Taking public transportation is much easier than you may think. It saves you gas and the stress of driving in rush hour traffic. Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) offers discounted passes for those who are eligible. You can find out the nearest bus stop to your home and map out a route. You can decide to ride public transportation later and familiarize yourself with the pickup time and the routes. Your first time on the bus, just ask the bus driver if you are going in the right direction. Saying “good morning” to the driver is a great way to start the day! If you ride, give yourself some kudos for reducing pollution. Not having the cost of parking and the walk to the bus stop is also beneficial. For more information, call CATA at 517-394-1100 or log on to www.cata.org.
Photo at the CATA Transportation Center courtesy of CATA
By Deborah M. Walker
It is summer time and once again the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council (Mid-MEAC), is hosting the Smart Commute Challenge. The challenge is a no cost program aimed at reducing a participant’s carbon footprint, increasing their physical activity and promoting good health, while encouraging friendly competition. Smart commuting saves on energy costs, decreases traffic and improves air quality.
“Basically it’s a competition to see who can track the most smart commutes to work, and what that means is, anywhere from biking, carpooling or walking. We’ve had people paddle to work and canoeing. It’s a fun way to see who can start incorporating eco-friendly travel with their daily commute to work,” said Andrew Brewster, Smart Commute Coordinator for Mid-MEAC.
In modern society, it is the cultural norm to drive to work said Brewster. Pollution is not something people think about first thing in the morning. The challenge forces commuters to become aware of their transportation choices and encourages them to make better travel decisions.
“You can spend a lot of time commuting to work. You can make that a lot more fun and a lot more healthier for the environment and for yourself. You may spend a half hour stuck in a traffic jam on Michigan Avenue on your way to work. You can make that same trip possibly shorter on a bike trip. It’s a lot of fun too,” said Brewster.
For those not willing to give up the luxury of motorized travel, try carpooling or public transportation. According to thinkprogress.org, nearly 80 percent of workers drive to work alone. As more people move to the suburbs the travel time for commuters increases as do their emission level.
Pollution has many negative effects. According to eschooltoday.com, short term effects of pollution include irritation to the eyes, throat and nose. It also causes upper respitory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Long term effects include lung cancer, heart disease and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver and kidneys.
Not only is the challenge good for the environment, it is great for participant’s health. In an article published by stateofobesity.org, 31.5 percent of Michigan’s adult population is overweight. The challenge gets participants moving and staying active.
The entire community benefits from the challenge said Brewster. It not only promotes safer healthier habits in adults it sets an example for children as well.
“Kids in the morning see their parent’s getting ready for work. They’re curious why mommy and daddy aren’t taking the car to work today. It opens up that conversation and starts to make changes with the new generation,” said Brewster.
Although last year’s smart commute challenge was a huge success, this year is expected to be bigger and better than ever. This year there are more participants and that is good news for everyone.
Tallying up the results is easy. Each leg of the commute counts as one point. So going to work counts as a point and leaving work counts as another explains Brewster. It is up to the team leader to track the information and turn in the results to Mid-MEAC.
There will be an award ceremony coming later in June after the competition ends said Brewster. Public Sector Consultants is this year’s sponsor. They also have a team competing in the contest.
“PSC has participated in the smart commute challenge I think since its beginning, since Mid-MEAC began the program a few years ago. I think it’s a really great opportunity to really draw some attention to how people commute throughout the community. We encourage people to use smarter mode of transportation,” said Jon Beard, consultant at Public Sector Consultants.
Beard is also the co-captain of his team as well as a board member for Mid-MEAC. He said this year they have ten people competing. Beard says there will be a variety of transportation modes as some team members will walk, while others will ride their bike or catch the bus. According to Jon, they are too far away from the river to paddle.
To find out more information about the Smart Commute Challenge, or to sign up go to www.midmeac.com.
This story was printed in the June 14, 2015 – June 27, 2015 edition.
