ATLANTA, GA, USA, August 9, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Let’s rise to the challenge! Georgia Commute Options (GCO) takes aim at air pollution with the launch of the Million Air Challenge. This fun, free challenge runs Aug. 16-27 and encourages residents from across the metro Atlanta region to remove 1M pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air by recording 1M miles of clean trips. Metro Atlanta’s air quality has improved over the last year—together we can keep it up! Log your miles for chances to win prizes, including a $500 gift card for outdoor gear from High Country Outfitters or a set of Apple AirPods!

“We have an opportunity to make a difference in our air quality and in our mobility. We are asking all of metro Atlanta to rise to the challenge for the health of our communities, our children and our future,” says Roz Tucker, Georgia Commute Options Managing Director. “We hope the Million Air Challenge inspires people to walk, bike, use scooters, take public transportation, carpool, vanpool and telework, instead of driving alone in
their car, as a way to improve air quality.”

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies pivoted to telework. Traffic plummeted and air quality improved. As a result, Atlanta met the Environmental Protection Agency's air quality standards for ground level ozone (smog) for the first time in 30 years.

Every cleaner commute saves, on average, 40 pounds of CO2 pollution, helping everyone breathe easier. As people return to their worksite, and school resumes in the fall, the Air Quality Index is expected to spike. GCO wants to keep the momentum and good going to show that small changes in commuter transportation choices make a big difference in our air quality.

“We want to raise awareness about the benefits of having cleaner air for our environment,” says Tucker. “By increasing the use of commute options among employees and residents in the metro Atlanta region, we all can become better global citizens in regard to taking care of Earth while improving mobility on our roads,” she adds.

For employees and commuters who have already returned to the office, participants are encouraged to use green travel modes, while those still working from home can log their telework days.

The Million Air Challenge is presented by Georgia Commute Options. Partner organizations include Trees Atlanta, AERO, ASAP+, Central Atlanta Progress, Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association, Livable Buckhead, Midtown Alliance and Perimeter Connects. To sign up, visit www.MyGACommuteOptions.com. Participants who log their trips will be eligible for prizes.

For media questions/bookings, contact Joel Wascher, JWascher@AtlantaRegional.org, 470-698-6106; or Tenisha Taylor, Tenisha.Taylor@OdonnellCo.com, 470-552-1414.

About Georgia Commute Options
Georgia Commute Options, a program managed by the Atlanta Regional Commission and funded through the Georgia Department of Transportation, works with employers, commuters and schools to encourage drivers who ride alone to make the switch to a commute alternative such as riding transit, teleworking, carpooling, vanpooling, walking and/or biking, with the ultimate goal of reducing congestion and the emissions that contribute to smog pollution. For more information, visit www.GaCommuteOptions.com and follow Georgia Commute Options on Facebook, Twitter,LinkedIn and Instagram. Get access to cash incentives by logging your clean commute on our website or through the Georgia Commute App, which is available for download via the App Store or Google Play.

Tenisha Taylor
O'Donnell Company
+1 470-552-1414
email us here

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