Credit: The Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY – Governor Herbert, Salt Lake City Mayor Becker, and Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon announced today that during the month-long Clear the Air Challenge Utah residents came together and eliminated 103,710 single occupant vehicle trips and averted 1,272,040 miles, resulting in a reduction of 2.1 million pounds of emissions in our air.

“We are very excited we were able to surpass some of the most critical indicators from 2009, doubling our participant numbers and successfully keeping over 2 million pounds of vehicle emissions out of the air during a shorter challenge period,” stated Mayor Becker. “During the July Challenge, we saw thousands of Utahns pledge to do their part to improve the air we breathe. We must continue to build on our successes by taking the lessons learned during the Challenge and continue applying them daily.”

During the awards ceremony outstanding teams will be recognized for their efforts:

• Most Pounds of Emissions Saved – AR U Part of the Solution? (ARUP Laboratories)
• Most Trips Saved – Architectural Nexus
• Most Participants – UTA – Meadowbrook (Utah Transit Authority)
• Best Integration of TravelWise Strategies including use of public transit, carpooling, active transportation, teleworking, flexible workweeks and trip chaining – Utah State Tax Commission
• 2009 Corporate Role Model – KUED Channel 7

Grand prize winners were also announced:

• Most Pounds of Emissions Saved – Brian Parker
• Most Trips Saved – Patricia Merlino
• Most Consistent – Gold Level – Dina Hannah
• Most Consistent – Silver Level – Tina Funaro
• Most Consistent – Bronze Level – Josh Crawford

The top three companies competing in the Challenge were also recognized for outstanding achievement:

• Top Large Company (Over 100 employees) – ADP, Inc.
• Top Medium Company (Less than 100 employees) – New Dawn Technologies
• Top Small Company (Less than 11 employees) – Lloyd Architects

“Utahns responded to the 2010 Clear the Air Challenge with enthusiasm and a genuine dedication to working together to find solutions,” Governor Herbert said. “As Governor, I’m proud of the success over the past month, and I challenge all Utah citizens to continue to make a conscious effort to drive down their miles throughout the year.”

The primary goals of the Clear the Air Challenge were to encourage residents to think more and drive less to help reduce vehicle emissions and improve Utah’s air quality. Last year the Challenge averted 1,000,615 miles, resulting in a reduction of 1.7 million pounds of emissions during a six-week initiative.

“Following last year’s Clear the Air Challenge, we heard from individuals who continued to drive less and drive smarter throughout the year,” said Mayor Corroon. “We hope all Utahns will follow the example of this year’s Challenge participants and give TravelWise strategies a try. We all have an important role to play in becoming a part of the solution, and we need to continue to ask ourselves what we can do to help clear the air.”

The 2010 Challenge was coordinated by the Salt Lake Solutions Air Quality Partners Team, a collaboration of more than 20 government, business, community and faith-based organizations. Many local companies sponsored the program and donated prizes. List of sponsors and partners.

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For more information on the Clear the Air Challenge visit:

• Website.
• Team Spotlight.
• Facebook.
• Twitter.
• Full List of Winners.

“As a City, we are calling on all residents, businesses and organizations to get involved with this powerful initiative to contribute to cleaner air quality and drive down our miles,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker. “I had little doubt UTA would see the value in a friendly competition between our organizations to motivate everyone to do their part to improve air quality and reach our challenge goals. It will take a collective effort to make a real difference. I believe Salt Lake City employees – and our residents – are up to the challenge.”

The month-long challenge encourages all Utah residents to “Drive Less and Drive Smarter” through TravelWise strategies such as walking, biking, taking public transit, trip chaining and carpooling. This year the challenge aims to engage 10,000 participants to save 2 million vehicle miles and 3.4 million pounds of emissions during the month long campaign.

“As transit experts, we have always been supportive of alternative modes of transportation and are well positioned to support the Clear the Air Challenge,” said UTA General Manager Mike Allegra. “Our employees enthusiastically responded to the Challenge with the creation of a UTA team on the website. We’re ready to do our part for the good of Utah’s air quality.”

Participants who register at http://www.cleartheairchallenge.org and set their 2010 goals before July 1 will be entered into a special prize drawing for items that will help with alternative commutes, including bike helmets, Petzl headlamps, UTA day passes, water bottles and tote bags.

Find the challenge on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About the Clear the Air Challenge

The 2010 Clear the Air Challenge is a Salt Lake Solutions project created by a Partners Team made up of government entities already working on air quality issues, as well as business, faith, education and other community groups interested in motivating behavior changes to improve Utah’s air quality. For questions about the 2010 Clear the Air Challenge, contact Kate Lilja, Salt Lake City Division of Sustainability, at (801) 535-7755 or kate.lilja@slcgov.com

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SALT LAKE CITY– Salt Lake City has been honored with the 2010 Outstanding Achievement City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. One of five cities that were recognized by the organization, the award was given to Salt Lake City for the Clear the Air Challenge initiative which is aimed at improving city livability and the quality of urban life.

Established in 2009, the Clear the Air Challenge is a collaborative effort with local and state governments, businesses, faith‐based organizations and non‐profit groups. The program challenges residents to commit to “Drive Less and Drive Smarter” using TravelWise strategies, such as biking, walking, utilizing public transit, teleworking and trip chaining.

During the 2009 Clear the Air Challenge, 4500 drivers eliminated nearly 111,000 single‐occupant vehicle car trips, saved over 1 million vehicle miles, and cut over 1.7 million pounds of motor vehicle emissions.

“We are excited to be recognized for our efforts to improve air quality in Salt Lake City as we continue to look at ways to improve the livability of Utah’s Capital City,” said Mayor Ralph Becker. “Improving our air quality is integral to our elevated quality of life. We are proud to share this award with our residents, who are so willing to do their part to clear the air.”

Following last year’s success, the Clear the Air Challenge is now gearing up for its second campaign, which will run from July 1 to July 31, 2010. This summer’s Challenge has loftier goals, aiming to eliminate 300,000 vehicle trips, 2 million vehicle miles, and cut 3.4 million pounds of emissions.

To register for the Challenge and find more information visit http://www.cleartheairchallenge.org. You can also follow the Challenge on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About the Clear the Air Challenge
The 2010 Clear the Air Challenge is a Salt Lake Solutions project created by a Partners Team made up of government entities already working on air quality issues; as well as business, faith, education and other community groups interested in motivating behavior changes to improve Utah’s air quality. For questions about the 2010 Clear the Air Challenge, contact Kate Lilja from the Salt Lake City Division of Sustainability at (801) 535‐7755 or kate.lilja@slcgov.com

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Challenge Successful in Changing Habits to Improve Air Quality,
Lessen Traffic Congestion and Conserve Energy

Salt Lake City, July 18, 2009 – Salt Lake City Mayor Becker, Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon and Governor Huntsman’s Energy Advisor, Dianne Nielson, announced today that during the six-week Clear the Air Challenge Utah residents came together and eliminated 110,720 single occupant vehicle trips and averted 1,000,615 miles, resulting in a reduction of 1.7 million pounds of emissions in our air.

“We are very excited we were able to achieve our goal of saving 1,000,000 miles driven,” stated Mayor Becker. “It ‘s obvious by the community’s reaction this is a cause they care deeply about and are willing to make sacrifices to improve our air quality. It is critical we continue to build on our successes and take the lessons learned during the Challenge and apply them daily. If every driver along the Wasatch Front parked their car for one day a week, harmful emissions would decrease by 86 tons. Every trip counts.”

During the awards ceremony outstanding teams were recognized for their extraordinary efforts, those teams include:
•    Most Pounds of Emissions Saved – Rio Tinto
•    Most Trips Saved – Zions Bank
•    Most Participants  – Zoo Crew (Hogle Zoo)
•    Best Integration of TravelWise Strategies including use of public transit, carpooling, active transportation, teleworking, flexible workweeks and trip chaining – Feral Chihuahuas
•    2009 Corporate Role Model – O.C. Tanner

The grand prize winners were also announced:
•    Most Pounds of Emissions Saved – Tami Jannelli
•    Most Trips Saved – Soren Simonson, Salt Lake City Councilman, District 7
•    Most Consistent – Gold Level – Heidi Schubert
•    Most Consistent – Silver Level – Debby Vanetti
•    Most Consistent – Bronze Level – Russel Boltz

“The community’s participation and commitment to this Challenge was very impressive,” stated Mayor Corroon. “We understand it can be hard to modify habits at first, but we have been very pleased by the results. We’ve heard from many participants that once they started, the motto ‘Drive Less, Drive Smarter’ became second nature.”

The primary goals of the Challenge were to educate residents about thinking more and driving less to help reduce vehicle emissions and improve Utah’s air quality. The initial benchmarks set for the Challenge were to eliminate a total of 300,000 single occupant vehicle trips and avert 1,000,000 miles, resulting in a reduction of 1.8 million pounds of emissions in our air.

During the Challenge educational courses were held and social media sites were used to educate the public about the issue and encourage participation. Social media was also an integral part of bringing the community together on this problem and helping each other in reaching a solution. This is one of the first State campaigns that has had such a strong social media component and it seems to have had a large impact on the participation in the Challenge.

“It is our hope that this is not the end of the community’s efforts,” said Dianne Nielson. “This Challenge should be treated as the kick-off for our commitment to Drive Less, Drive Smarter. We need to continue these efforts all year round and educate other residents about TravelWise strategies. It is up to each of us to continue meeting the challenge to keep our air clear.”

This Challenge was coordinated by the Salt Lake Solutions Air Quality Partners Team, a collaboration of more than 20 government, business, community and faith-based organizations. Many local companies sponsored the program and donated prizes. The list of sponsors and the partners can be found at http://cleartheairchallenge.org/partners.php.

For more information on the Clear the Air Challenge visit:
Website: www.cleartheairchallenge.org
Participant Stories: www.cleartheairchallenge.org/blog/participant-stories
Team Spotlight: www.cleartheairchallenge.org/spotlight.php
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cleartheairchallenge
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cleartheairutah
Full List of Winners: http://cleartheairchallenge.org/grandwinners.php

The 6 week Challenge begins June 1 and ends July 10. Governor Hunstman addressed the air quality problem we have in Utah and how it affects our health.

“We issued the Clear the Air Challenge because we have an air quality problem that needs to be addressed. Our unique geographical features trap harmful emissions in our valleys creating red alert days, which are especially hazardous to our health,” stated Governor Huntsman. “Vehicle emissions are one of the leading causes of our poor air quality. Luckily we can do something about that. We are asking the public to think before they drive, there are small changes that we all can make that will have a great impact.”

We need to drive our cars less and that is what the Challenge is about. Our goal is to encourage 10,000 participants to help eliminate a total of 300,000 single occupant vehicle trips and avert 1,000,000 miles. If we did this it would result in a reduction of 1.8 million pounds of emissions in our air.

The Challenge goals are to help improve our air quality, lessen traffic congestion and conserve energy. Read the entire press release for the Clear the Air Challenge.