T
he next five days are green all ov er. Not only is this Canadian Environment Week and theweek o
f the National Commuter Challenge, but today is World Environment Day and Wednesdaymarks
Clean Air Day . Considering that about half of Canada’s greenhouse gases come frommotor vehicle emissions, the ne
xt few days are a good time to leave your car at home.
Do this if you can, commuters!
By KENNETH JACKSON
Metro Ottawa
Walk, bike or bus there —
just don’t drive yourself to
work this week.
The city is asking Ottawa
commuters to consider alternative
means of getting to
the office during the 2005
Commuter Challenge, which
kicked off yesterday on the
Ottawa River Parkway.
The Commuter Challenge
is a Canada-wide promotion
to mark Environment Week
(June 5-11), and it urges
commuters to ditch the car
keys and get active on the
way to work.
“We are trying to encourage
people to look at other
options of transportation,”
said Daniel Spence, co-ordinator
of the Ottawa Commuter
Challenge. “During
last year’s challenge we had
over 10,000 people participate
throughout the National
Capital Region, which reduced
more than 240 tonnes
of greenhouse gases. I expect
more of the same this year.”
Jill Fahey, 24, said she likes
the idea of biking to work.
“It’s so nice out now after
the winter we had, and I
could win a prize for doing
it,” said Fahey, one of the
people who biked the parkway
yesterday to help
launch the challenge. “Plus,
it’s great for the environment.
We have to do something
before we lose it.”
Reducing greenhouse
gases, Spence says, can be as
easy to do as hopping a bus.
“One (bus) trip can reduce
so much,” he said. “But there
is more to the challenge than
the environment and, personally,
I don’t focus on the
environment.
“It saves people money to
find ways to work other than
using their car and it’s a way
of incorporating fitness into
their daily routine.”
The Canadian Automobile
Association says driving
18,000 kilometres per year
costs an average of $9,525 —
or 52.9 cents per kilometre
for a mid-size car.
If that’s not enough, this
year’s challenge offers added
incentives. It features prizes
for individuals who register
online at commuterchallenge.
ca, including a Kunstadt
“Ottawa” Hybrid bike,
a one-year OC Transpo pass
and Florida Fitness memberships.
