Community Corner
Take a Challenge To Save The Planet: Drive Less
Peninsula residents are being asked to drive less with a multi-city campaign to reduce vehicle carbon emissions.
The Drive Less Challenge, a Peninsula-wide campaign to reduce vehicle carbon emissions, is challenging Burlingame residents to cut back on their carbon through using alternative transportation rather than solo driving trips.
The campaign is now in its third year and, with 13 participating cities, is seeing the greatest level of participation yet. The city of Burlingame joined the campaign last year.
In Burlingame, the campaign is sponsored by the Citizens Environmental Council, a financially independent off-shoot of the now disbanded city-supported group, the Green Ribbon Task Force.
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"The Drive Less Challenge encourages people in measurable ways to get out of their solo driving trips and explore other transit options,” said Susan Castner-Paine, chair of the Citizens Environmental Council.
The campaign’s website lists a number of options for public transit to and from Peninsula cities. The website also allows participants to record all the ways they have cut down on solo driving trips (yes, video-conferencing to work counts, too).
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Organizers of the Drive Less Challenge estimate that solo driving trips are the greatest single contributor of carbon dioxide emissions in the Bay Area.
“Tons of CO2 will be spared this year by our participants,” said Castner-Paine.
Through leading organization efforts for the challenge, Castner-Paine said she too has learned to cut-down on solo driving trips.
"I used to drive about 100 to 150 miles a week, but now that is down to about 10 to 20, including carpooling," she said.
Aside from the environment, other beneficiaries to the challenge are local businesses.
According to a statement from the Drive Less Challenge, through shopping locally “you lop off miles and strengthen your local community.”
The challenge runs from April 22 through May 5, and participants can still register to join now and back-log their commute record to April 22.
Recognition prizes, donated by local businesses, will be given to participants who register on-line and log the most miles not commuted via solo driving trips.
