere to beat back traffic and tame smog is happening right here. The Clean Air Campaign and its partners recognized the region's best workplaces for commuters on Tuesday, celebrating the 10th annual PACE Awards along with a crowd of about 200 guests.
The PACE Awards program is the good news about traffic and air quality. It is among the most tangible examples of the shared responsibility that exists between the public and private sector to take actions that improve the way we commute and the air we breathe. And in this tight economy, where everybody must find creative ways to do more with less, commute options programs have become a frontline strategy to create stronger workplaces.
The Clean Air Campaign's executive director, Kevin Green, talks traffic and commute options with a crowd of 200 employer and property management partners at the 2009 PACE Awards.
When the curtain fell on the 2008 PACE Awards last October, nobody predicted the budget ax would fall at the same time. But the bleak economy and the ripple effect of shortfalls in the state budget in the months that ensued made the PACE program impossible to sustain financially.
Still, when it became clear in early-2009 that the recession was going to make it tough for the business community to have enough good stories to rally around, The Clean Air Campaign and the local Transportation Management Associations responded with a scaled-down PACE Awards program built on sweat equity that has successfully kept the torch lit for recognizing the region's best commute options programs.
From a terrific field of more than 50 applicants, four employers (small, medium, large, public sector) and a property manager were recognized for their great programs to make it easier for commuters heading to their worksites to choose alternatives to driving alone. Get the scoop on the winners and finalists here. One employer led a commute options essay contest during President's Week in February, asking commuters which U.S. President they'd like to share a ride with and why. Another employer rolled out an innovative bike share program that has been well received.
PACE hardware. In all, five organizations, representing the most outstanding workplaces for commuters, were recognized with awards at the 2009 PACE event: Georgia Natural Gas/SouthStar Energy Services, Porsche Cars North America, Emory University, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Carter.
In addition, the accomplishments of a handful of commuters whose long term individual efforts at clean commuting have kept 50,000 pounds of pollution out of the skies were recognized at the PACE Awards.
50,000 pounds of pollution kept out of the skies through sustained efforts at clean commuting. That's what Howard Mindel (left) has accomplished, making him among the first 50K Clean Air Commuter Champions in Georgia. Howard, a dedicated bicycle commuter, receives his certificate of appreciation from The Clean Air Campaign's Mike Williams (right) at the 2009 PACE Awards.
Many thanks to Midtown Alliance and AT&T for the donated venue, Aramark for catering services, WABE-90.1 FM for being a media sponsor, Perimeter Transportation Coalition for contributing the trophies, a great stable of PACE Awards judges from a cross-section of organizations with an interest in the issues we follow and all the employer, property manager, agency and funding partners who work to promote commute options in Georgia. Looking forward to next year's program, and hope you can be part of it!
Between job demands, commitments and traffic congestion, there simply aren't enough hours in the day anymore. So it's obvious more people feel compelled to multi-task in this go-go world, which begs this question: if we attempt several tasks at once, will any of them get done effectively?
I'll narrow it down to the things we try to do when we're behind the wheel, slogging through traffic congestion to and from work. In metro Atlanta, 84% of us make this trip alone each workday and it takes us an average of 36 minutes each way ... plenty of time to become tempted to:
Change radio stations, talk on our cell phones, text message or scroll through e-mails on our mobile devices, rummage through articles
piled on the passenger seat, soothe cranky children in the back seat who ask, "are we there yet?," reach for our coffee, scan the newspaper headlines, shave, eat, or get dressed.
All while driving. Did I miss anything? What's the strangest thing you've seen another commuter doing while behind the wheel?
The more "productive" we try to be while driving, the higher the risk that we're going to hurt ourselves or others. The AAA Foundation released a national study on the culture of traffic safety in 2008 that describes how many of us do some of these activities from behind the wheel. 53% of respondents indicated they talk on a cell phone while driving. 14% of respondents indicated they text while driving. And a study by Exxon is purported to have found that as many as 70% of us eat while driving.
Yikes. Here are the compelling reasons why more commuters need to look into alternatives to driving alone:
- According to the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, the majority of two-vehicle collisions in Georgia (46%) are rear-enders.
- Stack this finding next to the latest trend data from the Urban Mobility Report, a study we reference often with respect to traffic congestion, and you'll see that 53% of traffic congestion (delay) in Atlanta is linked to road incidents.
- It should come as little surprise, then, that a recent survey by an auto insurance carrier found Atlanta commuters are 26% more likely to get into an accident than the national average.
With more demands being placed on workers to do more work and more challenges to juggle work and personal tasks, sharing the ride just makes sense. More carpool, vanpool, rail and bus riders are stepping forward with their stories about finding ways to be productive as passengers. Certainly it's safer for everyone when "productivity" is attempted only from the passenger seat.
The 2008 PACE Awards are upon us, recognizing metro Atlanta's outstanding workplaces for commuters. This event brings together public and private sector leaders to celebrate creative solutions that reduce traffic and improve air quality.
And while many of these initiatives work their way down from management to the commuting workforce, there are a growing number of individuals whose inspired actions truly stand out -- even if it's not in their job description -- making them champions for our cause. One such individual is Paige Medina, Immigration Practice Group Billing Liaison at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP and last year's recipient of the PACE Commuter Champion Award. The Clean Air Campaign caught up with Paige to find out what drives her support of commute options.
Q: You’ve been clean commuting for more than a decade. Why do you do it?
A: At the request of the City of Atlanta, I initially started commuting during the 1996 Olympics to help reduce traffic. It turned out to be a better alternative for me in terms of time (fighting traffic!) and costs, so I continued.
Q: What motivates you to bring commute options into your employer worksite?
A: I have three motivating factors: (1) I think it is very important to improve our air quality. (2) The traffic congestion during the morning and evening commute has become increasingly worse, making driving to work really time consuming and stressful. (3) Commuting has helped me save money, which everyone wants to do! After sharing my knowledge of alternative ways to commute, others become interested. When they decide to take a closer look and improve their commute as I have done, it motivates me!
Q: What have the results been like in terms of employee adoption of commute alternatives at your firm?
A: By providing them information when I find interest, I've counted 12 single-occupancy-vehicle "converts" so far that I have been able to assist with improving their commute.
Q: You were nominated for and received a PACE Award for your efforts. How does it feel to be recognized, and what do you remember about that event?
A: I was unaware that such an award existed, so when I received the email, I was quite surprised! It was an honor to be recognized for my efforts and for sharing my knowledge with others. It felt great to be able to speak in front of a group of over 600 people, who share a common goal: improving our air quality and traffic congestion. It feels good to know that my contributions make a difference.
Q: What has been the biggest hurdle to overcome in getting your colleagues to use alternatives to driving alone?
A: People have a huge dependence on their cars for the flexibility and convenience that they provide. Realistically, most alternatives would require a compromise of that flexibility and convenience. Additionally, it's unfortunate that
people don't have more confidence in Atlanta's public transportation system when it comes to routes, schedules, safety, timeliness and cleanliness. I find these to be the biggest hurdles to overcome.
Terrific insight from a person who leads by example. The region needs more Paige Medinas to roll up their sleeves and motivate others to tame traffic so we can breathe easier. And we'll bring more people like her across the stage on Thursday, October 16 at the PACE Awards. In the meantime, let's start some dialog on who the champions are at your workplace and what they're doing to make a difference. Chime in ... and come back soon to meet the 2008 PACE Award winners.
The market forces of supply and demand are slugging it out while metro Atlanta motorists watch the fuel gauge with trepidation. The fuel shortage brought on by Hurricane Ike more than two weeks ago is squeezing commuters and employers alike. And it may still be another two weeks before the situation improves. It's a helpless feeling as commuters wait in long lines at the pump and employers wonder if their employees will make it to work.
Fortunately, The Clean Air Campaign and its partners in the region can connect you with resources to help you cope with the fuel shortage.
For Commuters:
1. Share the ride with other commuters who live and work near you to save gas. RideSmart, the region's carpool ridematching service, can give you an instant match list of potential carpool partners. When you receive your match list, a simple phone call is all it takes to broker the deal.
2. If your job is conducive to telework, talk to your boss about working from home for a couple of weeks until the gas shortage abates. Approach it as a business continuity arrangement, so your boss understands that you're trying to keep your workload moving forward.
3. If it's available near you, ride a bus or train to and from work. Click here for links to all the major transit providers operating in the region, like the GRTA Xpress Bus, Cobb County Transit, MARTA and others.
For Employers:
1. Consider allowing your employees to shift their work schedules so they can avoid rush hour traffic and fill up. Another option would be temporarily instituting a compressed work schedule in which employees work four 10-hour days and take the fifth day off to avoid commuting.
2. Encourage your employees to brown bag their lunches to avoid driving over the lunch hour. Use the opportunity to set up a lunch and learn mini-series at your worksite and have company leadership come in and speak on topics related to your organization's mission.
3. Put your business continuity plan into effect now. If you have drafted a plan that includes a contingency for employees that are unable to travel to your worksite, use it for the next two weeks. If nothing else, the gas shortage makes a good proving ground for the effectiveness of your continuity plan.
This latest chapter in the Great Gas Crunch of 2008 underscores the importance of alternatives to driving alone and driving at all. This year's sharp increase in enrollment in The Clean Air Campaign's incentive programs (up three times over last year) -- and the spike in new employer Partners (double last year's effort) -- is a sign that changes to our driving culture can be made to stick.
So, what has this latest wrinkle done to change your commuting habits? Do you foresee the need to burn a vacation day if you can't get to work? Have any employers come up with creative solutions to keep their operations moving forward? Let us know what you're doing.
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