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MetroPool Pays Tribute to New York Employers
For Urging Environmentally-Friendly Commuting
Dr. Marsha Gordon, president/CEO of The Business Council of Westchester
to present Commuter Challenge and CANY awards at the IBM Learning Center
Armonk, NY- June 17, 2009 —MetroPool, Inc.—the area’s leading commuting solutions company – will honor 23 New York employers for helping improve the region’s air quality by successfully participating in the 2009 Earth Day Commuter Challenge to reduce drive-alone commuting. Clean Air New York Champion Awards will also be presented to employers who went beyond the usual activities undertaken to improve air quality.
The awards will be presented by Dr. Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester, following the MetroPool Board meeting Wednesday, June 17th, 4:30PM to 5:30 PM at the IBM Learning Center in Armonk, N.Y.
The 2009 Earth Day Commuter Challenge was held to encourage commuters to take greener forms of commuting through Earth Day (April 22) and to the end of April. Organizations encouraged employees to commute to work with a friend or co-worker using NuRide.com—an online ridematching network, which tracked their “racing” performance.
Taking place in New York’s lower Hudson Valley counties and in Connecticut, the Challenge tracked all forms of ‘green’ commuting including carpooling, vanpooling, telecommuting, biking, walking and taking public transportation. And by all accounts, it surpassed every expectation.
In the combined states, more than 13,000 commuters shared 223,331 rides and drove 6,229,518 fewer miles, which resulted in a savings of 281,887 gallons of gasoline and prevention of 2,740 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
In New York alone, commuters took 62,848 fewer car trips, taking 2,068,700 miles off the roads and preventing 889 tons of emissions.
Participation by both commuters and employees also jumped. Some 1,859 companies took part in the Challenge in both states – a 24 percent increase over the first event held in 2008, as 12,756 NuRide commuters contributed to a 30 percent jump in participation.
Making the event even more compelling, NuRide, which allows participants to earn rewards such as gift cards for restaurants, gas or events by tracking points for trips completed, added another reward. Participants in both New York and Connecticut were eligible to take part in a weekly drawing for a $100 gift card in groceries from Peapod by Stop & Shop.
Peapod gift cards winners in New York were: Jennifer Coleman, ENAP, Inc.; Kathleen Dyer, Mary Tawfilis, Binjan Sheladia, and Alfred Arnold of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals; Dawn Sherwood, New York Power Authority; Gary Willis, U.S. Post Office; Teresa Alongi and Dorothy Partellow, Northern Westchester Hospital; Robert Durso, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Halina Kosiorowski, Westchester County; Debra Foden-Celso, Kobrand Corp.; Ralph Bondi, Consumers Union; and Janet Reid, Diversified Investment Advisors.
“What’s great about the Challenge is that everyone can participate – just by sharing a ride to work, to the mall or any other kind of trip,” said John Lyons, president and CEO of MetroPool, Inc. “It proves that everyone can play a part in our global effort to reduce greenhouse gases. Everyone matters. Every trip reduced counts. Everyone wins.”
Awards for employers will be presented in four categories:
- In the category of organizations whose employees took the largest number of reduced car trips, the first place goes to Northern Westchester Hospital with 5,142 trips. IBM Corp. scored second place with 4,606 trips and third place was won by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. with 4,138 trips.
- For the highest percentage rate of employees who participated in NuRide, Orange & Rockland Utilities whopping 58 percent participation rate snagged the first place. Coming in at second place was Northern Westchester Hospital with a 50 percent participation rate. Third place went to Amalgamated Life with a 42 percent participation rate.
- In the total enrollments category for organizations that enrolled the greatest number of employees in NuRide over the past year since the Challenge began, IBM Corp. captured the first place with 118 total enrollments. Westchester County Government, which already had a number of employees enrolled in NuRide, added another 88 for a second-place finish. Third place went to Northern Westchester Hospital with 83 total enrollments.
- Among those employers who sped to the finish line with the largest number of new enrollments, Westchester County Government took top honors with 39 new enrollments, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals took second with 26 new enrollments. And Third Place went to Northern Westchester Hospital with 20 new enrollments.
Additionally, Honorable Mention Awards will be presented to16 employers who finished the Challenge in fine form and merited special recognition for their performance: NYS Thruway Authority, Swiss Re, Diversified Investment Advisors, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Rockland County, Pepsi Bottling Group, New York Power Authority, U.S. Air Force, Verizon, Westchester Medical Center, MasterCard, Cardiology Consultants of Westchester, Scenic Hudson, Inc., SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Orange, and Mount Saint Mary College.
All winners will receive environmentally friendly awards designed from blue recycled glass. Awards for winners in Connecticut will be presented June 30th at the State Capitol in Hartford.
About MetroPool
Serving both the New York State and Connecticut Departments of Transportation, MetroPool, Inc. is the area’s leading commuting solutions company. Since 1980, MetroPool has provided employers and commuters with free services to encourage transportation options –car/vanpooling, walking/biking, bus/train/ferry travel, telecommuting, compressed work weeks and pre-tax commuter benefits. Services are available in Fairfield County, Connecticut; and in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties in New York. For more information, call 1-800-FIND-RIDE or visit www.metropool.com.
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