Drive Less Challenge 2009 Results – over 5000 green miles

The biggest winners in the Drive Less Challenge were the community and the environment.

Awareness

With over 120 participants and 1600 website page views, the Drive Less Challenge raised awareness of the fact that the single biggest change in our power to impact the climate is reducing single occupancy vehicle trips.

Action

We didn’t only raise awareness — we took action! Challenge participants logged nearly 500 green trips (walking, cycling, carpooling, bus and train), and over 5,000 green miles.

The impact on Carbon Emissions

• If the 120 participants continued to Drive Less throughout the year, the green practices would take the equivalent of 17 cars off the road, compared to a car-centric lifestyle

• Using non-scientific “napkin-math” estimates, these green practices used by the entire population of Menlo Park would account for the equivalent of about 15% of our current transportation carbon footprint. However, we don’t have a baseline of how green people were already, so we can’t say how much absolute savings it would represent.