I see London, I see France, I see UHN’s undergoing a shift in how we get to work … not how you thought I’d end it :). Bring on the Active Switch Challenge and you really might see London or Paris (the snazzy ones in Europe, not the ones in Ontario which are still good, but…).
So what is the Active Switch? It’s a game to help you walk, cycle, run, rollerblade or skateboard around. Ideally, you do it to get to work, but it’ll also count for fun or exercise. When you walk or cycle to work between Monday, July 14 and Sunday, July 20 you could WIN two airline tickets from Toronto to Paris, France or London, England, courtesy of Transat Holidays!
It’s easy as pie to enter (mmm, pie). Here’s how:
1. Register at www.activeswitch.ca/workplace, you’ll see the blue “register” button on the side
2. Log your walking and cycling trips (to and from work) online during the Active Switch Challenge period (July 14 – 20, 2014).
Super winning tip: if you log a trip every day during July 14-20, you get another chance to win…kind of like buying 7 lottery tickets instead of 1. I like that they measure calories burned in hamburgers, and greenhouse gases saved in propane tanks. These are units I understand.
Another great thing is that this contest can go on as long as you want to play. They have monthly prizes all the time (though not necessarily as amazing as the London/Paris thing July 14-20).
As we mentioned last time, lots of people spend lots of time getting from home to work and back again. Some very same people think they don’t have the chance to go for a run or get to the gym. Put these 2 together and it equals 1 magical idea…active commuting. What a great way to shift from gas-power to rhymes-with-gas-and-starts-with-A-power. Bonus: watch it shrink the size of that A.
Our very own Dr. Kenneth Chapman (Respirologist) not only cycles to work, he researches the link between traffic, pollution and respiratory illness. He found that where there is more traffic, it makes for poor air quality, which increases lung and heart disease as well as mortality … yeesh.
The city of Toronto, famous for feeling pretty congested on the roads, will thank you for being one less SOV … single occupancy vehicle that is. A wise bumper sticker once said, “You’re not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic”. If we clear the air with good choices, we can all breath easy.
So happy trails and good luck with your Active Switch,
Lisa
ActiveSwitch is a program of SustainMobility that’s designed to help you commute to work in more sustainable ways. To learn more, visit ActiveSwitch.ca
Talkin' Trash With UHN 
Isn’t the prize counterintuitive to the cause? I mean, we are preventing 1 week worth of gasoline usage only to then used massive amounts of jet fuel.
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Hi there,
You’re right about the counterintuitive part, though there is an upside. The contest is designed to encourage thousands to give up their cars and try biking or walking. Of the thousands, only 2 people get on a plane. Those 2 would share the transportation fuel burden with the many others also on that plane…not quite as good as carpooling but it’s something :-). We at UHN are happy to partake in the contest, though we didn’t design it.
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