Alexandria’s Commuter Revolution

Dear Commuters,

Thank you for attending the Commuter Revolution Reception at the Morrison House. I would like to share some photos with you from the evening. The rest of the photos will be posted soon.

Participating Companies with Mayor Euille

Snapshots of the Evening

Mayor Euille

The Commuter Revolution Team

Thank you!

Hello Commuters,

For the last four weeks, you took alternative transportation to and from work. Along the way, we’ve received commute stories, pictures, and even videos from you. This morning we received one more photo! And in the spirit of green commuting, here it is:

Submitted by Jennifer F. from WEF: “Geese going to work on VRE 2.”

And now, let’s announce the Week 4 winners:

$25 gift card to Micha’s goes to Walter G. from AECOM                                              $50 gift card to Columbia Firehouse Restaurant goes to Jacob D. from Grant Thornton                                                                                                                                                  $100 gift card to Torpedo Factory goes to Rikki M from St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Also, we had a few extra prizes and the following people were chosen randomly to receive them:

$25 gift card to La Tasca Restaurant goes to Bud G. from St. Stephen’s and Saint Agnes School                                                                                                                                       $35 gift card to Hurray for Books goes to Sean W. from Federal Management Partners                                                                                                                                                  $50 gift card for business cards from Chelsea Copy and Printing goes to Monica H. from American Physical Therapy Association

Congratulations to everyone who won! Thank you for participating and tracking your trips!

Hello Commuters,

It’s time again to give away some prizes! You just finished your third week of the Commuter Challenge. Thank you for tracking your trips and here are Week 3 winners:

$25 Old Town Theater gift card to Sarah D., APTA

$50 Nationals gift card to Devin M., AECOM

$ 100 Kennedy Center gift card to Alexandria P., GT

“I have to admit that I drive a large truck everyday to work and for the month of April so far I have not. I have committed to biking for the whole month of April and will continue a couple days a week after that.

I must say that the Commuter Revolution has given me the energy and the spirit to not only GO GREEN but to also have some quality time to myself to reflect on the day as I ride home as well as get in shape.”

- Chris C. from CAI

Our fantastic prizes for the FINAL week are:

$100 to The Torpedo Factory for 5 days of green commutes

$50 to Columbia Firehouse Restaurant for 4 days of green commutes

$25 toMisha’s Coffee for 3 days of green commutes

Happy commuting!

Hello Commuters,

Thank you for submitting images for the photo contest. Please vote for your favorite picture below. Voting ends on Friday, April 30.

Please Click Here to Vote

Submitted by Jessica O:

“This is a picture Wally and I (we carpool to and from work from Woodbridge daily) took of our co-worker Chris who for the month of April elected to bike to work.  Chris biked in to work on Wednesday the 21st but it rained in the afternoon so he asked me for a ride home.”

Submitted by Stephen G:

“…this is a photo of sustainable housing I took on my jog into work.”

Submitted by Katherine W:

“Sign.”

Submitted by Valerie B:

“…the photo you got of me on my bike was taken by my daughter who has been riding to work/school with me. Every morning we “fight” the bushes on one particular sidewalk where the bushes are overgrown.  It’s funny to watch us try to avoid the “bush monster” as we drive by. We have had great fun riding our bikes and have even named each hill.  What fun Commuter Revolution has been!”

The following story was sent to me by Brittany B. at WEF.

“I took the metro this morning because the weather was supposed to be nice. I arrived at work at my normal time. My coworker who lives in the same area I do in Arlington came in about a half hour after me looking frazzled. She asked, ‘Did you not hit that traffic?! GW was dead-stopped!’ She had sat in traffic an extra half hour.

I was very relieved to have taken the metro!”

Right on, Brittany. You clearly won this round! Thanks for sharing.

It’s time to spice up the challenge and give away more prizes. Hence, we are launching the Commuter Revolution Photo Contest!

DETAILS:  Submit a photo to Marina at budimirm@urbantrans.com showcasing a funny, ironic, interesting, or crazy moment on your commute to or from work by Friday, April 23.

It can be an image of anything from a ridiculous street sign to a free-flowing HOV lane. Voting begins on Monday, April 26 and everyone is encouraged to vote for their favorite picture.  The winner will be announced on the last day of the challenge, Friday, April 30.

PRIZES: First place will receive a $80 gift card to PAZAZZ Salon and Spa. Second place will receive a $30 gift card to Austin Grill.

This is definitely a great chance to engage in friendly competition with your colleagues.

We look forward to seeing your snapshots!

Hello Everyone,

You have completed the first week of Alexandria’s Commuter Revolution and we are already seeing a positive impact from your collective effort. We pooled all data from participating companies and some interesting stats have emerged:

1. The most popular mode of transportation is public transit.

2.  6,973 tons of CO2 reduced! Very impressive.

3. $3,126.62 saved by not driving alone.

4. 10,223 miles reduced.

5. 359 gallons of gas saved.

You might remember that there was talk about prizes along the way. Well, we have some winners!

$100 to Wheel Nuts Bike Shop: Terry G. from Grant Thornton,
$50 to Mom’s Organic Market: Nancy C. from Water Envir. Fed.,
$25 to The Dairy Godmother: Cassie G. from AECOM, and
A 1-month membership to SNAP Fitness: Jeremy K. from Federal Management Partners.

And one more for good measure: Congrats to Stephen G. from AECOM for being the 100^th person who registered! Stephen has won a $50 gift card to La Tasca Restaurant. All prizes will be mailed to your company’s HR department.

Open call: We are looking for commuters to contribute to this blog through photos, posts, comments, etc. If you would like to share anything at all about your commute, please post it or send your thoughts to Marina at  budimirm@urbantrans.com.

Happy commuting!

The Commuter Revolution starts officially on Monday, April 5. If you track your commute 3 days a week, you will be entered to win a prize worth $25; if you track your commute 4 days a week, you will be entered to win a $50 prize and 5 days for a chance to win a $100 prize.

Here are the prizes for the first week:

$25: The Dairy Godmother

$50: Mom’s Organic Market

$100: Wheel Nuts Bike Shop

We are also giving away a one month free membership and personal training session to Snap Fitness in Old Town to anyone who tracks at least three trips next week. This prize is worth $200. Not too shabby!

In my previous post, I mentioned two free bike tune ups. They have already been claimed but Wheel Nuts is giving all participants a 10% discount during April, just mention the Commuter Revolution.

Hello Green Commuters,

Our friend Ron at Wheel Nuts Bike Shop in Old Town has generously donated two free bike tune ups. If you’re planning on using  your bike during the Commuter Revolution, this would be a great opportunity to get a free inspection and tweaking from a bike expert. E-mail Marina at budimirm@urbantrans.com or Sam at salkins@urbantrans.com and the first two people will receive a free bike tune up.

And if you need a new bike, helmet, etc., mention the Commuter Revolution to Ron and you’ll receive 10% off of your purchase. That’s a pretty good deal.

The Commuter Revolution is almost here. Yesterday, we hosted a Challenge Coordinator Training at the Beatley Central Library. Representatives from participating companies and organizations joined us for a short and sweet training presentation.

The enthusiasm and engagement in the room were overwhelmingly inspiring. Everyone contributed with insightful questions and comments as we powered through the presentation and next steps. A big thank you goes to La Pain Quotidien for catering our lunch and underwriting 100% of the cost.

All participants of the Commuter Revolution will receive goodies including a candy-filled jar, a welcome packet with useful transportation information and be entered for weekly prize drawings.

Challenge Coordinators will be working to answer any questions or concerns you might have. Also, Sam, Gabe and I are here to help out.

A special thank you goes to Johann Lansky from La Pain Quotidien for providing our hardworking Challenge Coordinators with a delicious lunch.

The Commuter Revolution begins on April 5, please remain on the lookout for news from your company or organization about events and next steps prior to the start. We are very excited to see the first registrants trickling in and the momentum slowly building!