Peterborough GreenUP has recognized local residents and businesses who are “shifting gears” by choosing healthy and planet-friendly transportation options.
GreenUP has announced this year’s winners of the Shifting Gears May challenge, which has been held annually for the past 20 years. The event encourages Peterborough residents to make the switch to active and sustainable transportation.
To mark the wind down of the challenge, GreenUP bestowed the top participants with awards during a celebration and bike-in movie last Friday (May 31) at Nicholls Oval Park on Armour Road in Peterborough.
According to a media release from GreenUP, participants in this year’s challenge took 6,472 active and sustainable trips during May, which accounted for 46,627 kilometres of travel by walking, cycling, taking transit, carpooling, and telecommuting.
The May challenge resulted in a total greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 6,064 kilograms, highlighting participants’ contributions to reducing their local impact on the climate and environment.
“What struck me most about this year’s participation was how many participants were new to the challenge and also new to using active and sustainable travel for their daily trips,” GreenUP program coordinator Ashley Burnie told kawarthaNOW.
“Twenty-seven per cent of participants report that before the Shifting Gears May Challenge, they either never used, or infrequently used, active and sustainable travel,” Burnie said. “An additional 22 per cent only used it for exercise, not travel. That means that nearly half of participants are deciding to make different transportation choices — for the betterment of themselves, their community, and the environment — and I think that is really inspiring,”
In addition, she was struck by how much fun the winners had with the challenge.
“We haven’t held in-person workplace awards since 2019, and I think some of them missed the camaraderie that comes along with rallying a team to take on the May challenge. Many were doing internal prizes for their workplace participants, planning group rides, meeting at our pop-ups, and otherwise doing a lot to engage in the campaign.”
At the May 31 awards celebration, Shifting Gears workplace awards were presented to Three Sisters Natural Landscapes in the micro workplace category, Trent Health in Motion in the small workplace category, Engage Engineering in the medium workplace category, Peterborough Public Library in the large workplace category, and BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada in the extra-large workplace category. In addition, the Art Gallery of Peterborough received the “Get in Gear” workplace award as the closest runner-up in the micro workplace category.
The Shifting Gears Spirit Award was presented to Reanna Montopoli, co-owner of Trent Health in Motion.
Montopoli “has been a passionate advocate for benefits of participating in Shifting Gears; promoting it enthusiastically in-person and online,” GreenUP noted in the release. “By setting up displays, committing to daily bike commutes, sponsoring local bike events and presenting in educational webinars, Reanna has gone above and beyond in her embodiment of what it means to shift gears.”
Shifting Gears began in 2004, with “Travel-Wise Employer” awards given to workplaces that recorded top numbers of participants and trips. Among the winners were Fisheries and Oceans Canada, HGC Management, the Peter Robinson Building (MNR), and Green Communities Canada. The program has grown over the years to include community members and schools, workshops, rides, special events and more.
“With help from community events, peer-to-peer support and encouragement, and useful incentives, hundreds of employees across Peterborough made the switch to active and sustainable transportation that first year,” GreenUP noted. “Since then, the annual program has moved new and returning participants to make the shift in pursuit of both personal and community benefits — added daily activity, savings of transportation costs, social time and/or ‘me’ time, decreased vehicle congestion, improved air quality, and reduced greenhouse gases.”
Hear more from Burnie in an upcoming article on kawarthaNOW about her hopes for Shifting Gears beyond the month of May.
