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Green Commuting Awareness Event to be Held in Knoxville

Green Commuting Awareness Event to be Held in Knoxville

The Commuter Challenge is an annual event that encourages commuters to try new ways of getting around, whether walking, biking, carpooling, or taking the bus at least once a week between May 1 and July 31, 2011 (12 times in all). Participants log their commutes on the Smart Trips website and are entered to win prizes.

More information is available at https://www.knoxsplat.com.

WHO: Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization / Smart Trips

WHAT: Smart Trips Commuter Challenge 2011 – Public Awareness Event on Market Square

WHEN: Friday, May 27, 2011, 12:00 p.m.

WHERE: Market Square, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

WHY: About 1/2 pound of CO2 emissions would fill up a beach ball that is 24 inches around when inflated. The average U.S. commuter generates 57 pounds of CO2 each day. That’s about 100 beach balls per day for each person!

The average commute time for the 7-county Knoxville region is just over 26 miles one way. 84.5% of commuters in our region drive alone to work daily.

If just half of the region’s drive alone commuters took an alternative to driving alone for one day, at 20 miles to the gallon average, they would save nearly half a million gallons of fuel. At $4 per gallon that would represent a savings of around $2 million dollars.