Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge 2009
About the Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge
To promote a better quality of life in the San Antonio region, the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) and the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) challenge area businesses, public agencies, institutions, and other organizations to practice "smart miles." Smart miles are efficient and healthy modes of transportation that reduce our trips to the gas pump, save us money, improve our air quality, and provide health benefits. These include such options as carpooling or vanpooling, riding the bus, riding a bicycle, or walking to work; telecommuting to meetings or work; and walking to lunch or eating in.
Starting June 1, AACOG and the MPO will conduct the 4th Annual Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge to reward local organizations whose employees log the most "smart miles" between June 1 and June 30. Both larger and smaller organizations with the best collective records will be recognized for their successes and awarded prizes. The six competition categories are:
Walking
Cycling
Busing
Carpooling/Vanpooling
Telecommuting (record the mileage you would have traveled if youd physically gone to the meeting)
Walking to lunch/eating in (for this, you receive two credit miles)
The overall goal of the 2009 Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge is to accumulate 750,000 smart miles. Thats the equivalent of removing 2,784 pounds of ozone-producing pollutants from our air. An accomplishment of that type means everyones a winner because were all breathing easier!
To Participate
To accept the challenge, please return to the River Cities Rideshare Homepage and register for River Cities Rideshare (if you have not already done so) by inserting your email address and creating a password. Then follow the steps to enter the additional information requested to complete the registration process. Please be assured that your home address or other personal information will not be shared.
NOTE: Whether you are new to River Cities Rideshare or not, you must enter your employer on the Destination Address page, or your organization will not get credit for the smart miles you accrue during June. You can edit or add to your registration information from the River Cities Rideshare My Page (see the third editing box). If you do not find your employers name among the selections in the drop down box, please contact Annette Prosterman by email (aprosterman@aacog.com) or phone (210.362.5213) to request that it be added.
To accept the challenge on behalf of your organization, click on the enroll link at the bottom of the page. It will take you to a calendar upon which you can begin to log your miles in June.
Starting June 1, you can log your miles by accessing the Commute Tracker link from My Page. The link to My Page can be found on the bar under the River Cites Rideshare heading on the homepage. Unlike our previous Walk & Roll Challenge website, you will be able to go back and edit miles you have already entered. However, all mileage must be logged by midnight July 1, 2009 to be included in the challenge. Winners will be announced the following week.
The Challenge Objective
The San Antonio region typically experiences multiple days from April through October when air pollution reaches unhealthy levels. Poor air quality adversely impacts us in a number of ways. Prolonged exposure can cause breathing difficulties, diminish lung capacity, and cause or worsen such illnesses as asthma. Children, the elderly, people who are active outdoors, and people with respiratory ailments are particularly susceptible.
The consequences of air pollution dont end with human health. Air pollution harms our environment and may impact economic growth. In addition, high air pollution levels jeopardize our ability to meet federal standards for air quality. Violating air quality standards will bring consequences, such as increased regulations for new and existing businesses and possibly costly emissions inspections for our vehicles as well.
The major sources of locally generated ozone-forming pollution are the vehicles we drive. Since these are sources we control, we have a unique opportunity to take action and fix improve the situation: to drive less by promoting alternatives to single-occupancy driving habits. The Walk & Roll Corporate Challenges overall goal is to encourage citizens to leave the cars at home and find a healthier way to commute to work.
Driving less will help our region drive toward a cleaner future. AACOG and the MPO encourage you and your organization to participate in the 2009 Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge and look forward to another successful Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge.
In order to participate in this challenge, you must have an account. You can either Login
or create an account by clicking on the link below.
