As Earth Day approaches on April 22, Georgia DOT is encouraging metro Atlantans to turn their commutes green through the Georgia Commute Options program. Georgia Commute Options offers a range of choices for adjusting commutes on Earth Day — and every day — to make our region a greener and healthier one.
“By choosing ‘green commutes’— that is, alternatives to driving alone — commuters can substantially reduce the amount of pollutants emitted into our region’s air each day. For every mile not driven, a pound of pollution is reduced from the air we breathe,” says Phil Peevy, Georgia DOT’s air quality and technical resource branch chief. “With Earth Day coming up, we’d like metro Atlanta commuters to take this opportunity to consider the environmental impact of their daily trips to work.”
Those alternatives — carpooling, van pooling, taking public transit, teleworking, working a compressed work week, walking or biking to work — are incentivized through Georgia Commute Options’ commuter programs. Metro Atlanta commuters can earn cash prizes when they log their trips at GaCommuteOptions.com, and area employers and property managers can benefit from free services like telework consulting and reporting of vehicle miles of travel reduced, tons of air pollution reduced, and total financial savings resulting from their employees’ or tenants’ participation in the program.
Across metro Atlanta, Georgia Commute Options employer partners will be hosting Earth Day events focused on clean commuting. A list of current employer partners can be found at GaCommuteOptions.com/employer-champions.
Throughout smog season, which runs from April 1 to Oct. 31, Georgia Commute Options will provide Smog Alerts on forecast unhealthy air quality days in metro Atlanta. Since vehicle emissions are the largest source of smog-forming pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter, using clean commute modes to reduce the number of cars on our roads is a key step toward improving our region’s air quality. Commuters can subscribe to the Georgia Commute Options Smog Alerts atGaCommuteOptions.com/smogalerts.
