What is Commuter Challenge?
Commuter Challenge is a national program that aims to increase the awareness of the benefits of sustainable commuting and to encourage Canadians to take action by walking, cycling, taking transit, carpooling or tele-working instead of driving alone to get work.
The program is centered on an annual National Commuter Challenge event where communities and workplaces across Canada compete for the highest percentage of participation during Clean Air Day and Canadian Environment Week in June each year. By registering their participation online, Canadians are able to see the results of their contribution in terms of the distance they commuted sustainably and the amount of greenhouse gases they prevented from entering the atmosphere.
Rules and Regulations for Commuter Challenge:
- Registration begins around April each year.
- Results can only be submitted once the Challenge has begun.
- Registrations and results submissions will be accepted up to one week after the end of the event. No exceptions will be made.
- Participants must be registered and have results submitted in order for their participation to be included in the final tally.
- Communities are provided with official promotional material for the event courtesy of Go for Green. Those who wish to produce their own material are required to consult with Go for Green to ensure that license guidelines for the look, official logo and national partner recognition are respected.
Go for Green’s Role…
Go for Green is the national coordinating body of the Commuter Challenge program. Go for Green is a national, not-for-profit organization that encourages Canadians to pursue outdoor physical activity and environmental stewardship. The organization works with national, provincial/territorial and local partners from various sectors to deliver the program across Canada.
Go for Green programs include Commuter Challenge, Active Transportation, Active & Safe Routes to School, TrailsCanada, Winter Green, Ice Dreams, Gardening for Life, Go for Green Prescription.
As the national coordinator of the Commuter Challenge, Go for Green supports participating communities and workplaces in the following ways:
- Providing technical and advisory support to community coordinators;
- Developing and distributing promotional material to community coordinators;
- Providing financial support to community coordinators whenever possible;
- Issuing national news releases;
- Producing and distributing national public service announcements;
- Providing templates for local news releases, work plans, etc.;
- Managing national data;
- Creating and distributing resources for community and workplace coordinators;
- Updating and maintaining the official Commuter Challenge Web site;
- Recruiting new communities and organizations to take the Challenge.
