The inaugural commuter challenge ‘rolls’ into North Bay on Sunday.
The free week-long challenge brings awareness to the social, economic and environmental benefits of active travel.
The idea is to ‘be less driven’ and use alternate modes of transportation like cycling, walking, transit and more.
Co-organizer Simon Blakeley says everyone is encouraged to take part by registering at commuterchallenge.ca.
He says people can then see the difference they’re making when they enter their mode of transportation, starting point and destination.
“It automatically calculates the greenhouse gas emissions saved by diverting from using a car, but also the kilojoules of energy that we burn, calorie-wise, and the distance travelled,” he says.
Blakeley says this is a positive, feel-good, community campaign.
“With COVID we’ve all been in isolation, a lot of sedentary lifestyles have been developed and we need to build back in ways that are better for the environment and better for public health,” he says.
The website displays data for all participating Canadian Cities, providing the opportunity to compare local efforts to equivalent-sized workplaces and communities across Canada.
There won’t be any official gatherings because of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, but prizes will be awarded for certain aspects of participation.
Check out North Bay Commuter Challenge on Facebook and Instagram for more.
The event runs from May 30th to June 5th.
