Our Ithaca College team earned a fourth-place finish in the Fall Commuter Challenge, which ended October 31. More than 60 members of the Ithaca College community who participated in the month-long challenge logged 15,238 commuter miles, but they traveled 57 percent of those miles using alternative modes of transportation (biking, walking, riding the bus, or carpooling). In the process, the IC team kept a whopping four tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere!
The Fall Campus Challenge, sponsored by AlterNet Rides, had eleven competing campuses, including the University of Washington, University of Pittsburgh, Oregon State, Texas A&M, and Penn State. Collectively, the campuses participating in the Campus Challenge saved 113 tons of CO2 from being emitted during the Challenge period running from October 1-31.
On our campus, some department teams formed in addition to the IC Home team. The Environmental Studies team - 14 members strong - used alternative transportation for 62% of their commutes. Their team saved 1,289 pounds of CO2. The 10-member PT team traveled 45% of their 5,440 commuter miles using alternative transportation modes and saved over a ton of CO2 (2,381 lbs) through their smarter travel choices! The main IC Home Team of 38 travelers logged 63% of their 7,442 commuting miles using some combination of walking, biking, carpooling or riding the bus. This group saved over two tons (4,313 lbs) of CO2! It's amazing to think that such small personal choices can have such a profound environmental impact.
There were a number of participants who commuted to campus using some means of alternative transportation 100% of the time! That's truly impressive! But even for those who used this opportunity to "test-drive" means of alternative transportation like carpooling or riding the bus for the first time, their impact really added up to make a positive difference!
There will be another Challenge in the Spring - we hope you will consider joining the IC team! We want to be #1 in the Spring!!!
