Clear the Air Challenge underway

The Salt Lake Chamber and other organizations have kicked off the ninth annual Clear the Air Challenge, a month-long competition aimed at encouraging Utahns to reduce vehicle emissions, in part by choosing alternatives to driving alone.

The challenge is taking place for the first time in February, when local air quality is at its worst. The challenge is a partnership among TravelWise, UCAIR, Penna Powers and the Salt Lake Chamber. Teams of coworkers, family or friends can register to participate at ClearTheAirChallenge.org.

“There is no greater health threat to our community than poor air quality,” said Lane Beattie, the chamber’s president and chief executive officer. “Doing our part to clear the air isn’t just about our quality of life, it’s about the quality of life for our children and grandchildren.

“It’s also an economic issue. In order to attract and retain the kind of talent we need to further our state’s economy, we have to protect our unparalleled quality of life. This is everyone’s responsibility. The Clear the Air Challenge shows us that small, individual changes can, and do, make a difference to Utah’s air quality.”

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Transportation emissions are responsible for nearly half of the pollutants in the local air. Participants in the Clear the Air Challenge use TravelWise strategies like carpooling, using public transit, teleworking, trip chaining, walking or riding their bikes, and, new this year, using electric vehicles, to reduce their emissions and help clear up Utah’s air.

“As we all know, there are no perfect answers to solving Utah’s air quality problems, but there are practical solutions,” said Thom Carter, UCAIR executive director. “The Clear the Air Challenge is one way to engage the citizens of Utah in finding practical solutions that make a real difference in improving our air quality.”

Since the challenge started in 2009, participants have eliminated almost a million trips, saving 13.6 million miles, reducing 4,700 tons of emissions, and saving more than $6 million.

“While many seemingly small, individual behaviors contribute to the problem, it is also small changes on each of our parts which can make the biggest difference,” said Michael Shea, senior policy associate with HEAL Utah. “This is why the Clear the Air Challenge is such a great event. It creates a coordinated framework to show Utahns how easy it is to make a difference and how big of an impact they can make.”

Employees at last year’s challenge winner, Fidelity Investments, prevented 492 tons of emissions from entering the air.

“Fidelity Investments has participated in the Clear the Air Challenge for the past seven years,” said Carly Seely, head of Fidelity’s Sustainability Committee. “The pride of being a responsible corporate citizen motivates our employees tremendously. Environmental sustainability has long been a part of Fidelity’s commitment to our community, and participating in the challenge is a tangible way to really make an impact.”

Mark Miller Subaru is among this year’s participants.

“It’s during days of poor air-quality that I ask myself, my team and members of our community, ‘What can we do differently?’” said Jeff Miller, general manager of Mark Miller Subaru. “While it seems antitheticala life and the air we breathe far exceeds all else.”

Tracking miles during the challenge from a mobile device or computer can be accomplished by using the TravelWise Tracker. Once registered for the challenge, participants can enter in a starting and ending location and receive carpool options, transit routes, or biking and walking routes. The TravelWise tracker also indicates the amount of emissions saved and the time it takes to make a trip.{/mprestriction}