July 2012 News - An active month for Smart Commute workplaces!

July 2012

In this Issue

Clean Air Commute 2012

Health & Wellness Month at Qualcomm

Scholastic employees have their say

Telework can be a smart option!

More News

Our Sponsors

Our Partners

Connect with us!

Find a carpool match

Contact Us

289-844-3031

info@smartcommutemrh.ca

www.smartcommutemrh.ca

How much clean air did you make this month?

June 18 - 24 marked the annual Clean Air Commute challenge! Employees of 12 Smart Commute workplaces logged their commute each day this week to see the amount of pollutants they avoided using various commuting methods. A lucky participant for each

participating workplace won a brand new bike!

Thanks to the following Smart Commute MRH workplaces for participating this year: AMD, City of Markham, GENIVAR, IBM, MMM Group, Philips, Qualcomm, Scholastic, SENES Consultants, Sheraton Parkway Hotel, Town of Richmond Hill, and URS.

Zumaround clinic at GENIVAR

EcoDriver, Electric Vehicle and Nordic Pole Walking

seminars at SENES

Sheraton Parkway draws a winner from

CAC participants for a new bike

Flo McLellan with a Town of Richmond Hill

electric powered fleet vehicle

Tim Klinker, Smart Commute Champion (left) with

bike winner Subramanian Kuppusamy (right) at AMD

Employees at URS learn stress management techniques during a CAC clinic, including how to deal with a difficult commute. They also participated in an EcoDriver / Electric Vehicle seminar.

Looking to get healthy? Why not start with improving your commute?

June was Health & Wellness Month at Qualcomm

where employees learned how smart commuting can

positively impact their quality of life.

Great turnout at the Smart Commute MRH Nordic Pole walking clinic where Qualcomm's employees learned about pole walking techniques. Pole walking uses 90% of the body's muscles

while ordinary walking uses only 40%.

Qualcomm employees take part in the Clear Air Commute challenge.

Scholastic takes the Smart Commute survey!

Scholastic employees taking the survey and

participating in Clean Air Commute.

The results are in!

New Smart Commute employer Toshiba has completed its baseline commuter survey for a better understanding of its employees transportation needs. GENIVAR has done a follow-up survey to find out the impact that the efforts made by their sustainability team and the

Smart Commute MRH team have had on commuter

awareness and behaviour change.

Chantale Mantha, Toshiba Smart Commute Champion (left) with survey prize winner, Sandra Francesconi (right)

GENIVAR survey prize winner Renee Cheng (middle) with Smart Commute Champion, Matt Lee (left) and

Smart Commute staff Wincy Tsang (right)

Telework can be a smart option!

This month Smart Commute MRH held a well attended telework seminar that provided local businesses and stakeholders the opportunity to find out more about the business and sustainability case for working from home.

Canada has been slower than most countries to implement telework programs. Currently 1.5 million Canadians report teleworking.

If you would like more information, contact us at info@smartcommutemrh.ca.

More News

Trail puts Richmond Hill ahead of curve - York Region Media Group article on Bike to Work Day and cycling

More than 70 YRT/Viva service adjustments started July 1st

View the 2012 Bike to Work Day participant survey results

Boomtown in the backyard - Suburban growth in Ontario

What is Smart Commute Markham, Richmond Hill?

Smart Commute is a not-for-profit sustainability initiative of the municipalities of Markham and Richmond Hill, York Region and Metrolinx. We help local employers and commuters, like you, explore different commute choices like carpooling, cycling and transit. Our goal is to ease gridlock, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while making your commute less expensive and more enjoyable.

Your savings! In just five years, Carpool Zone users in the GTA have saved over ten million dollars and prevented 24,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions; the equivalent of about 9 million bricks!