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Environment
Waterloo Region ranks second among Ontario communities for Commuter Challenge
Waterloo Region – During the 10th annual Waterloo Region Commuter Challenge held May 31 – June 6, 2009, commuters in Waterloo Region found their own solution to cut greenhouse gas emissions, avoid rising gas prices, and get more active by taking transit, biking, walking, and carpooling to work instead of driving alone. Many organizations across Canada worked hard to achieve high participation rates for this nationwide challenge.
Waterloo Region placed: 2nd among communities in Ontario
“It was great to see so many people take the Challenge this year and either continue their sustainable commutes or try it out for the first time,” said Tara De Souza, Transportation Demand Management Planner for the Region of Waterloo. “Congratulations to everyone for being leaders in sustainable living. Keep up your active and sustainable travel choices this year so we can help clear the air we breathe.”
In Waterloo Region, a total of 64 organizations and 1,433 individuals gave up driving alone by commuting roughly 110,000 kilometres in sustainable and active ways. This is the equivalent of four roundtrip flights to Hong Kong! Our commutes also kept 18,300 kilograms of harmful greenhouse gases out of our air and saved close to $7,000 in fuel costs. Waterloo Region also got a little more fit, burning more than 884,000 calories, which is roughly the same number of calories to sustain a person for one year.
The Commuter Challenge hosts would like to recognize the many participating organizations and their respective coordinators within Waterloo Region who demonstrated exceptional commitment to this event. The following winning workplaces achieved the highest participation rate in their categories:
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