 | | Christina Treglia and Kathy Glapa use "pedal power" to get around. |
TDEC Wellness
The Office of Sustainable Practices is a proud participant in the Governor's Working for a Healthier Tennessee initiative.
The goal of Working for a Healthier Tennessee is to encourage and enable state employees and other insurance plan members to lead healthier lives. The initiative includes employees and spouses in general government, higher education, and local government. There are three key focus areas for the program- Physical Activity, Eating Well, and Tobacco Cessation. A Wellness Council appointed by Commissioner Martineau made up of staff from across TDEC's divisions coordinate TDEC's participation in Working for a Healthier Tennessee. The Council takes a fun and easy going approach to employee engagement offering modules like support groups, regularly scheduled fitness classes, contests like Biggest Loser Challenges, and frequent communication with tips, recipes, and success stories. Departments earn points for the activities they sponsor and quarterly awards support healthy competition between departments. TDEC was recently the champion in the tobacco cessation category. Sustainable State Government manager, Christina Treglia, serves on TDEC's Wellness Council and leads the Activity and Support Groups team for our department. Christina says, "The project is a great way to explore the environmental/social nexus of sustainability. There are a number of ways that the two intersect such as encouraging walking and biking as transportation methods and promoting local agriculture." The full Office of Sustainable Practices has participated in several ways. One of our favorite wellness activities is hosting mini walking tours that give our staff an opportunity to get a little physical activity while getting first-hand exposure to environmental best practices. One tour visited Nashville's Deaderick Street which uses green infrastructure techniques to both reduce the environmental impact of the area as well as making the street more inviting to pedestrians. We also host healthy snack breaks, encourage employees to use their rest periods for physical activity, and support special events such as the TDEC Wellness Fair. The results are already starting to show. More employees than ever are making an effort to eat healthy and increase their physical activity. Divisions are incorporating stretch breaks, hikes, and healthy potlucks into their regularly scheduled meetings and events. We are looking forward to seeing how much our staff has improved their health when we get our annual health assessment for the department. |
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Highway 129 greenway pedestrian bridge. |
Maryville/ Alcoa Greenways-
A Cooperative Effort
The Maryville/Alcoa greenway system is an excellent example of the positive results which can be realized when municipalities work together for the good of their respective citizens.
It currently consists of nine linear miles with four miles of trail located in Alcoa and five miles located in Maryville. The greenway expands to a 21 mile system as it loops through the parks through which it passes and offers links to shopping districts, businesses, nature areas, fitness stations and picnic pavilions. In 1996, Maryville and Alcoa partnered to obtain an $850,000 grant through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act to develop the greenway.
This joint effort by these Blount County cities actually joined two of their existing parks with
a well-lighted and clearly marked walking and biking trail. Originally planned as a simple recreational trail between the two cities, the greenway has become a healthy alternative for residents to travel to work, school and other recreational areas in the county.
Citizens in the area readily embraced the new trail system and by 1999, plans were already being made for a series of extensions. Alcoa extended its portion of the system through the Springbrook Corporate Center and the two cities partnered to construct an eastern connector between the Bicentennial and Springbrook parks.
The greenway system has produced many positives for the citizens of these two communities. Jeremy Pearson who manages the Alcoa portion of the greenway stated that the Blount Partnership, the economic and community development agency for Blount County, feels that the
greenway is a vital part of their efforts to attract new business and industry. The schools use the system as a part of their physical fitness programs to teach that walking and jogging can provide lifetime health benefits.
The trails also serve as a natural classroom to enhance studies in nature and ecology. Former Director of Maryville City Schools, Dr. Mike Dalton, stated that "this interaction with the natural environment provides a stronger learning environment and leads to the development of adults who will lead others to maintain a healthy environment for the future." Clearly, the greenway produces more sustainable regional benefits offering a variety of options to live, work and play. |
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Bicycles await users in Chattanooga. |
Biking Around Tennessee
According to the recently published United Health Foundation's 23rd annual America's Health Rankings report, Tennessee has made improvements in some areas but still ranks 48th in sedentary lifestyle, 35th for obesity and 44th among all states for the closely related prevalence of diabetes. However, communities across Tennessee are addressing this problem by promoting and educating citizens about healthier lifestyle choices. Major cities across Tennessee are taking action to encourage active lifestyles through new bicycle transit systems. These not only promote better health but may also help mitigate traffic congestion, protect the environment, decrease dependence on foreign oil and create additional parking availability in the busy downtown areas.
The City of Chattanooga officially launched Bike Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System in July 2012 making it the first large scale bicycle transit system in the Southeast. The system consists of 300 bicycles in a network of 31 stations throughout the downtown and into the North Shore area. The bike share program is easy to use and has several options available, including signing up online or by visiting any of the local solar-powered kiosks. There are also options for an annual membership pass ($75 or $30 for students) or 24-hour access pass ($6). According to a report developed by the city detailing the program's first year of operation, participants in the Chattanooga program logged 32,000 trips, a potential savings of approximately 18,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, burning and estimated 3.4 million calories, and saving approximately 1,200 gallons of fuel.
The Nashville B-cycle bike share program, an expansion of the existing Green Bikes program, was launched in December 2012 by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. Nashville B-cycle includes 190 bikes at 20 automated kiosks within a three-mile radius of downtown. Daily, weekly or monthly passes are available from $5 to $15, or annual memberships can be purchased for $50.
The University of Tennessee launched the nation's first fully automated electric bike sharing system as a pilot project in September 2011 on the Knoxville campus. It consists of fourteen e-bikes and six bicycles with two charging stations. The electric bike is powered by a lithium-ion battery that only engages the motor when pedaling becomes difficult, a feature that makes bicycling feasible for those that would otherwise not consider it due to limited physical strength or ability.
Memphis is also moving toward becoming a more bike-friendly city as it was selected in April 2012 as one of only six cities in the nation to participate in the Green Lane Project. Since the summer of 2010, Memphis has built more than 70 miles of on-street bike facilities. These efforts have helped advanced Memphis from being named one of the worst cities for riding by Bicycling Magazine in 2008, to being awarded the "most improved" bike city in 2012. |
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