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The Community Food Bank (CFB) joined the Travel Reduction Program last year although they are not required to participate. The management team decided that promoting alternative transportation and assisting employees to find affordable and convenient transportation options would benefit both their employees and the community. A committee was appointed, given a small budget for prizes and events, and asked to create a CFB Travel Reduction Program.
Kristen Hershberger, a member of that committee and the Transportation Coordinator, says the biggest challenge was getting people involved and getting them excited about alternative transportation. The committee decided that the first thing they needed was a name for the program, so they made it into a contest. The winner was S.M.O.G, Save More On Gas.
The next thing they did was establish a quarterly contest with some small incentives. Different rules apply each quarter to qualify for the prizes. The best part of the contest is that everyone who met the minimum requirements was awarded a free lunch and was recognized in the monthly newsletter. The CFB contest was not only successful in getting employees excited about using alternative modes, it got a lot of the workforce registered with Sun Rideshare, so they could also play in the 2012 Commuter Contest. Over one third of CFB employees are now in the Sun Rideshare commuter database and over half of them are alternative mode users.
CFB's initiative shows how much can be accomplished with a small budget, an enthusiastic committee, and dedicated employees. "Our staff is pretty committed to making this world a better place to live so when they can make a change in their personal lives, like carpooling or biking, they will," says Kristen.
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