þ      The national Commuter Challenge is a friendly competition among workplaces and cities to see who can record the highest percentage of green commuters during Environment Week annually.  The basic premise of the Commuter Challenge is to encourage active and environmentally-friendly commuting practices that will reduce the reliance on single occupant vehicles for trips to and from the workplace and school.

þ      Participants in the Commuter Challenge are encouraged to bus, bike, walk, skate, paddle, carpool and telecommute to work or school during Environment Week to emphasize alternative, active, sustainable and climate-friendly means of commuting.

þ      The Challenge provides avenues for dissemination about trip reduction messaging and resources, helps open doors to institutionalization of green commuting modes at workplaces, and popularizes environmentally-friendly travel choices through a high-profile, participatory event.

þ      The Commuter Challenge is coordinated in Manitoba by a local environmental non-government organization, Resource Conservation Manitoba (RCM) - a non-profit centre for environmental education and applied sustainability, and its planning partners.  For more information about RCM, please visit www.resourceconservation.mb.ca.