Clean Commuting Challenge Takes Bronze Anthem Award
Atlanta, GA – Jan. 31, 2024 – The Million Air Challenge, hosted by Georgia Commute Options (GCO), has been awarded a bronze medal at the third annual Anthem Awards, which honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. GCO won under the category of Sustainability, Environment, & Climate – Best Local Community Engagement. Announced in a special awards ceremony on January 30, other 2024 Anthem Award Winners include the Nature Conservancy, Southern Environmental Law Center, World Economic Forum, and more.
Through the Million Air Challenge, GCO challenged commuters to cut 1 million pounds of tailpipe emissions by putting away the car keys and logging clean trips instead. Participants of the Million Air Challenge were encouraged to walk, bike, use scooters, take public transportation, carpool, vanpool and telework, instead of driving alone in their cars. The 2023 challenge drew more than 3,300 participants, saving 856,000 pounds of CO2 and logging nearly a million miles of clean commute trips.
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition, but our real reward is the cleaner air available to all metro Atlanta residents thanks to the widespread participation in the Million Air Challenge,” said Roz Tucker, managing director for GCO, which is managed by the Atlanta Regional Commission. “When large groups of people make small behavioral changes, it adds up to literal tons of emissions saved, and the combined work of our community partners and individual commuters across the region made a huge difference this year.”
The Anthem Awards received over 2,000 entries from more than 30 countries worldwide. Anthem winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, whose members include executives from The Ad Council, Nike Purpose, Innocence Project, NAACP, GLAAD, The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, NRDC, Etsy and more.
“Since launching the Anthem Awards in 2021, we’ve seen incredible change and growth in the impact sector,” said Anthem Awards General Manager Patricia McLoughlin. “From innovative projects fighting climate change to impactful calls for equal rights across the globe and best-in-class CSR [corporate social responsibility] and ESG [environmental, social, and governance] efforts – the Anthem Community is a bright light in our uncertain world.”
###
About Georgia Commute Options: Georgia Commute Options, a program managed by the Atlanta Regional Commission and funded through the Georgia Department of Transportation, works with employers, commuters and schools to encourage drivers who ride alone to make the switch to a commute alternative such as riding transit, teleworking, carpooling, vanpooling, walking and/or biking, with the ultimate goal of reducing congestion and the emissions that contribute to smog pollution. For more information, visit www.GaCommuteOptions.com and follow Georgia Commute Options on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Get access to cash incentives by logging your clean commute on our website or through the Georgia Commute app, which is available for download via the App Store or Google Play.
About The Anthem Awards: Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we’re defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. Founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ. For more information and a full list of 2024 winners, visit AnthemAwards.com