Drive Less Challenge 2009 – Role Models and Prize Winners
The Drive Less Challenge was designed to stimulate friendly competition, and celebrate role models for green travel practices. The Challenge recognizes group participation, because much of our habits are formed in a social context. When the norm is to be green, it’s easiest to be green! Another goal is to show that there are may different ways to reduce one’s transportation footprint – cycling, walking, carpool, train, bus, combining trips – each of us has a different set of good choices for driving less.
Group leadership
These groups had the most active participation in the Drive Less Challenge.
City of Menlo Park – 8 participants, 41 trips
Oak Knoll School, 28 participants, 143 trips
Willows Neighborhood – 8 participants, 95 trips logged
Congregation Etz Chaim – 5 participants, 44 trips logged
These are the individuals who logged the most trips for these groups, blazing the trail for others.
City of Menlo Park – Kent Steffens, 24 trips
Oak Knoll School – Leah Strichartz, 34 trips
Willows Neighborhood, Tom Kabat, 18 trips
Etz Chaim, Gail Slocum, 15 trips
These are the winners in each school group – the individuals who logged the most green trips at schools with 3 or more participants:
Encinal: Cassandra Kopisch (6 trips, 42 mi)
M-A HS: Daniel Kopisch (9 trips, 199 mi)
Oak Knoll: Leah Strichartz (20 trips, 51 mi)
Peninsula: Mitch Slomiak (10 trips, 50 mi)
Stanford: Chris Mattenberger – (6 trips, 18 mi)
Stanford: Lisa Kwiatkowski (6 trips, 204 mi)
These are the winners in neighborhood groups – the individuals who logged the most green trips at schools with 3 or more participants:
Most green trips at neighborhoods with 3 or more participants
Willows: Tom Kabat (13 trips, 51 mi)
Downtown MP: Adina Levin (13 trips, 44 mi)
There were participants from these work groups: SAP, Acterra, City of Palo Alto, City of Menlo Park, PGE, NASA Ames, Stanford, Ning, HP, San Mateo County, and others.
And these faith communities – Menlo Park Presbyterian, Etz Chayim, Beth Am Congregation, Valley Presbyterian, Trinity Parish
Role Models for different sorts of green travel
Most green trips
1. Leah Strichartz: 20 trips
2. (tie) Butch Byers: 14 trips
2. (tie) Kent Steffens: 14 trips
Most green miles (train and bike)
1. Lanette Kozlowski: 309 miles
2. Caroline Dedeystere: 299 miles
3. Nien San Chaw: 284 miles
Most active walkers
Kent Steffens – 8 trips
Lisa Kwiatkowsi – 5 trips
Wendy Kuehl – 5 trips
Gail Slocum – 4 trips
April Bellamy – 4 trips
Gudrun Enger – 4 trips
Mitch Slomiak – 4 trips
Wendy Kuehn – 4 trips
Most active cyclists
Leah Strichartz – 17 trips
Manfred Kopisch – 13 trips
Butch Byers – 13 trips
Most frequent carpoolers
John Boyle – 8 trips
Kent Steffens – 5 trips
Robin Dusaint – 5 trips
Heather Nelson – 5 trips
Most frequent bus riders
Yevgeniy Lysyy – 6 trips
Delilah Cline – 5 trips
Lisa Kwiatkowski 4 trips
Most frequent train riders
Caroline Dedeystere – 6 trips
Lisa Kwiatkowski – 5 trips
Robin Dusaint – 5 trips
Trip chaining – most multi-destination green trips:
1. Wendy Keuhnl : 4 trips
2. Robin Dusaint: 3 trips
Prizes and sponsors
Winning individuals will receive prizes from one of the following retail sponsors, including: Avi Decorative Painting, Caltrain/Samtrans, Cheeky Monkey Toys, Green Zebra, Kepler’s Books, Menlo Velo, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Commute.org, Reclaim, Red Hawk Real Estate, Roger Reynolds Nursery, Rosewood Sandhill Hotel and Spa.
Kepler’s generously donated its venue for the celebration on Friday, May 5.
The David Bohannon Group and The Daily News Group provided sponsorship for operation and advertising of the Drive Less Challenge.
The Menlo Park City Council showed leadership by all taking the Drive Less Challenge and serving as role models for the community.
Acterra, Peninsula Traffic Control Relief Alliance (Commute.org), the Sierra Club, and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition provided publicity support.
Volunteers
The Drive Less Challenge has been put together with 100% volunteer time and effort. Volunteers include coordinator Adina Levin, Menlo Park Green Ribbon Citizens’ Committee co-chairs Mitch Slomiak and Carol McClelland, and Uri Kogan,Jeanne Durnford, Carol McClelland, Kent Fields, Katie Ferrick, Kristin Kuntz Duriseti, Christine Hertzog, Patty Boyle, Gail Slocum, Mitch Slomiak, Joanna Jordan-Wu, Davena Gentry, Karen Wang, Heather Nelson, Suzanne Wilson, Bob Barrett, John Kadvany, Uri Kogan, Tom Kabat
Thanks to everyone who participated, sponsored, and volunteered to make this Challenge a success for our community.
May 12, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Congratulations to the organizers of this very successfulprogram! Thank you for all your efforts.