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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Bus, bike, walk, skate, paddle or carpool to work
Commuter Challenge coming
Winnipeg might land in the middle of the pack on some environmental issues, but the city leads the way in a challenge aimed at getting people from home to work in a more sustainable way.This is the 10th year for the annual Commuter Challenge in Manitoba, and Winnipeg is a perennial contest winner over similar-sized Canadian cities.
"I think Winnipeggers like to get involved because it is a challenge," said Becky Elko, Commuter Challenge coordinator for Resource Conservation Manitoba.
A decade ago, Manitoba's event drew 1,500 people, but by 2008 that number had grown to 13,000 participants from more than 200 workplaces and schools.
On Thursday, the city and province officially announced the 2009 challenge, running May 31 to June 6. The event encourages Manitobans to bus, bike, walk, skate, paddle, or carpool to work for the week -- or work from home and skip the trip entirely.
Participants can register at www.resourceconservation.mb.ca. Taking part could result in a $10,000 prize, with organizers set to hand out 10,000 scratch-and-win cards. Other prizes include a customized bike from Natural Cycle, gift certificates from Olympia Cycle & Ski, and monthly and weekly transit passes for Winnipeg Transit.
The Commuter Challenge kicked off nationally in 1991 and began in Winnipeg in 2000.
Winnipeg's so-so transportation record hasn't stopped the city's success in the event, and Winnipeg routinely beats out other cities in the same size category for participation.
Jessie Klassen co-ordinates workplace green commuting for RCM, and said the challenge often prompts individuals and businesses to try for greener commuting habits year-round.
"We've found it to be a really good tool for that, and for them to begin to initiate the changes that are needed on a longer term," she said.
The group plans to give out its first award for a commuter-friendly workplace this year at the Commuter Challenge awards June 16.
Still, said Elko, Winnipeg's success comes with less than one per cent of the city's population taking part.
"We are doing well, but there's a lot of room to move forward," she said.
lindsey.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 8, 2009 B2
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