Fidelity Investments and Dell Technologies Take Top Awards

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (May 22, 2020) – Fidelity Investments and Dell Technologies – Utah took top honors in the 11th annual Clear the Air Challenge, sponsored by the Salt Lake Chamber, TravelWise and UCAIR. While announcement of the 2020 winners was scheduled for March 16, timing was disrupted by COVID-19, and the sponsors felt it appropriate to postpone the announcement of final results until today.

“Air quality is an issue that touches all aspects of life ⁠— health, home and happiness,” said Derek Miller, President and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “It is as important personally as it is to our community and economy. I am proud of the continued support and adoption of clear air principles by Utah businesses and their employees. Our winners ⁠— Fidelity Investments and Dell Technologies ⁠— are not just great places to work but great stewards of our environment, and I applaud everyone who participated in another successful campaign.”

The Clear the Air Challenge is a month-long initiative undertaken by business, government and community leaders that encourages Utah residents to drive less and drive smarter during the month of February. Participants help improve air quality by avoiding trips alone in their car and using TravelWise Strategies such as carpooling, public transit, walking, biking or trip chaining.

The University of Utah and Rocky Mountain Power finished along with Fidelity as top leaders among large teams. Enterprise Rent-A-Car and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality joined Dell Technologies Utah as leaders in the small teams categories. Shirely Zhao of the University of Utah, Sarah Leavitt of Department of Environmental Quality and John Strong of the Utah Department of Health finished atop individual participants.

“The Clear the Air Challenge gives our employees a chance to demonstrate their personal commitment to improving Utah’s air quality,” said Rocky Mountain Power’s president and CEO Gary Hoogeveen. “It’s incredible to see our employees leading the charge on such an important issue. We also have several exciting clean-air projects in the works that will increase access to electrified transportation and low-emissions homes and businesses. I look forward to working with our community partners to create the clean-air future we all want.”

The newest development to the Clear the Air Challenge included modifying the Challenge’s goals to better reflect the past winter Challenge years. The updated goals were as follows: 375 tons of CO2 reduced; 100,000 trips eliminated; and 2,000,000 miles saved. In the attempt to further focus on air quality efforts, the primary focus being on emissions saved rather than trips eliminated and miles saved.

“In our efforts to clear the air we know there are no perfect answers, but there are practical solutions,” said Thom Carter, Executive Director of UCAIR. “By empowering the people whom you work with through the Challenge, you help them find solutions that work innovatively for them. We applaud the efforts of our Challenge participants and appreciate their commitment to our community.”

Collectively, this year’s participants eliminated 97,521 trips, saved 1,596,618.9 miles, 476.4 tons of CO2 and $0.5 million, and burned 1.9 million calories in just 29 days.

Top Large Teams:
Fidelity Investments
University of Utah
Rocky Mountain Power

Top Small Teams:
Dell Technologies – Utah
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Department of Environmental Quality

Top Participants:
Shirely Zhao, University of Utah
Sarah Leavitt, Department of Environmental Quality
John Strong, Department of Health

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ABOUT THE CLEAR THE AIR CHALLENGE
The Clear the Air Challenge, issued by business, government and community leaders, is a month-long competition starting February 1 that gives you the chance to reduce your vehicle emissions by choosing alternatives to driving alone. The Clear the Air Challenge is a partnership between the Salt Lake Chamber, TravelWise and UCAIR.

ABOUT THE SALT LAKE CHAMBER
The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-standing business association. A statewide chamber of commerce with members in all 29 Utah counties, the Chamber represents the broad interests of the state’s 63,000- plus employers, which employ more than 1.4 million Utahns. This includes thousands of Chamber members and their employees. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champions community prosperity.