Eighteen workplaces and 184 residents took part in the 2015 Active Transportation Challenge, marking a 30 per cent increase over last year’s event.
All told, the participants combined to log 834 sustainable trips during the weeklong event, which ran from May 31st to June 6th and coincided with the national Commuter Challenge event.
“This year’s turnout exceeded our expectations,” said Chantal Lalonde, Health Promotion Specialist with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and a founding member of the Transition Cornwall + Active Transportation Action Group. “Thanks to the high participation rate, Cornwall actually finished in first place overall in the national Commuter Challenge for similar-sized communities.”
Throughout the week, participants opted to park their cars and use alternate forms of transportation such as cycling, walking, running, rolling, carpooling, telecommuting or public transit. The trips totalled 27,939 kilometres. By comparison, the distance from Cornwall to Vancouver is approximately 4,800 kilometres.
Collectively, the participants saved 1,886 litres of fuel, burned 192,505 calories and avoided 3,815 kilograms of greenhouse gases.
“It was great to see so many residents getting involved and encouraging their friends, family members and co-workers to do the same,” added Mrs. Lalonde.
The grand prize winners of this year’s event were Tracey Cloutier and Mary Fairbairn, who received new bicycles from Bicycle World and Total Cyclery and Sports. Other prizes offered included a longboard from Play it Again Sports, a bicycle helmet from Kalrim Cycles, a $100 gift certificate to Cornwall Square, a bike-themed print from Bike Centric, running shoes from Lindale’s, Cornwall Transit goodies and more.
About the Active Transportation Challenge
Hosted by the City of Cornwall, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and Transition Cornwall+, the Active Transportation Challenge rewards participants for using active and alternative modes of transportation like walking, cycling, rollerblading, carpooling or public transit.
Once registered, participants are asked to log each sustainable commute made during the week – be it for work or leisure purposes.
For more information on the event, please visit www.Cornwall.ca/ATC.