IN THIS ISSUE:

• Enjoy a Breath of Fresh Air with the Walk There! Challenge
• Cousins on the Move
• Let Others in on the Carpool Secret
• “Quality of Life” Report Ranks Atlanta near Bottom, Commuter Club and Blueprint Cumberland working to improve rating
• Celebrate Mother Earth

Enjoy a Breath of Fresh Air with the Walk There! Challenge

The Metro Atlanta Walk There! Challenge has begun and will continue through April 30th, so strap on your pedometers and keep walking. Log your steps online at www.CommuterClub.com and you are eligible for weekly drawings to win an iPod Shuffle. Don’t forget, the person who walks the most steps will win a weekend getaway to Callaway Gardens. Commuter Club is on the lookout for participants armed with their pedometers this month. Be seen and you could win a $25 Visa gift card!

For additional information and event schedules, visit www.CommuterClub.com or call (770) 859-2331. 

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Cousins on the Move

This month, Cousins Properties moved their headquarters from Cumberland Galleria to 191 Peachtree Tower in downtown Atlanta. Cousins knew the drive downtown would probably be very different from the drive to Cumberland Galleria. Partnering with Commuter Club and the Downtown Transportation Management Authority, Cousins conducted a personal commute analysis for all employees affected by the move and determined each employee’s most viable commute alternative.

Based on the results of the analysis, Cousins Properties is offering its employees remarkable incentives for taking transit, riding a vanpool and participating in a carpool, including free transit passes, preferential parking and paid incentives for drivers. For vanpoolers, Cousins will provide a van and cover the costs for gas, insurance and repairs. 

"The cooperation between two transportation management associations – Commuter Club and the Downtown TMA – to help Cousins is a great example of how transportation management associations and community improvement districts can work together, irrespective of their locations,” Tad Leithead, senior vice president of Cousins Properties and chairman of the Cumberland CID, said. "I am pleased that there are programs available to employers in the Cumberland Galleria area that are also available downtown,” he added.

If you’re interested in working with Commuter Club to create commute alternatives for your employees, contact Ginny Rainey at (770) 859-2331.

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Pictured from top, left to right: Connie Ahalt, Maureen Burke, Donna Field and Scottie O’Toole. Sticker reads: We carpool, why don’t you?

Let Others in on the Carpool Secret

These women are smiling because they enjoy sharing their ride to work, instead of facing metro Atlanta’s traffic alone. By carpooling, they eliminate three cars from the roads every day. It may not sound like a lot, but when thousands participate in Commuter Club’s transportation programs, carpools like these add up. In 10 short years, Commuter Club has saved more than 55 million vehicle miles and prevented the release of more than 105 tons (that’s approximately 210,000 pounds!) of harmful pollutants.

Don’t forget that Commuter Club offers carpool matching, so let us help you find someone to share the ride with today. If you would like a free bumper magnet to let other Atlanta drivers know that you are carpooling, please call Commuter Club at (770) 859-2331.

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“Quality of Life” Report Ranks Atlanta near Bottom, Commuter Club and Blueprint Cumberland working to improve rating

The Cumberland CID is hard at work, heeding calls from organizations such as Earth Day Network, to improve Atlanta’s quality of life ranking. For more than 10 years, Commuter Club has been offering transportation services to the 122,000 Cumberland Galleria area employees, which has improved the city’s air and water quality, by significantly cutting down on pollution rates.

Also a program of the Cumberland CID, Blueprint Cumberland is committed to long-term beautification planning of landscapes, streetscapes and multi-use trails. Taking advantage of the natural beauty of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Blueprint Cumberland will link the area’s live, work, play atmosphere through multi-use trails. These projects include an extension of the Silver Comet Trail and the Bob Callan Trail along Rottenwood Creek.

To see the complete 2007 Urban Environment Report results, visit www.earthday.net.

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Celebrate Mother Earth

Sunday, April 22 is Earth Day. Observed by more than 175 countries, Earth Day is the largest secular celebration in the world. The first Earth Day was in 1970 and the effort to save our earth continues to skyrocket.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) measures air pollutants annually. Between 1970 and 2005, the American population grew by 42 percent. Americans increased travel in their vehicles by 178 percent and increased energy consumption by 48 percent. The good news is that during the same time, emissions from the six primary air pollutants dropped by 53 percent.

Manufacturers in industries across the globe are striving not to harm the earth when creating new products. But there is still more to do. Commuting to work is one of the simplest ways to protect the environment. Continue the trend by using public transportation on the weekends, or, if you must drive your own car, map your route when running errands to eliminate unnecessary trips.

To honor Earth Day in Cumberland Galleria, and enjoy the spring weather, consider walking to lunch with your colleagues. You’ll benefit from being outdoors and the earth will benefit because your automobile isn’t releasing harmful emissions. Enjoy the time you save from participating in Commuter Club outside with your friends and family.

Looking for more tips to make the earth a better place? Visit www.earthday.org and discover how you can become more involved.

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