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The Episcopal Church Center of Utah decided to take the 2010 Clear the Air Challenge for the first time armed with a determination to increase awareness and participation among their employees. The Center quickly turned their commitment into action.

“As a faith community, we feel it is our responsibility and mission to help take care of all creation, and to use its resources wisely,” said Team Leader Vicki Evans.

While some employees already biked or took public transit to work, the Episcopal Church Center knew it was important to encourage all of their employees to give TravelWise strategies a try. The Center engaged employees with an educational effort focused on carpooling, trip chaining, using public transit and working from home when possible. Additionally, weekly email updates detailing the team’s progress encouraged continued participation.

They didn’t stop there. The organization also reached out to local Episcopal Churches, urging them to take part individually, as teams or as families. “We want everyone to be conscientious about ways to conserve, and to encourage them do to so,” explained Evans.
The Challenge won’t end any time soon for this dedicated team. The Episcopal Church Center of Utah is planning to continue their air-friendly transportation changes throughout the year. “We want to increase participation through this Challenge, and continue it well beyond July 31st,” said Evans.

Imagine the impact if every Clear the Air Challenge team, organization and participant follows their example and continues to drive down their miles and spread the word to TravelWise!

As the largest environmental law practice in Utah, it wasn’t a stretch for Parsons Behle & Latimer to create their first Clear the Air Challenge team this July.

“Our law firm has been a strong supporter of our community since its inception over 125 years ago,” said Team Leader Michael A. Zody. “We have a very active air quality and climate change practice, so it only seems fitting that we support the Clear the Air Challenge.”

The internal campaign was kicked off in late June with an announcement from the Board of Directors encouraging all employees in the Salt Lake City office to join the team and reduce their emissions. To make things easy, a Clear the Air Challenge coordinator was appointed to manage the Challenge internally and field employee questions.

Additional supportive efforts include providing UTA passes to all interested employees and offering telecommuting to several attorneys.

“Our main goal this year was to raise the awareness about the way our employees ? and their families and friends ? can help the community reduce emissions” said Zody.

And with a team of 33 individuals saving roughly 5,000 pounds of emissions near the close of the Challenge, the team at Parsons Behle & Latimer has helped make a measurable difference.

It is a fact that a regional architectural firm travels. But that doesn’t stop Architectural Nexus from being TravelWise. As the largest firm in the Intermountain West, the firm has taken their responsibility to help improve the air quality along the Wasatch Front very seriously.

“The 2010 Clear the Air Challenge has quickly captured the spirit of our organization, offering a competitive outlet in which to hone TravelWise strategies,” said Team Leader Kenner Kingston. This year, the Architectural Nexus Team clocks in at over 50 members, more than doubling their 2009 stats.

In addition to promoting the challenge among their staff, Architectural Nexus encourages bike commuting by providing shower and locker room facilities at their new office location (2505 East Parleys Way) to accommodate a more intense, uphill commute and by sponsoring an annual bike-to-work competition.

The firm has also reduced its carbon footprint by investing in a fleet of hybrid vehicles for each office, with preferred parking to incentivize their use. “Improving air quality along the Wasatch Front was a major consideration in the decision to purchase hybrid vehicles,” said Kingston.

Since delivering Utah’s first LEED Silver Certified project in 2004, Architectural Nexus has been dedicated to increasing awareness of the direct relationship between air quality and corporate/personal behavior, while showing that many small incremental improvements can have a significant long-term impact.

Thanks to Architectural Nexus – helping to build a better future for us all.

A relative newcomer to the Clear the Air Challenge, the Fair Credit Foundation has quickly distinguished themselves as a team on the move. By seamlessly integrating the Clear the Air Challenge into a larger company effort to encourage healthy lifestyle initiatives among their employees, the Fair Credit Foundation team has logged some impressive savings.

“The Clear the Air Challenge has a lot of benefits to Utah, the environment, residents and local companies,” said team leader Jennifer Rohn. “Many companies are looking for ways to implement health and wellness programs and policies into their corporate environments, however the cost is often a barrier to being successful. This challenge is an excellent – and free – way for companies to accomplish this goal.”

As one of the largest employers in the Salt Lake Valley, Rio Tinto believes in leading by example. During the 2009 Clear they Air Challenge, Rio Tinto employees eliminated 3,360 trips, 54,831 single-occupant vehicle miles and saved 93,996 pounds of emissions. This year they are out in force and have committed to reducing over a hundred thousand pounds of emissions!

To reach this goal they have expanded their company team and are rewarding employees that save the most trips and miles every week. Rio Tinto employees are doing their part utilizing a variety of emission-reducing TravelWise strategies like trip chaining, ride sharing and teleworking, when jobs allow.

“Last year taught us that together, we can make a difference. By making small adjustments to our schedules, we were able to save vehicle trips – and reduce overall vehicle miles – throughout the day,” said team spokes woman Debbie Thacker. “We are confident that even more employees will have developed new habits that will continue after this year’s challenge is complete.”

Rio Tinto’s commitment to sustainable development and air quality does not stop there. They participate in the TravelWise program, established an I-Carpool program and addressed emissions issues within their own company operations with idle management projects and the purchase of more fuel efficient machinery.

“At Rio Tinto, ‘We are part of something bigger’ is not just something we say, but rather something we live,” said Thacker.