Citizens challenged to change their commute for national Environment Week
Commuter Challenge week is nearly upon us, and Sustainable Kingston, with support from a volunteer committee comprised of community and institutional partners, is thrilled to mark the occasion yet again.
Held during Canadian Environment Week, the Commuter Challenge encourages Canadians to leave their cars at home. It rewards walking, cycling, carpooling/ride-sharing, and taking transit, and is a friendly competition between Canadian cities and workplaces, according to the Commuter Challenge website.
This year, the challenge will take place from Jun. 5 to 11, 2022, and individuals and workplace groups are encouraged to participate.
In 2019, the City of Kingston had the highest percentage of Commuter Challenge participants in all of Canada, and second-highest total number of participants, according to a release from the City.
“It still blows me away, and I know the community will bring the same enthusiasm to this year’s event,” said City of Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson.
According to Geoff Hendry at Sustainable Kingston, on Monday, Jun. 6, 2022, they will host a virtual kick-off to Commuter Challenge Week on their website, YouTube, and social media channels. And on Tuesday, Jun. 7, 2022, community members can join Sustainable Kingston at noon for a free online panel discussion on Sustainable Communing and Urban Planning. Register to participate on eventbrite.
“Kingston is currently second in Canada for Commuter Challenge registrations, however, we have a long way to go to catch up with our previous record,” Hendry noted.
In 2021, Kingston Commuter Challenge participants logged 12,407 km of sustainable commuting. This avoided 2,743 kg of C02 emissions, saved 1,171 litres of fuel, and burned 63,658 calories, according to the release.
The City provided these details on how to sign up your workplace:
- Choose a workplace ambassador.
- Register your workplace at commuterchallenge.ca.
- Encourage your colleagues to register under your workplace/organization profile on commuterchallenge.ca.
- From June 5 to 11, log your sustainable commute on commuterchallenge.ca. (Your colleagues do the same on their own.)
For more information about how your organization can participate, please contact Geoff Hendry, Manager of Communications and Business Development at Sustainable Kingston at [email protected].
Learn more about the Commuter Challenge, or to sign up as a workplace or an individual, visit their website.