Bend’s G5 in company-wide Commute Options challenge

G5, the digital marketing company headquartered in Bend, is embarking on a company-wide competition to encourage employees to walk, bike, carpool, ride the bus or telework for the entire month of July.

G5 employs 225 people at the Franklin Crossing building in downtown Bend. For the challenge, employees are divided into 26 different teams with 8-9 employees per team and all will compete against each other to log the most non-drive alone trips.

Employees are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool, and ride the bus. Creative commuting, such as skateboarding and stand up paddle boarding, is allowed as well. Participants will track their trips on the Drive Less Connect website atwww.drivelessconnect.com.

Employees are allowed to not only track their trips to and from work, but can also track ALL trips that they make in the month of July—including running errands, going out to eat, or going to the trails or lakes for recreation.

The Commute Options Challenge is part of G5’s broader efforts towards green practices. G5 is currently a Commute Options Partner and they encourage alternative commuting year-round by offering rewards for every 45 trips logged as active transportation. The employee-driven G5 Green Team also helps determine other environmental issues that the company wants to work on, such as waste reduction, recycling, energy and water conservation.

Commute Options Community Outreach Director Kim Curley commends G5 for taking on this fun and ambitious initiative. “G5 is fired up to reduce traffic in the region and get moving using transportation options. Their enthusiasm for this Commute Options Challenge will have a huge positive impact on our community—fewer cars on the road, greater financial savings and happy employees! And the added benefit? They’ll free up downtown parking spaces for shopping and dining patrons.”

Christie Taylor is a G5 Green Team member. “With amazing Bend weather upon us, G5’s Green Team decided it was a great time to challenge employees to re-evaluate their transportation methods. The goal of the G5 Commute Options Challenge is to jump start green commuting for the month of July through friendly-competition and great prizes, but in the long-term we really want to encourage employees to change their lifestyle and break some bad commuting habits,” says Taylor.

Commute Options promotes choices that reduce the impacts of driving alone. Through active transportation choice, Commute Options encourages healthy individuals, a clean environment, and a strong economy. Commute Options represents transportation options in our community by educating citizens, businesses and government about the value of carpooling, vanpooling, walking, bicycling, teleworking and using public transportation.www.commuteoptions.org