September 27 is Walk/Ride Day! No matter your transportation style, make sure to check-in (or “log”) your commute any day between September 20 and October 2nd to enter the raffle & redeem retail rewards.
Commuter Challenge Update
Our Challenge workplaces are doing great. We’ve put together a new dashboard to give additional insight into our progress as of August (note: this leaderboard is still the one we use to determine awards). So far, over 3,000 participants have saved more than 40,000 Kg of carbon emissions from not driving on Walk/Ride Day. Our top workplaces based on carbon savings are our largest, Takeda and Dana-Farber. In the lead for carbon saving per person are the Federal Buildings, MDS Architects and Town of Belmont. Employers where staff burn the most calories per commute are MassDEP, Cambridge Health Alliance and Boston University. Page two of the dashboard reveals that HubSpot has the largest share of cyclists, Finegold Alexander Architects the largest share of walkers and ACIS Educational Tours the greatest proportion of transit riders.
Let’s make September and October the biggest months yet. We have some exciting projects in the works, including a research collaboration with the MBTA and a partnership with graduate students from Northeastern’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.
September’s Theme: City Transit
Massachusetts politicians have never been more focused on alleviating congestion in the Boston-area than they are now. City transit, along with other urban transportation modes (biking, scooters, walking) is in need of re-thinking and, in the case of transit, itself, modernization. MassDOT recently published a report titled Congestion in the Commonwealth 2019 with ten recommendations for improving commuting within the greater Boston area. These range from reinventing bus service to encouraging transit-oriented housing development and calling on employers to provide more commuting support. Two of the recommendations are directed at employers; MassDOT is hoping employers can 1) increase their transportation demand management (TDM) efforts and 2) grow teleworking to help more employees avoid commuting altogether. There are many TDM solutions available to employers. But, some are more valuable to employees than others. Which offerings should workforces prioritize today to get the most return, in the form of happier and more productive employees? Take a look at our recent blog post where we share our participants’ most desired commuter benefits.
Questions of the Month: Fringe Benefits Preferences
This month, Green Streets is building on work conducted by the MBTA earlier this year to better understand how you value commuter benefits relative to other typical fringe benefits such as life insurance, gym memberships, tuition reimbursement etc. Any results published and shared will be aggregated and exclude personally identifiable information.
Thank you for your responses to our August questions. See the results here.
Events - see our Facebook page here!
Pre-Walk/Ride Day
Throughout Sept: Boston Public Market Pop-Ups & Workshops
Fri, Sept 20, 10 AM - 3:30 PM: Boston Climate Strike
Fri, Sept 20: all day: Boston Climate Strike
Sun, Sept 22, Cambridge Bicycle Committee Bow Tie Ride
Tues, Sept 24, 6-8 PM: Boston Green Drinks September Happy Hour
Wed, Sept 25, 6-8 PM: Boston Memorial Drive Phase III: Opportunity to advocate for a greener, bike and pedestrian friendlier Memorial Drive
Walk/Ride Day Events: Friday, September 27
Free yoga classes, free ice cream, free coffee, and other free and discounted goodies throughout our region
8-9 AM: Somerville Bike Committee / Whole Foods: Commuter Breakfast
7-9 AM: Ferris Wheels Bike Shop / Pancake Breakfast Celebrating Cyclists, Walkers, & Friends
6-9 PM: Museum of Science, Free admission for Boston Cyclists Union members
Post-Walk/Ride Day Events
Ongoing: Extinction Rebellion events
Thur, Oct 3, 6-7:30 PM and Mon Oct 21, 5:30-7 PM: Feminist Walking Tours
Wed, Oct 2: 6-7:15 PM: Somerville Bike Talk: Reflections from Bike Advocate City Councilor and Vice Mayor Jan Devereux
Sat, Sept 28, 9-11 AM: Cambridge Men’s Health League Monthly Bike Ride, Danehy Park, RSVP/info: arhussain@challiance.org.
Sun, Sep 29: Free Save the Harbor Cruises
Reserve your tickets for Boston Public Market’s Harvest Party on October 24
Thur, Oct 24, 7:45 AM-4 PM MA Statewide Moving Together Conference, Boston
This Month's Sponsors and Donors
Kryptonite has generously donated their state-of-the-art bicycle locks for this - and all upcoming months’ raffles! Be sure to log your commute for a chance to win one.
Boston Public Market generously donated several treats for our August and September raffle winners. Log your commute for a chance to win BPM goodies.
Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), an outdoor co-op provides gear, apparel, advice, rentals, and inspiration on outdoor life and experiences, has generously donated a range of outdoor gear and apparel to support our programs.
Commuter Benefits Solutions is a comprehensive provider of pre-tax commuter benefits programs, reducing the tax responsibility for employer and employees of 12,000 workplaces across the US. Commuter Benefits Solutions is a generous donor to Green Streets’ monthly raffle, as well as a competitor in the annual Commuter Challenge.
And, of course, thank you to our retail partners, raffle donors, and ongoing sponsors!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@WalkRideDays) for more theme-related facts, cartoons and stories. Share your commuting photos and stories with us on our website or by tagging #walkridedays or #walkrideday on social media.
Have a great rest of your day, week, and weekend, and please stay in touch!
Janie Katz-Christy, Director
Sophie Schmitt, Associate Director