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Employees at York Catholic’s Catholic Education Centre biked, carpooled and took public transit in an effort to be more environmentally friendly during this year’s Clean Air Commute, which took place in mid-June.
The Clean Air Commute, organized annually by Pollution Probe, serves as a reminder that we all have a responsibility to do whatever we can to reduce the amount of pollutants being released into the air by vehicles.
This year, the Catholic Education Centre had a record number of staff take part in the Clean Air Commute. 64 employees registered and committed to finding environmentally friendlier ways to get to and from work such as walking, cycling, carpooling, taking public transit or perhaps even driving a hybrid vehicle. Through the collective efforts of these employees, approximately one tonne of harmful emissions were eliminated from the environment.
In return for signing up to help protect the environment, participants were eligible to win prizes, such as a mountain bike donated by Smart Commute and one of ten digital pedometers, donated by the Town of Aurora Family Leisure Complex.
On June 24, the Environmental and Office Services Department held the draw for the Mountain Bike, and Darlene Clapham of the board’s Information Systems Department was the lucky winner. Other employees won one of 10 digital pedometers donated by the Town of Aurora.
“Congratulations to all who did their part to help us reduce our environmental footprint,” said Kent Shadwick, Manager of Environmental and Office Services. “This was our best year yet!”
Looking towards the future, York Catholic is committed to further protecting our air quality and limiting smog created by vehicle use. Representatives from the Windfall Ecology Centre in Aurora recently presented the new "Green Spokes" bicycle commuting program, which will launch at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School in September 2011.
Windfall Ecology Centre will work with the school to create a culture of cycling in the school community. The program will demonstrate to students the tools they can use to plan safe and convenient routes and work with schools and local partners to install secure bike facilities. It will also provide the capability to track green house gas emissions saved through an innovative website where students can set up profiles and log their kilometres biked, as well as educate students on how they can make more healthy and environmentally-friendly choices.