We were all counted as winners when we crossed the finish line in the Great Race for Clean Air on October 31. By using alternatives to driving alone like bicycling, carpooling, public transit, vanpooling, telecommuting and walking, participating employers saved 674 tons of CO₂. Thank you to all who participated and promoted the Great Race for Clean Air!

New categories of winners were added this year including highest overall CO₂ savings and highest average of "clean commute days" logged per participant. Clean commute days are counted when any alternative to solo driving is used for transportation to work. Also, employers in small, medium and large employer categories were recognized for achieving the highest rate of employee participation.

Additionally, individual commuters from each county were recognized for highest number of clean commute days and highest CO₂ savings.

Congratulations to Employer Program members and Great Race winners:
Nektar Therapeutics
Gilead Sciences
Flixster, Inc.
BARS+TONE Creative Video Agency
Hacienda Owners Association
Aviat Networks
O'Melveny & Myers LLP

See a complete list of winners here.

Alameda County Great Race Luncheon

San Mateo County Great Race Luncheon

Three technology firms and Spare the Air employers are this year's winners of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Excellence in Motion awards.  Genentech, Google and Oracle are all top in their respective fields and in finding alternative commuting solutions through their outstanding employer commute programs. 

Genentech's "gRide" program, available to all 8,500 employees, includes 52 "GenenBus" motor coaches that bring commuters to work. An additional nine buses shuttle employees from BART and Caltrain to the South San Francisco headquarters. The gRide program also offers cash incentives, intra-campus shuttles, bicycle lockers and showers. Since it began in 2006, the drive-alone rate at Genentech has fallen from 74 to 63 percent.

At Google's Mountain View headquarters, 17,500 employees have multiple alternative commute options. A fleet of 105 Wi-Fi enabled buses brings employees to work from seven counties.  An on-campus car-sharing program includes electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Employees also bike, walk, unicycle, skateboard and scooter to work. For employees using a self-powered commute, Google donates to their favorite charity.

The results speak for themselves - almost half of "Googlers" arrive on campus using alternative transportation.

Oracle, with Redwood Shores, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Pleasanton campuses, offers employees a suite of commute alternatives including taking transit and then a shuttle to the office, bicycling, carpooling and vanpooling.

Additionally, 35 percent of employees are eligible to telecommute. Using Oracle's own web-conferencing software, employees are able to work as productively at home as in the office. There are also shuttles from BART, Caltrain, Santa Clara VTA and the ACE train, bicycle lockers, preferential carpool parking, vouchers for vanpoolers, online ride matching, and an emergency ride home program.

Spare the Air and reduce your carbon footprint by up to 1,500 lbs of CO₂ per year by simply turning off your car's engine when stopped for more than 30 seconds.  According to the California Energy Commission (CEC), for every two minutes a car idles, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go one mile. Research indicates that the average driver idles for five to 10 minutes a day. Not only is idling a contributor to air pollution, it costs you money and causes unnecessary wear and tear on your car. With gas prices in the Bay Area currently hovering around $3.85 a gallon, the average driver idles away almost $31 of gasoline each month. 

Consider adopting an idle-free policy for your fleet vehicles to save your company money and encourage your employees to save gas, save money, and Spare the Air by not idling in your parking lots. 

How does your company promote commuting alternatives?

Tell us how your company is promoting alternatives to solo driving - bicycling clubs, priority carpool or vanpool parking, shuttles, peer-to-peer car sharing or a parking cash-out.  Take our short survey and let us know how you encourage employees to share a ride, take transit - anything but driving alone! Completed surveys will be entered to win a prize pack of five $15 Clipper cards to use as incentives for your employees!  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PromotingCommuteAlternatives

Congratulations to the winner of the September Breeze survey prize.  Nektar Therapeutics won a prize pack of five $15 Clipper cards for completing the survey about commuter benefits. Thank you for your input!