Community Corner

Could You Drive Less if There Were Prizes To Win?

The Drive Less Challenge starts Friday and goes through May 5. Can Los Altos beat out cities like Palo Alto and Mountain View to log the most 'green miles'?

Saving the Earth and being more green are all the rage these days—but when it comes to giving up conveniences like our plastic bags and, especially, our gas-guzzling cars, it can become quite a challenge to stay motivated enough to make the necessary sacrifices.

From driving to work, taking the kids to and from school and squeezing in trips to the grocery store, dry cleaners or a restaurant for lunch, the thought of leaving the car at home and walking, riding a bike or taking the bus isn't appealing. It can double the amount of time those trips take.

But could you find the motivation to do it if there were prizes involved? For two weeks?

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Earth Day is Friday, and that means the Drive Less Challenge is on! Cities all across the Bay Area are competing against each other to see who can save the most miles by walking, biking or taking alternative transportation from Friday through May 5.

“We’re tying to get people to change their habits and help them see that not taking their car can take more time, but has so many benefits—riding a bike is good for your health, it costs less because you don’t pay for gas, and it lessens your carbon footprint,” said Ellen Lee Gibson, the Drive Less Challenge representative for Mountain View. “So by doing this for two weeks, we hope that’s enough to help people see that it’s not difficult, and then maybe they can make this a permanent change.”

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Even one less car trip per week is progress in the right direction, said GreenTown Los Altos’ Karen Janowski, representative for Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. “For GreenTown Los Altos, one of our top initiatives is to reduce the number of vehicle trips in town.”

GreenTown's banners promoting the Drive Less Challenge went up at Lincoln Park and at Grant Road and Fremont Avenue Monday, and more promotions will come this week.

Local cities participating in the challenge include Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Menlo Park and Cupertino. Already, in just the past few years the challenge has taken place, the positive impacts on the environment show significant results.

In 2009, 120 participants in Menlo Park, where the challenge originated, replaced more than 5,000 car miles with alternative “green” trips, reducing local CO2 emissions by more than two tons. In 2010, 280 participants in four communities replaced 29,000 miles, the equivalent of taking 55 cars off the road.

Now, in 2011, the challenge’s third year, there are a whopping 13 communities participating, and organizers expect a substantial increase in both the number of participants and the number of “green miles” logged.

How can you participate? If your city is on the list of those participating—which can be found on the Drive Less Challenge website—you can sign up either as an individual or as a local team. Local teams can be made up of anyone, such as a group from your office, your church, your moms club, or even just a group of friends or family members.

Then, for each mile you travel by any method other than your car, calculate the number of miles “saved” and enter it under your name or your group’s name on the Drive Less Challenge website.

Your miles will count toward your city’s total, and also toward your individual total, making you eligible for prizes.

“The Drive Less Challenge’s unique online tool makes it a fun experience, where you can track your trips, see how you're doing compared to friends and neighbors, and see how your community is doing against others,” said Adina Levin, member of the Menlo Park Green Ribbon Citizens’ Committee and founder of the Drive Less Challenge.

Participants can follow along and share their experiences with friends and colleagues on Facebook and on Twitter at "@driveless." An awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 21, 7-9 p.m. at in Menlo Park. Prizes will be donated by businesses in each participating city, such as gift certificates to local restaurants and shops.

The Drive Less Challenge also has a handful of generous sponsors this year, such as Microsoft, Specialized Bicycle Components, Interactive Sciences Inc. and Valley Transportation Authority. A new major sponsor this year, Google, signed on Monday to support the cause.

The Drive Less Challenge has room for more major sponsors and more businesses to donate prizes—and, of course, for more challenge-takers. To sponsor or donate, email drivelesschallenge@gmail.com. To view the full list of participating cities or to sign up for the challenge, visit drivelesschallenge.com.


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